Tips On Choosing A Baby's Name
A name is one of the most precious things you will give to your baby. Sociologists, baby experts and teachers agree that your child's name impacts on his or her personality, baby's ability to interact with his or her peers, and how he or she is seen by total strangers. There are a number of things you should consider before deciding on a name.
- Want to be different: Maybe it was certain celebrities who started it, but many parents nowadays want to give their baby a unique name by either changing the spelling of a more traditional name, or making up something completely new (and often weird). Change the spelling and you are unlikely to change the sound of the name, so when teacher calls for Katey then Katy and Katie will also come running. Your baby is already unique, there is no need to cause her problems in later life when she will be fighting a losing battle to get her name spelt correctly on official documents like a driving license.
- Names you invent: Dr Mehrabian, author of The Baby Report Card and The Name Game, who has studied how a name effects people, finds that people react negatively to those with unusual names. Compared to a traditional name, he found that unusual names were rated lower in all the categories in his study, including success in life, happiness, and morality. As he says 'Blue hair is unusual, but is it a good idea?'
- Initials: Check to ensure that the initials of baby's names, including the last name, do not make a word; or at least not an unfortunate word that will lead to your child's embarrassment in later years.
- Puns: Be careful you don't give your baby a combination of first and last names that will lead to her embarrassment when she is older. I worked with a girl called Hazel Nutt who appeared to enjoy the laughter her name prompted whenever she met someone for the first time, but behind the smile there must have been the occasional grimace. I can't imagine that her parents deliberately chose her names to cause their daughter embarrassment, more likely it was sheer carelessness.
- Sound: General advice is if the last name is short, choose a long first name and vice versa. Also, if the last name starts with a vowel, avoid a first name that ends in a vowel; otherwise the names tend to run into one.
- Meaning: If you can't decide between two or more names, look up the meanings of the names; it may help you to choose. If you wish to give your baby girl two names, how about names that mean the same or opposite? For example: Lucy and Phoebe mean 'Light' and Melanie means 'Dark'.
- Twins: Choosing names for one baby is hard enough, but twins! The suggestion in the last paragraph is useful here. Tasmin and Tammy both mean 'Twins'; Patrick and Archie both mean 'Noble'; Carl and Brian both mean 'Strong'; Cheryl and Charity both mean 'Dear'; and of course there are many names that are also the names of flowers.
The names you give to your baby are perhaps the most important thing apart from life itself, so spend time choosing the names and avoid the more obvious pitfalls.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
About the Author
You can get more advice on choosing a baby boy or baby girl's name at our website, where you will also find details of the Chinese Year signs, the personality traits of babies born during each sign, and the famous Chinese Conception Chart which forecasts the sex of your unborn baby.
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by: KatyBivens
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