[name]Hi[/name] there!
Having a dilemma when thinking about names for a little one on the way. I don’t [name]LOVE[/name] any names, boy or girl! My husband pointed out to me that my catch phrase is "i like it, but i wouldn’t use it’. I find myself liking names but not being motivated to use it or fall in love with it.
Its getting annoying for me and my husband so thought some of you out there may be able to offer some good advice or tips on how you came to choose a name for your children.
I had the same exact problem when I was pregnant. We had a boy name picked out and I really felt like it was going to be a boy, then when we found out she was a girl I had the hardest time liking any girl names (still kind of do!). Then one day I heard a name (when I wasn’t even looking for one) and that was it! I was in love with it, and still am.
All that to say, no tips on falling in love with a name, but be open to one coming to you when you least expect it :).
Also, hanging out on here you kind of get exposed to new names or new ways of looking at certain names, and its fun!
Try imagining the name on a baby, a toddler, young adult ect… Sometimes making it real changes how you feel about a name. Like, I always thought a name (not stating name so I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings.) was immature but, I met a little girl named that certain name and she make me not have such a strong negative opinion on it.
I recommend looking at pictures–paintings of children (try artist [name]Sandra[/name] Kuck) or professional photography of kids via sites like Pinterest–and trying out various names on them. I agree with the above poster that seeing the name on a child (even if it’s not the child’s real name) can really change how you feel about it. Google artist [name]Sandra[/name] Kuck, and just look at some of her works. [name]Imagine[/name] various names on those GORGEOUS children, of all different styles, and I believe you will start falling for some names. [name]Even[/name] the “ugliest” names become beautiful and loveable when you see them on beautiful children. Nameberry actually kind of uses this technique in some of the blog posts. Check out: 136 Vintage Nicknames for Girls | Nameberry
I just tried the kid/baby photography and imagining my favorite names just for fun and it went… um strange. For some reason I thought all of the boys looked like [name]Ross[/name] to me. [name]Ross[/name] is actually pretty low on my list of favorites lol.
I also recommend researching names that you at least like, looking for the meaning, the history, and or associations with the name. Of course, you can turn up negative things this way too, but I often find it sort of fills out the name for me and makes it more special, or I find something that has significance to me. It might be an irresistable baby with that name, a painting or a song, an unexpected link to your family, etc etc.
I also imagine reading off a birth announcement, as in “(you) & (your partner) are delighted to introduce their newest addition Blank Blank Blank” to see if it just sounds right.
I usually fall in love with names that have strong affiliations with people and/or characters I love. [name]Sam[/name], [name]Rose[/name], [name]Clara[/name], [name]Desmond[/name], [name]Tosca[/name], [name]Gabriel[/name], [name]Theodore[/name], [name]Gideon[/name], and [name]Jewel[/name] (and several others on my list) are all names of people or characters–and some of them are names I wouldn’t have looked twice at otherwise.
Usually what makes me fall in love with a name is hearing it a few times ‘in real life’. It feels like a sign to me. Look for authors of books while at the bookstore, listen to random people calling each other by name, read the credits of a movie if you have one on, pay mild attention to sport team rosters… just stuff like that. I’ve fallen in love with a number of names that way. When I see a certain name pop up a couple times in a relatively short time period, that’s when I really take note.
Like [name]Eulalia[/name], for example. I had noticed the name [name]Olalla[/name] a number of years ago, found out it was a variant of [name]Eulalia[/name] but didn’t really think too much about it. Then I saw this thing in the news about a girl who won some contest and got to design a shoe for [name]Nike[/name] with an FC [name]Barcelona[/name] player and her name was Eulàlia. I researched in to it a little bit at that point and figured it might be too old or heavy to really consider. A couple months later I was in [name]Barcelona[/name] during [name]Santa[/name] Eulàlia’s saint day and I heard it all over the place. I ended up swooning and it’s been near the top of my list for the past 4 years.
[name]Just[/name] being aware of what names are around me helps me out to discover new things that may strike my fancy.
I think it also helps when I go through my whole list and say all the names out loud. I’ve come across a number of names that I [name]LOVE[/name] in theory but when I say them out loud I laugh at myself and think how I wouldn’t get used to it. And names I was wishy-washy about, sometimes they feel natural and perfect when I say them, and that makes me reconsider the name from a “Like but wouldn’t use” to “Like and would use” and sometimes that morphs to “love and would use”.
Good luck finding something that sits right with you!
Hey everyone, i really appreciate all the responses! Great advice and tips from you all. So pleased to have found this site.
The name lists and blogs on here have been great, stumbled across a nice name I’m liking for either first or middle for a girl in a blog back from 2010!
Saying it aloud is great too,plus mentioning names to my children now and hearing them say it is an eye opener too! haha knew these kids would come in handy one day
I agree with peanut… You can also check out your family tree for inspiration. When I realized the name my DH wanted to use was fairly common in my family tree but not currently in use, it swayed me over to his side
