Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

Searching for Baby Names

by Theresa Carpine1/7/2010 10:55:10 AM

What's the perfect name for your child?

There’s no right or wrong way to go about picking a name for your baby. Your friends and family are entitled to their opinions, of course, but once the little one is actually introduced into the world with whatever moniker you’ve selected, they’ll get used to the name…or attempt to give the child a nickname that they find more palatable.

As you wonder where to begin with finding the right name for your child, here are a few hints to point you in the right direction.

Acknowledge Family History and Heritage

We don’t run into many with "Junior" or "the Third" attached to their names these days, but it’s still a common tradition to name children after someone in your family, either as a first or middle name. Consult your parents and other relatives to see if there are any names of deceased relatives that you’d like to resurrect, so to speak. You also might be interested in passing on a variation of a family name, so you can technically name your child after a relative and still give your child some individuality; Sean, for example, is the Irish form of John (keep reading to find out where I discovered that little tidbit).

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet."

Word geeks, such as myself, will have a grand time searching for the meanings of names at Behind the Name: The Etymology and History of First Names. You can search by name, meaning, description, or language of origin. Perhaps you’d like your child after a type of flower, but you’re not sure where to begin. Type "flower" in the search box, select "Search for words in description," and see if any results spark your interest.

Track the Trends

During my research, I stumbled upon a great resource about baby names provided by the United States Government. Check out the Social Security Administration’s Popular Baby Names to see all names from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States after 1879. You can see the most popular names by year or by state, which city names are also popular baby names, and even popular names of twins (last year, 69 disparate sets of parents in the United States named their twin boys Jacob and Joshua). Maybe you’ll want to use this list to find a name that will help your child fit in, or a name that will make them stand out in a crowd.

How did you come up with your child’s name? Please share your story by leaving a comment below!

A Note About the Author: Theresa Carpine

Theresa Carpine graduated from WWU in 2006 with a BA in English Literature. She enjoys yoga, listening to music, riding her bike in downtown Bellingham, and babysitting really cute kids.