7 Things to Consider When Picking a Baby Name

Let’s talk baby names because really, picking a baby name is typically way more difficult than it seems.

Now that we’ve named two boys, finding a boy name that the hubs and I both like is not exactly easy. The truth is, there are a ton of factors that play in when choosing a name. Things you never even thought to consider until you sit down and really think about it.

With all of these things to consider, I decided to share all the things to consider when picking a baby name. What you should fight for in a name and when you should buckle.

Baby Name Popularity

This is probably my number one concern when it comes to naming a baby. I don’t want an off the wall name that makes it difficult for the child when they’re learning how to spell or that leads to being picked on. I do want a “normal” name but one that isn’t overly used as well. With the name Jessica, being in a class with 2+ other Jessicas was a given.

Thankfully, Evan and Maximus have been great name choices and neither have had anyone else with their name in their classes and activities. With this little guy we really loved Theo(dore) but ultimately decided it was becoming rather popular. Surely enough, I’ve seen 7 Theodores born in the last 3 months.

The easiest way to see how popular a baby name is or may be in the next coming years is to use the Social Security Database. It will show you the popularity of any name that ranks in the top 1000 born in the US. Our current name has been used twice in the last month which made me nervous but when searching the popularity of the name we should be very safe in our choice. Not to mention, we are using a different spelling so that’s a bonus.

Baby Name Nicknames

This may sound stupid silly but I am huge on nicknames. I think of ways I can shorten my kid’s names or add to it for a nickname. With Evan, “evies”(pronounced ev-e’s) is all I could come up with and to me, it was super girly. I told myself there was no way I was going to call him that but sure enough, everyone called him “Evies” until he was about 5 years old.

With Maximus, Max was the easily given nickname. He will probably go by Max when he’s older but one nickname that a friend threw out there was Maxi-pad. It never crossed my mind but in the long run, we decided the likelihood of kids teasing him with that nickname were probably slim.

A name we considered with Max was Duncan but multiple people immediately jumped on the “Dunkin Donuts” train and so we decided that wouldn’t be a good fit. Maybe when we live in an area where Dunkin isn’t so prevalent we could consider it again.

Baby Name Heritage

There aren’t too many names on my side of the family tree that I love or that hasn’t been used yet. However, on David’s side, there were quite a few. David and I both received a middle name from a passed family member so it didn’t seem like a crazy idea to keep the family names in the game. I honestly don’t care either way so it wouldn’t be a breaking point for me if we didn’t choose a family name.

If you fall into a similar category as we do, another great option is working with the first letter of a family name. This gives you a way to honor a family member without being cornered into a hole on what to use. You can be creative and still find an awesome choice to use.

Baby Name with Sibling Names

I know I’m not the only mom out there that wanted their kid’s names to flow, right? Every time we found a name we liked for either of the boys, it had to flow with Evan. I ruled out names simply because they didn’t flow well for me. I know, that might actually be crazy. Evan and Max ended up flowing beautifully so keeping the flow going is necessary. Yes, my husband rolled his eyes many times when I ruled a name out for this.

Baby Name Meanings

Yeah, insert another eye roll by the hubs. I’m really into baby name meanings and their astrological sign. Evan means young warrior which I totally dug. The meaning has ended up being very true to his stubborn ways thus far. Maximus means the greatest which also is a strong meaning and has also followed through with his personality so far. I think if a name meant dirt, I’d probably pass on it.

Baby Name Association

This is the most controversial topic when it comes to naming your baby. If your husband liked the name Jon but you dated 4 Jons you probably are going to rule that out immediately. David actually liked the name Samuel for a boy, which I do like, however, I have a bad association with it due to a girl.

Think of that kid who was just a jerk in school, chances are you are going to avoid using that name. I know, guilty by association is a crazy thought but you never want to think of that person when it comes to your baby. I can say we ruled out 75% of names based on associations one of us had with it.

The Baby Name You Love

What we found to be the “easiest” way to decide between names was for each of us to make our own lists then compare and cross out ones the other didn’t like. The name we’ve picked for little guy number 3 is one that we both like but I LOVED. His biggest no to the name is the way it was spelled so I had to get creative. My persistence in having him love as much as I did, paid off.

No matter what name you go with just make sure you and your spouse love it. It doesn’t matter who else loves or hates it.