Your baby is on its way and you havent thought of a name yet. Some of you may not even know if the stork is bringing you a blue or a pink bundle. Whatever be your situation, dont worry. Breathe, relax and take a chill pill. Because we've got it sorted out with our evergrowing, amazing collection of baby names.
- Buying books and scouring through baby names respository - While this is a good idea. You will reach a a point when you become clueless from all the inputs you received. One good approach is to shortlist the name by meanings or by origin. Do you love names that have a specific meaning? Say, you'd love for your kid's name to attribute to love. You may find names like Amara and Amy. Also, searching for names with the same meaning in other languages, could lead you to your "this is it!" moment.
- Choosing a name based on the siblings name - Expecting your second or third child? Were you hoping to name your new baby something that goes well with the siblings name? You are not alone! There are lots of names that go well together. You would want to pick out rhyming names like Ethan and Nathan or maybe names that start with the same alphabet "L" like Lisa and Lorna.
- Single syllable names - Many parents are tempted to name their kids cute, single syllable names. While names like Luke or Grace are lovely. Choosing your baby's name as Art or Bo would make their childhood prone to bullying and ridicule. Its best to reserve such names as your kid's pet names.
- Going the avante garde way? - While you may be tempted to name your child the most unsual name anyone has ever heard of. Hold that thought. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West decided to name their daughter North West. The name North by itself sounds delightful and nouveau, but with the surname West, things become a bit comical.
- Unusual is good but dont go overboard on the spelling - Amelie is a classic name but deciding to name your kid Ameliegh could make things difficult at school. Doing this doesnt make an older name new. It just makes it difficult and onerous to correct a spelling, be it at school, college or even while ordering your favorite latte at Starbucks.
- Keep the surname in mind - Let's say you baby boy’s surname is Dover, choosing a first name like Ben would make his name Ben Dover and needless to say, his life miserable. Or lets look at some hilarious ones like Joe King (joking - get it?) and if your surname is Ho, naming your child Phuc Dat (which means blessing in vietnamese) will only make your childs life miserable!
- Incorporating last name of both parents - If that is in your mind, then including firstname and both the surnames could make your child’s name a very long one. Imagine filling forms with such a long name. Naming your child can be a stressful experience when both parents battle to include their family’s name. Think sensibly. Try to meet half way to solve this conundrum. For eg, you could come up with sensible short names - single syllable names if you are lucky!
- Weird names for a baby - You might be brand savvy, but naming your kid Benz or Audi is just crossing the lines! Some people have named their kids after food. Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin's first daughter was named Apple! Maybe the star's kid could pull it off at school, but think again. Could your kid pull it off?! Think of a school lunch time scenario where a kid yells, hey pass that Apple. Hilarious eh? Not so much when you are living a nightmare. P!nk may be your favorite singer songwriter. But Pink wasnt born P!nk! She was named Alecia Beth Moore. Naming your kid Pink could be disastrous, maybe Ruby or Rosey but not Pink?!Pretty please.
- Exotic dancer names? Choose wisely - Refrain from naming your child, names like Candy, Crystal, Brandy or even Cherry. You might ask why? They seem perfectly good to you! These are names that people attribute to strippers or exotic dancers. You could say you want your child to go against all odds and break stereotypes. That happens in a perfect world my friend! So unless you want your child to be bullied and end up following the career path of an exotic dancer, lets skip that one. In case your brain is shot and you need some inspiration. Check this out.
- Play the rhyme game - Try rhyming your baby’s name with other words. Stuff like Sucky Isaac or Smelly Nelly. Get the idea?Choose wisely, save your child a childhood of ridicule and teasings .
- Skip offensive names - Names like Osama or Adolf may sound pefect to you. But not to everyone around you. Spare your child the difficulty of living with stereotypical and judgemental thinking. Another popular example that one cannot avoid here is the name of Saif - Kareena’s son:Taimur. It was inspired by a mass-murderer who slaughtered Hindus. He might have been a valiant conqueror. But, the name of a person who started a genocide? Lets skip that one.
- Think ahead - Naming your kid Buddy, Bo, Mister or even Lucifer may sound fancy. But would you want your child’s resume to have any of these names? Would you date, marry or even hire someone if they had such funny names? The reason being that they seem funny and one cannot visualise them being serious at work or in a relationship.
What's in a name? One might ask. Your child's name can have a lasting impact on their future. Their life's decisions could be based on their experiences at school, college etc. A name may not seem much, but choose a name that will help fortify their character and help them excel in life.