Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Baby Name Bonanza

I will begin this post with a warning: I am a little obsessed with baby names!

I have loved names and naming since I was a teenager and I bought a baby name book for $3 at a flea market. Since then I've purchased 4 or 5 more books on names and I've read and posted regularly on baby name message boards.

I realize it's kind of a weird hobby, but I love coming up with combos (first and middle names), sibsets (names for siblings that "go together") and of course dreaming up the perfect names for my future children. I also know a lot about naming trends, popularity, etc. I even read my baby name books before I go to bed!

Since we are getting closer to actually having a baby sometime soon, I'm really starting to try to refine my name choices and get down to ones I can actually imagine using.

I do have some qualities I'm looking for in a name. Nothing trendy or creatively spelled. Must be a real name with meaning. I prefer names that are short or can be shortened into a cute nickname. I want a classic but not boring name - I have a very common last name so it has to be a bit unique. No names with bad associations or are the same or close to kids we know.

Here are my favorites right now:

Girls
  • Adele
  • Lila
  • Maia
  • Felicity
  • Clara
Boys
  • Finn
  • Ezra
  • Colin
  • Owen
  • Graham
I have a lot of combos for these names - Neil and I both love Sebastian for a boy's middle name, so I'm thinking that might just stick. As for girls, I love Madeleine, Caroline, Isabel and Annabel for middle names.

There are a few boys names that I love but can't use for a variety of reasons:

Evan - bad association
Miles - bad association
Griffin - our best friends have a dog named Griffey
Kieran - acquaintances have a son with this name
Eli - I work with a female Eli (nickname for Elizabeth)
Kai - bad association (though I love the name Caius with the nickname Cai)

Oh well, this is definitely a work in progress - I'll keep you updated as we get closer to a name. I haven't found the one that I love yet. Right now the front runners are:

Owen Sebastian and Lila Madeleine


Here are some of my favorite baby name sites if you need some inspiration:

Message boards
Behind the Name
Babynames.com

Sites and blogs
Baby Name Wizard
Name Berry
SSA Baby Name Popularity

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