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When the day comes where you finally get to hold your little bundle of joy in your arms for the first time it is likely that you will have a million things rushing through your head, but one thing you may want to consider is the name which you want to give to your baby.
You may choose to start thinking about baby names the moment you get the first ultrasound image of your child, or it may be that you want to wait until they enter the world to settle on a name. Either way, having an understanding of the kinds of names you like or want to choose from can be a great benefit for mums and dads, and can help avoid the confusion caused by the millions of possible names out there. So, to help you get started on your naming journey, here are five top tips to consider to help you pick the perfect baby name.
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Think about your culture
Whether you know about your family’s lineage or not, every person has a culture that they embody in their day-to-day life, whether this comes from your family history or not. A culture could be anything from the food you love, to how you spend your time, the books you like, to the places you travel to, anything that takes significance in your life can be part of your culture, and can therefore be a great thing to consider when choosing a name as this will give you and your newborn an extra special connection.
Is there a particular name in common among actors you love? Is there someone in a sport that has greatly influenced you? Is there a history in your family of certain names being chosen? These are all questions that you can ask yourself surrounding your culture that may help you pick out some great, modern choices for baby names.
Look into Religious names
Whether you are religious or not, it is more than likely that someone in your family has had their name chosen due to religious connotations. Religious names can be a great way to encapsulate the kind of person your baby could grow up to be, with many name meanings being drawn from religious texts. These names can therefore easily be used by non-religious families due to the positive connotations they have. Some of the most common examples of religious names which you could choose from include Matthew, Mark, and Luke, or if you are looking for baby girl names, Elizabeth, Abigail, and Hannah could all be great Christian options.
For non-christian families, some other alternatives for a baby girl could be Kala, which means time in the Hindu faith, or Amina, which was the name of the Prophet Muhammed’s mother. Some alternative religious baby names for boys could be Omar, which means reverent, or Boaz, which means swift and strong. These are just some of the options available, but if you are looking for a strong meaning behind your baby’s name then religious names are a great place to look.
What about gender-neutral names?
If you want a great way to find an amazing name for your baby without looking specifically at baby boy or baby girl names, gender-neutral names are the way to go. The best gender-neutral names provide your baby with a name that is still carefully considered and meaningful to parents, whilst also giving your child the freedom to make their own choices about how they wish to identify and live their life.
Think about your own name
As simple a point as it may be, your name was chosen through a similar process, and one of the big factors to play a part in names you may choose from is your surname. If a name feels clunky when read in full, it most likely isn’t quite right for your baby, so consider names you know, or any names you’ve already noted down, and say them with your surname, if they work, then great, if they don’t then you can narrow down the selection of names you choose from, making your job just that little bit easier.
You can use this step with the previous points too! So if you’re stuck choosing between religious names, gender-neutral names, or names you’ve come across in things you love, then use this to narrow down your list to a select few amazing names from which you can choose.
Don’t forget about middle names
If you’ve done everything we’ve already mentioned, but are stuck between a final few baby names, then why not save yourself the hassle of picking a winner, and instead use one (or even two!) of them as middle names. Middle names provide a great way to add more meaning and connection to the name you give your baby, without the need for your baby to be openly associated with it in the same way as their first name is.
By using middle names, you can add, for example, the name of a relative, or a name you feel equally as connected to as you do their first name, and then as your baby grows up, they can choose whether or not they wish to be more or less associated with that middle name. Another possibility is that if your baby were to want to change their name, their middle name could be a great place to start.
