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Baby Naming Tips

Choosing a name for your child is one of the most important early decisions you can make as a parent. Some parents want to choose a more traditional name, while others want a popular contemporary name. Others wish for a more unusual name that no other child in the classroom has, while an ever-increasing number are looking for a name with a particular meaning - be it a Biblical name, a name from Roman or Greek mythology, or even one associated with a particular place, color or plant. Here are a few tips to help you to pick the perfect baby name for your little boy or girl.


Rhyme and Rhythm
When you pick a name, you should think of the rhythm of the name in combination with your last name. Try and avoid repeated sounds, as in Herman WAYMAN or Mary PERRY for example. Also try and avoid rhyming names like Jane VANE, Travis DAVIS, Ronald DONALD, Tucker DAKER and names that repeat part of the surname - e.g. John JOHNSON.


Name Initials
When you pick a name for your baby, you should write the full name and check the initials. Don't choose names which make "bad" initials, for example: Christian Oliver Wilson = (C.O.W.), Madison Ashley Davis = (M.A.D.) etc. So, take into consideration our advice when you choose a name for your baby.


Popular and Traditional Names
Be careful when you choose a popular or traditional name. About 85% of all the first names in the U.S. are from a list of just 200 boys and girls names. The same statistic is in other countries too. In the 17th and 18th century about 50% of all the men and women had biblical names such as: George, Joseph, Charles, Henry, Emma, Margaret, Sarah, Grace. When you choose a popular and traditional name, you should think, that your baby may get confused in a class, where three or four children have the same name.


Unusual Names
Today, American parents often give their children brand names, such as Loreal, Chevrolet and Armani. Two boys - one in Michigan, another in Texas were given the name ESPN in honor of the sport TV channel. This tendency was noticed by professor Cleveland Ewans, who was analyzing the documents of the U.S. Social Security Administration for 2002 year.

Professor Ewans has been studying the baby names of Americans for 25 years. According to his opinion, one of the main sources of inspiration for parents choosing names for their babies is car brand names. For example, girls are given names like Infiniti, Civic, Kia, Lexus and boys like Chevy, Dodge, Chrysler etc.

The most popular names in 2005 were Jacob and Emily. Professor Ewans thinks that parents, who give popular brand names to their children, want them to be different from others. This phenomenon also reflects the parents' hopes for their children, named as Armani or Chanel, to become rich and famous.


Make a Unique Name
If you don't want to use a popular or traditional name, there are many ways to create your own unique name.

The easiest way to create your own name is by adding a diminutive ending to the name that you like, for example: Angel + ina = Angelina, Julia + anna = Julianne, Paula + lina = Paulina or try to add a prefix before a name, for example: a combination of the prefix De + Lacy = Delacy, Da + Marcus = Damarcus, La + Tisha = Latisha, Ta + Nita = Tanita, Be + Linda = Belinda, Ka + Sandra = Kassandra.

You can also change the spelling or the pronunciation, for example: [o - a] = Olivia - Alivia, [v - j] = Vanessa - Janessa, [i - y] = Addison - Addyson, [k - l] = Keyla - Leyla and etc.

Feel free to experiment with name combinations, it is the best way to create the unique name you will like.


How does it sound?
During all our life we don't hear any word as often as our name. That's why it is very important how it sounds. When you pick a name for your baby, make sure that the first name has a good sound with the middle name or your last name. Usually, short names sound well with long family names and conversely.


Nicknames and Variations
Diminutive pet names and variations on names and spellings are endless. While an especially cutesy pet-name for a toddler may be endearing early on, it may be a great source of exasperation for a young adult. An exceptionally aberrant spelling of a common name may also prove frustrating to a school-aged child whose name is perpetually misspelled or mispronounced. A thoughtful parent needs to take these matters into account.


Syllables
Look at the length of each name and the number of syllables. Very long names can be difficult to fit in forms, while very short ones may look odd. In terms of syllables, try to vary the number of syllables in the first name and surname, and avoid first names that stress the same syllable as the last name.


Meaning of Name
A name's meaning these days extends far beyond the original "spear carrier" or "God is gracious." You'll want to consider what a name means in terms of your family history, your individual experience, your personal style. Can you find a name that relates to your family tree? Your ethnic background? How about a place name of a word name or an occupational name that signals something with personal significance to you? Explore what different names mean in relation to your sense of style, of history, of yourself and you partner. A name that connects deeply on several levels will resonate into the future for both you and your child.


Middle Names
Middle names are a means of including relatives who might otherwise feel excluded from the baby-naming process - as long as the names all work together. The syllable rule also applies when picking out a middle name, so do check how all three sound together.

Anne, Lynne and Marie are popular girls names due to the number of syllables they contain. Most first and last names have two syllables and the emphasis is places on the first, so these names change this and make for a comfortable rhythm. There are, however, plenty of other names accented differently that can be used instead, like Alexandra, Fiona, Evelyn and Valerie.

Middle names for boys can be trickier, as most male names follow the same pattern of having two syllables, with the accent on the first. There are, however, plenty which differ, like Adrian, Anthony and Xavier.



We hope that some of these baby naming tips will help you in your final decision. Good Luck!

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