Siobhan Thomas - Best Baby Names for 2018: Over 8,000 names and 100 inspiration lists

Choosing a name for your baby has never been easier This updated edition of the bestselling baby names guide is full of inspirational names for your child. Including modern names and variations, plus classic names that have stood the test of time, you are sure to find the ideal name for your new arrival. Siobhan Thomas is a copywriter and senior editor for the UKs largest baby names website, babynames.co.uk. She oversees the thousands of articles, new name suggestions and discussions in the sites popular community forums. As well as being interested in the history and meaning of names, Siobhan is particularly drawn to how names follow trends, different peoples associations with names and how divisive the subject can be! For Erin, Cora & Austin xx Congratulations! You are about to have a baby, or perhaps you have decided to start trying. Whether its your first child or another in your ever-extending family, this is an incredibly exciting time for you and your partner.

In the midst of all the practical things you have to think about the cot, the buggy, the nappies choosing your babys name can be a wonderfully enjoyable experience to share as a couple. You and your partner are like every other parent you want to start off your babys life in the best possible way, and finding the right name is an integral part of this process. It is my aim in this book to present you with a variety of names so that you can pick exactly the right one to bestow on your child as he or she embarks on lifes great journey. We all know why a name is important: a name defines a person, it distinguishes them from everybody else, and it is also the first impression that they make on other people. When you choose your babys name you are deciding on what their most prominent form of identity will be for the rest of their lives. A name can have strong social connotations, and can be an indication deliberate or otherwise of class, age and ethnicity.

For example, many people would assume that a man named Rupert is from an upper-class background, that Jean-Pierre is from France and that Beryl is an elderly lady. Society is growing ever more culturally diverse, and the pool of names to choose from is becoming increasingly rich and varied with unique and unusual names becoming de rigueur you might want to follow this trend or choose something more traditional. Its completely up to you, but there are a few pitfalls that you may want to avoid, and Ive highlighted these in the book. If all of this sounds like too much pressure, then take a deep breath and relax. Even if you dont have an exact name in mind right at this moment, you probably already have a fair idea of the kind of name you want your child to have, be it classic or contemporary, fashionable or unusual. While finding the perfect name for your baby can be a challenge and feel like a huge responsibility, it is also a great deal of fun.

Most expectant parents cant resist daydreaming over the one word (or two if they go double-barrelled!) that they will use every day from the babys arrival whether its getting to know them in hospital, teaching them to kick a ball, picking them up from school or giving them away at their wedding!

Originally a copywriter in the corporate world, I had never found the selection of words an emotional process. But then it came to naming my first child. Having been as some others perceived it burdened with the traditional Irish name Siobhan, I was only too aware of the impact this decision can have over the lifetime that follows. Whether it was being forced to repeat the spelling over and over to bewildered classmates in primary school Yes, I said b h a n or developing a tolerance to the many imaginative nicknames that emerged during my teens, my name was to firmly stamp its bold Gaelic mark on my upbringing. And do you know what? I liked it. So when I woke up one morning during pregnancy to find that my usually charming husband had scrawled This is a chuffing joke, right? alongside the name Fionnghuala on our baby names list, I was somewhat annoyed and confused.

He went on to announce that, No child of ours is going to be lumbered with a silly Irish name that is impossible to spell. His opinion on Gaelic names was news to me, but perhaps he was right? Perhaps using your imagination when naming your child is nothing more than an act of personal indulgence? Perhaps the sensible thing to do is to keep it simple and predictable? Over the weeks and months that followed I searched for inspiration, debated names with my husband, made casual suggestions of names to my friends and family and watched them closely for their reactions just as you may be doing right now and in March 2010, Erin Rose Thomas was born. She was followed 18 months later by her little sister, Cora Elizabeth Thomas. Still intrigued by the process, I applied as a copywriter for the UKs largest baby names website, babynames.co.uk, and went on to become senior editor, overseeing the thousands of articles, new name suggestions and forum discussions that take place every day. After the success of Best Baby Names for 2013 and then 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 I have done a number of television and radio interviews and working in this field has become an even greater part of my life. Baby number three came along at the end of 2014 and I cant say that all the research made finding a name any easier! Like many of you will find, my inspiration was borrowed (some might say stolen) from someone I met at a work function who mentioned his sons name in passing.

I clocked it straight away and couldnt shake it. It may have been a well-known rugby connection that swung it for my husband (thank you Mr Healy) but Austin was decided upon from that moment and I didnt consider another boys name. Im often asked what we would have chosen for a girl and to be perfectly honest we had nothing up until the last minute, and even then it was an undecided shortlist that included the names Thea, Seren and Orla. I think being so sold on Austin made it harder to find a girls name because I was hell-bent on finding one I loved as much. This book is the result of several years hard work with many edits made since the last edition. There are more than 8,000 names within these pages, each representing different things to different people.

Ive enjoyed putting it together, but equally we have enjoyed using it ourselves in the quest to find the right names for our own children.

This book isnt intended to be read from cover to cover and its unlikely that a quick flick through will immediately provide you with one girls name and one boys name, ready to go. Simply reading the AZ of names is rarely an effective or enjoyable means of finding a name. You will probably lose concentration quite quickly and some good contenders might pass you by. Some people find when reading a long list of names that it is the unsuitable or amusing ones that jump out at them, rather than those that they may actually like. Conversations easily descend into competitions for finding the worst name: Lets call her Pencil! Believe it or not there are some name books out there with more ridiculous suggestions.