Choosing a baby name is not an easy task. We had a difficult task when we chose our baby's name not too long ago. Being both teachers at that time, we encounter many students with different names and you think that that would make choosing a name much easier. But no, we had a specific connotation attached to each name, both negative and positive!
My husband would suggest a name and I would reject it because it reminds me of a lazy student in the class, and vice versa. Finally, we settled on a name which both of us had no pre-conceived ideas about. That was the night before I gave birth, I distinctly remembered. It's like my baby knew that it's time for her to get out as a name is ready for her. Here are some tips on what NOT to do when choosing a baby name.
Avoid a name with negative connotation
When we mention a name such as Savannah and Cody, we seem to have a fixed notion of what the person is like. Sometimes, there is a negativity attached to its name because of our memories or past experiences with a person with that name. As far as possible, avoid names which you have given negative meaning to.
Avoid popular names
Some websites publishes the most popular boy and girl names for each year. Make sure you check them out and avoid these names altogether as you do not want your child to be among the 10 students in a class with that name. For example, the top three baby boy names for 2008 are Jacob, Michael and Joshua while the top three baby girl names are Emily, Emma and Madison.
Avoid celebrity names
No matter how much both of you like the celebrity, you must remember to avoid such names. We may adore a celebrity name for various reasons such as it's a cool name of a famous person and hopefully, your child would inherit the talent this celebrity possesses. However, you will never know when this celebrity might appear in the bad press. We've heard of celebrities drink-driving, going to jail and so on. So avoid celebrity names at all cost!
Avoid unconventional spelling
There are some people who feel tired of spelling their names to others as a result of their parents giving them names with unconventional spelling. Having conventional names also has the benefit of having the name not misspelt often.
Avoid names with double letters
In addition to the point mentioned above, try not to select names with double letters such as SteFFy or JohNNie. People will often ask whether it's a single of double F or N or whatever letter. Quite frustrating for your child!
Avoid initials spelling funny words
Some parents are unaware that the name they have given to their child has a funny initial like MAD or BUM. Make sure the initials doesn't come together and form a weird term.
Avoid names which are difficult to pronounce
When we were choosing a name for our baby, we wanted a simple name which is easy to pronounce, just so that grandparents and great-grandparents of our child will know how to pronounce it correctly. We also did not want the names to be shortened to something else, such as from Samantha to Sam, or something like that.
Avoid names your child may not be able to live up to
I have encountered weird names such as Romance and Dragon in my class. The best thing is that the student with the name Romance is far from romantic and the one with the name Dragon is timid. Also, avoid names such as Rich unless you're Donald Trump.
Avoid names with negative meaning in other cultures
Living in a global world, your child will soon be interacting with people in other countries. Try as far as possible to avoid names which has a negative meaning in other cultures. I know it's not possible to know what a name means in every language, but at least run it by your international friends or search the internet for more information.
Avoid names without domain names
For the techie parents, you may want to check the availability of your chosen name on the internet to see if it has already been taken up. If it has not, buy it immediately for the next 20 years and set up a blog for your unborn child.
After reading this, I hope it has helped you eliminate a big chunk of the names from your list and you're left with only a few to consider. Whatever it is, be sure you choose a name which is soothing to your ears because you will be calling out that name very often. All the best in choosing a name for your baby and congratulations!
