I am wondering how many name combination possibilities people have when they are expecting? With our son we had a boy name and a girl name picked out for a long time before being pregnant- there were no other options for us so it was set. However now we are preparing to try for number 2, my name obsession has kicked into overdrive and the options are endless. I love the idea of having two combos picked out and choosing the name upon meeting them. So how many combinations do people have ‘in the bank’? I have one boy and one girl combo that we like at the moment but feel we need to add more- it’s just so hard!
We decided we wouldn’t even discuss names until we found out the gender and now we’re trying to narrow it down to a top 3 for when she’s born. [name_m]Just[/name_m] in case we look at her and decide she isn’t our top choice.
But at the moment it’s quite hard to have any definitely ‘in the bank’ because we’re very indecisive.
With my first baby I pretty much knew from day one she would be [name_f]Melody[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f], her Dad wasn’t all that concerned with the naming so it was up to me. I didn’t go so far as to call her [name_f]Melody[/name_f] or tell anyone aside from her Dad but I knew. But I did have two other names picked out, [name_f]April[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] and [name_f]Adelaide[/name_f] [name_f]Kate[/name_f] just in case.
I always came up with middle names first. So it was a mater of choosing a first name. I always had one of each gender but it was a work n progress pretty much untill they were born. I always had a favorite that was more stand out but had another 2 options just in case.
it all depends on how easily naming comes to you and what you like… some of my friends only have 2 names picked out and I have 4 boy names and 3 girl names
I’m unusual on here I think in that I want to have the name 100% sorted by the time the baby arrives, and preferably several months beforehand.
I don’t want the pressure of having to pick from a selection of favourites straight after having a baby. If I had a list of names I loved equally to choose from, I’m worried that I’d feel sadness or maybe even a twinge of regret thinking about “the ones that got away”. I wouldn’t want to risk later questioning my choice, wondering if my baby would have been a better [name_m]Henry[/name_m] than [name_m]William[/name_m], or worrying about whether I’ll ever get a chance to use my other favourites.
I also like to have the name set so that I can get a feel for it over time, to make absolutely sure that it’s “the one” and not just a passing fancy, and so that I can begin to associate it with my child. It sounds boring, but [name_f]Juno[/name_f]'s full name was set before she was even conceived. I might have wavered on the middle if DH had changed his mind, but not the first. [name_f]Juno[/name_f] was her name from the very beginning, even before we officially found out she was a girl (we both had a strong feeling that she was), and by the end of my pregnancy we were referring to her by name, even though I never intended to do that. When she was born, it was like meeting someone we already knew 
We’re a little way off from TTC no. 2 just yet, but we already have a provisional boy’s and girl’s name for next time which we’re pretty set on. I’m not usually particularly organised but this is one area where I think it’s really important to be absolutely sure of your choice. Plus, it’s so much fun thinking about future children’s names!
We went in with two top girl names ( easier for us) and 5-7 maybe boy names. It took us over a week to sort out the boy name thing once the “green bump” turned blue!
Some great points to consider. We are so happy with our sons name so it may be good for us to have just one picked out like we did last time. We had [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] picked out for so long prior to becoming pregnant, so at the ultrasound when they said it’s a boy we said it’s a [name_m]Lucas[/name_m] not a [name_f]Layla[/name_f]. I definitely wouldn’t want to have any name regret- how devastating.
Naming doesn’t come easily to us- we definitely have to work at it to find something we equally love. OH is dead set on [name_u]Quinn[/name_u] for a girl, he likes [name_f]Zara[/name_f] but can’t see him budging from [name_u]Quinn[/name_u]. Boys names we are struggling but do have a middle name. I guess the hunt continues…
Currently we have 9 and I am due in March. I’m not worried about it, I trust that I will know which combo is right when the time comes even if the list doesn’t get any shorter. We have a really great list of names so any of them are equally good choices objectively and it’s a matter of meeting her at this point. I love too many names for there not to be sadness from not being able to use some, some names I love but husband doesn’t and I can never have enough children to use them all…and even then I’d come to love other names in the future. I’ve always had tons of names I’ve loved. I know from experience that once a name is chosen and used it just becomes their name anyway. My way is not for everyone though, do whatever feels right to you.
I think that unless a name calls to you, so to speak, there’s no use forcing more names on the list.
I wish I could have more than one, but even picking one name is excruciating in our home! Hubby and I rarely agree on names and I really want the name to FIT our child. With our daughter, we didn’t even settle on a name until she was born, but with our son due in [name_f]April[/name_f] I think we have settled on one already. I’m so glad about this, because I find it so stressful! Now it’s just waiting to tell all our friends and family when he’s born!
With each pregnancy I’ve gone to the hospital with 30 different options. And I always have a name that I am set on using, or a couple names, but those names that I’m set on change so many times during my pregnancy. I’ve always had a lot of anxiety over it, because I’m so worried that I won’t pick the perfect name, and that I’ll regret it.
We were 90% sure of our top pick, but I had two other front runners as backup options.
We aren’t TTC until this [name_f]May[/name_f] but we have 2 boy combos and 3 girl combos. Not sure how I’ll feel when actually pregnant but even though we have “options” we strongly have our first choice for each that would be “the” name unless we just couldn’t use it for some reason. So if it was a boy it would be a toss up between [name_m]Fox[/name_m] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] and [name_u]Rhys[/name_u] [name_m]Vaughn[/name_m] but [name_m]Fox[/name_m] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] would be the one we were pretty much set on. With girls [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] [name_f]Saoirse[/name_f], [name_f]Aria[/name_f] Estellise and [name_f]Zelda[/name_f] [name_u]Blue[/name_u] are the front runners. I’m pretty set on the [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] combo, but I might have been tied with the [name_f]Aria[/name_f] combo so I would have to wait and see. I think it’s good to allow yourself to explore name options while pregnant even if you’re set one one or two in particular. I’d be hesitant on using a new name love late in the pregnancy though since I know how I can go from loving a name to hating it. I’d fear some name regret if I went with a “new” choice late term.