Daddy Blog - What's in a name?

What's in a name?

Choosing a name for a baby is a daunting task. A name is a powerful thing. It is your identity. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone wants to know if we've chosen a name yet.

No, we haven't chosen a name yet. We know we are having a boy, and that's narrowed things down greatly (though I have a million more girls names that I like, and a paltry few boys names), but we are still a very long way from making a decision. Mama Bean would like to name him after he's born, an idea that I at first found preposterous, but is now growing on me, but we definitely need to get it down to 3 or 4 name sets (first and middle).

There are so many things to consider:

How many ways can it be misspelled?
How many ways can it be twisted into something that can be made fun of? Are those possibilities acceptable?
Is it too heavy or formal?
Does the first, second, and last name flow well? Is the cadence nice?
Is the name difficult to pronounce?
Do we like the shortened version of the name? (I'm a big fan of Tobias, but not so much of Toby)


I don't want a name that my child is going to have to constantly spell out for people, though with everyone wanting their baby to have a "unique" name, they are twisting even the simplest names into some monstrosity. For example, the name Madison. It is a really cute, simple name. But those who loved the name, yet wanted their child to be unique came around. Madison/Madysyn/Madisyn/Madyson/Madesen
Madesin...seriously? That poor child is going to be correcting people for her entire life. Why would you want to do that to your child?

I am a fan of older names, but you have to be careful of the weight that name carries, and the history behind it. For example, the name Moses. Moses is a pretty heavy name; it carries a lot of weights, especially in the Judeo-Christian culture that is North America.

Many names also carry some serious history. Names like Adolf, Jesus, etc... are not really names you want to give your child.

Names of popular TV and movie characters are also things you need to take into account when choosing a name.

We've started writing names on our bathroom mirror that we like. And linking them to those that work well together as first and second names. It gives us time to try them on for size and see what we think without forgetting. :)

I'm really excited about our little bean, and am confident we will choose a name that suits him and that he'll be proud to wear.