Just Not That

Your baby was born weeks ago and you are still struggling to agree on a name.

Yes, it is a big decision – you do not want your children going through life hating their names and the people giving it to them. If you think it is a trivial matter, read the lyrics of the Johny Cash song “A boy named Sue”.

The goal should be to pick a name that will not be a burden to your most precious.

Things to avoid on my list:

• unisex names – Unisex names can cause confusion, although it can be convenient if the child undergoes a sex-change operation later in life. Examples: Leslie/Lesley, Chris, Robin, Terry
• names that are difficult to pronounce or spell
  • names with too many different spellings e.g. Jacqueline, Jacquelin, Jaquelyn, etc
  • names that are too uncommon / foreign sounding
  • combine part of the mother’s name with part of the dad’s name to end up with an obscure name that nobody has ever heard before and nobody can spell
• names of infamous (and sometimes famous) people – e.g. Adolf, Saddam
• names with negative images – e.g. Dennis (brat)
• your friends poke fun at the name – e.g. How are you Hugh? / Look Luke
• names that can be shortened to a name you dislike or can be a burden – e.g. Richard Head becomes Dick
• funny or odd names – it may be funny to you, but your kids will hate it! – e.g. Alice Palace, Memory Lane
• too many names – imagine the difficulty filling in forms that only leave space for one or two names
• initials spell a word that can be embarrassing, e.g. SAD, HIV
• naming the child after one of the parents – It can be confusing because you may end up with John/Johnny (babyish) or Big John/Little John until Little John gets taller than Big John or (not so) Old John/Young John.
• Names starting with C, D if you attach any value to this study that shows that students with names starting with A and B get higher grades than those starting with C, D

So the safest way out is probably to pick a popular baby name or a religious name from the Bible/Koran.

To help you in your quest, there are quite a few web sites you can reference for ideas. The Baby Name Wizard is one with a great interface.

I found “The Very Best Baby Name Book” by Bruce Lansky both interesting and helpful.

If you hate your own name or have any examples of names to avoid, we would love to hear them.