Having a baby gives you exclusive naming rights! People will try to weigh in but in the end, you have sole control over what your little bundle of joy will be called for years to come. Do you go the classic route? Choose names from your family? How about from your favorite book or movie character? Maybe make one up? Or, you can take a cue from what many others are naming their children these days.
Just last month, the Social Security Administration released its list of Most Popular Baby Names for 2015. For the second year in a row, the name Emma came in first for girls, and for the third year in a row, the name Noah was tops for boys.
So why in some years do certain names trend more than others? No one really knows for sure. A CNN article points out that many names see a spike after a movie or celebrity becomes popular. In the article, they suggest that the name Charlotte may be gaining in popularity after the birth of Britain’s Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana in 2015. Other names are classic favorites, like Michael and Emily, which have been on the top 10 list for over 20 years.
Some go the traditional route but choose a different spelling. That was the case for my parents who chose Aimee in a year where Amy ranked #4 in popularity. So why the different spelling? My mom is a teacher and she had a little girl in her class who spelled it that way. It’s a perfectly lovely way to spell the name but it also comes with comments like, “oh…that’s unusual,” or “I’ve never seen it spelled that way before.” But that could be exactly what you’re intending! There’s nothing wrong with a uniquely spelled or sounding name. Just ask Oprah.
But is there such a thing as too unique? Only you will know for sure. If you’re uncertain about a selection as a first name, there’s always the middle name (says the girl whose middle name came from a 1970’s soap opera about vampires). For instance, I always loved the name Jude but wasn’t sure if I liked it as a first name. I told my husband that, if we ever had another boy, I’d want his middle name to be Jude and he could choose the first name. He told me he’d name him “Hey.” Needless to say, we stopped at 2 kids.
I wish you the best of luck deciding on the perfect name for your little one! That first moment when you look at your baby and know that, “yes, this is definitely the right name for you,” it will be a name your child can be proud of for a lifetime.
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