Baby Names

The following is a post that my friend Bethany recently wrote. She is also having trouble coming up with a name. I really enjoyed reading it since we are having some similiar issues. So enjoy:

This brings us to choosing a name for a
baby, which is officially one of the most difficult, time-consuming things I
have ever done. Why? Because there are too many factors to consider when
thinking about baby names. For the benefit of those of you who are parents, will
become parents, have parents, or hate your name, I will list them.

1. Do you like the name? You're going to be using it a lot over the next
fifty years - it's important to choose something you really like and that sounds
good even if you're happy, angry, sad, laughing, scared, etc. Practice yelling
it - does it have a strong, authoritative ring to it? Imagine it appearing on a
wedding announcement - does it sound ridiculous that Apple is getting
married?

2. Do you both like the name? Yes, this is the
most difficult part. Little girls have been naming things since they could
talk...most of us have had favorite baby names since our mid-teens. Then the
husbands show up and blow our names out of the water with the newfound power of
fatherhood - names they have come up with in the past ten minutes, rather than
cherishing for the past ten years. Thinking about baby names also reveals a lot
about your personal level of comfort with individuality...Tim likes names like
Kate, Anna, and Megan, while my top ten list includes Madeleine, Eleanor,
Isabel, and Jocelyn. I won't even discuss the boys' names, because the camps are
set up on different planets.

3. Can it be easily
changed into nicknames? This can be a pro or a con. Tim's family all has
one-syllable names, and we know they will nickname the baby. Therefore, we not
only have to choose a name we like, we have to precede them in choosing a
nickname so that we're guaranteed to like the nickname, too. I love the name
Madeleine, but with the current popularity of the name Madison, I wouldn't want
to have just another "Maddy." In addition, how long do you use a nickname before
it becomes ridiculous? Until they start walking? Until they start kindergarten?
I know a 31 year-old man who still goes by "Boomer." Poor guy.

4.
Will it be difficult to spell or pronounce? It's hard enough learning to read
and write - giving a baby a name that's difficult for them (and their teachers,
coworkers, dentists, etc.) to either spell or pronounce will cause unnecessary
aggravation. Even if they are personally successful in learning to spell it
themselves, they will be constantly spelling their name for every camp form,
doctor appointment, pizza order, etc. Unusual names seem to be especially
prevalent in the south...some of fun names we've heard of have included I'auna
(iguana without the g), Candy Mann (he has brothers named Jupiter Mann and Moon
Mann), and Amazing Grace.

5. Are you naming the baby
after a relative? This is dangerous ground. You cannot include every traditional
family name in your first child's name, so does that mean you dutifully choose
from the list for each successive child? Are you favoring one side of the family
over the other, based on who is "named after" first? Our conclusion: safer to
avoid it altogether.

6. How important is the
name's meaning? Bethany means "House of God," and I have always treasured the
significance of that meaning. However, when we were discussing meanings, Tim had
no idea what his name meant - we had to look it up. However, do you choose Elise
over Scarlett just because one means "My God is a vow" and the other means "A
deep red"? Personal preference - see comment #1.

7.
Do you want it to be popular or not? This is a tough one - Tim likes more
popular names, but I refuse to choose anything from the Top Ten list. The Social
Security Administration posts yearly reports about the popularity of baby names
in the United States. You can track the popularity of names over time or view
the order of popular names in any given year (even by State). For example, the
name Emma went out of fashion in the 1950s and then suddenly peaked again in the
early 90s. For those of you who want to see how popular your name is, the
website is: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

8. What do the initials spell? Even if you have
overcome all of these other barriers, you still need to make sure the initials
don't spell anything offensive - I had a friend in grade school named Angel Star
Stokes.

So for our family and friends who check this blog what is your opinion? Our top five boy names are: Daniel, Nathaniel(Nathan), Simon, Ethan, Noah. Please leave a comment and let us know your favorite.