What are your favourite scenarios/professions to think about when considering a name?

General Name Discussion
1

I’ve become quite interested in names since my husband and I started trying for a child. Over time, a few mental name games have evolved to ‘test’ the suitability of potential names.

Here’s my name tests in the order in which they’ve evolved:

First
The fashion designer: Odd, but for some reason, this was my first name test. I would picture my child’s name emblazoned on a shop front. Could they be another [name_f]Coco[/name_f] [name_f]Chanel[/name_f] or [name_m]Christian[/name_m] [name_f]Dior[/name_f] or [name_f]Kate[/name_f] Spade? This usually pushes me in the direction of fresh, spunky, creative names. The rhythm of the first and last names together is critically important.

Second
The maternal call. This one’s simple. Can I imagine calling a child the name across the room: “Come here ____________ .” Or does that sound odd? Does the name hold up well in childhood?

Third:
The Supreme [name_m]Court[/name_m] [name_u]Justice[/name_u] test. I stole this from somewhere, and I can’t remember where. The gist: can I imagine the name on a judge? [name_u]Justice[/name_u] [name_f]Trixie[/name_f] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] just doesn’t sound right, does it?

Fourth:
This morning I had a sudden epiphany. What if my child is a little out there? Quite geeky or unusual? I would be fine to have those qualities in a child, but I’m not sure I’d want my very geeky child to have an extraordinarily original name. When I think of uncommon names, I imagine them balanced by quite ‘normal’ (or perhaps cool) personalities. I’m inclined to pair quirky, geeky personalities with more traditional names. Picturing a slightly pudgy, computer nerd named [name_u]Rio[/name_u] versus [name_m]Isaac[/name_m]. I think [name_m]Isaac[/name_m] suits him better.

2

I always think about what it would look like written on a class roster and sound like during a roll call.

BabyNameGenie has a really cool “name test drive” that’s fun to mess around with.

3

Whenever I’m deciding between two names, I’ll shout something like, “[name_f]Mara[/name_f]! It’s time for [name_f]Melanie[/name_f] to go home.” In this scenario, do I automatically picture myself as [name_f]Mara[/name_f]'s mom? Or [name_f]Melanie[/name_f]'s? That’s probably a good indicator as to which name I prefer.

When I worked at a supermarket, I also used to imagine what it would sound like over the intercom: “[name_f]Mara[/name_f] [name_m]Smith[/name_m] to the checkout area please…[name_f]Mara[/name_f], up front.”

4

I wanted a name that would pass the Supreme [name_m]Court[/name_m] [name_u]Justice[/name_u] test you mentioned but also the punk rock band member test lol. Basically a quirky classic.

5

That one’s great. It helps distinguish between names that are cool in theory (or on other people’s children) and names I’d actually picture on my children.

My go-to is always the kid being called by the teacher on the first day of middle school, I don’t know why.

6

it’s not really a scenario but i google “personalise sticker label” and add the name or combo onto the sticker to see if i feel joy and how it would look being carried around in public/to and from school.

7

Interesting question!! (sidenote, I love that BabyNameGenie’s name test drive was mentioned…I used to use that all the time with potential names!)

Most often, I think about what it will be like to tell people my baby’s name for the first time. We don’t ever plan on telling the name(s) before birth, so when people come to the hospital or when we FaceTime or whatever, that is going to be the first impression. If the idea of saying “This is insert name” makes me feel embarrassed, silly, or it seems strange, then I take it as that meaning the name in question probably isn’t the one.

I also write the names out. Print, cursive, initials, different fonts…just to get an idea of how it would look.

I also try to imagine how the name would look/sound at graduation. I remember sitting at quite a few graduation ceremonies, including my own, and cringing at some of the students’ full names. Granted, people may turn up their nose at a name such as [name_f]Anne[/name_f] [name_f]Caroline[/name_f], but still…one girl who graduated with my sister had the middle name of [name_f]Bunny[/name_f]. So many people laughed, including the man reading her name.

8

[name_u]Love[/name_u] everyone’s answers above! Especially the “calling two children” test. (And I plan to play with BabyNameGenie.)

I just heard another test, which I love:
The blind date test. [name_f]Imagine[/name_f] you were set up on a blind date, and all you knew was the name. What sort of person would you picture them to be?