Holly Ivins - 10,000 Baby Names: How to Choose the Best Name for Your Baby

Holly Ivins 10,000 baby names Holly Ivins This first edition is published in 2010 by Crimson Publishing Crimson Publishing, Westminster House, Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2ND Crimson Publishing, 2010 Epub edition 2011ISBN: 978-1-905410-73-6 The author has asserted her moral rights to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988. British Library cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Crimson Publishing ebooks. Epub file created by RefineCatch Ltd, Bungay Thank you to Victoria Oundjian and Robin Boothroyd, and to everyone at Crimson Publishing. While the author and publisher acknowledge that names may vary widely on spellings and pronunciations, names have been arranged by common spellings and first initial only.

Alternative first initial spellings are listed under their relative letter, but spelling variations with the same first initial are listed only once, under the most common spelling.

Fall in love with the name(s) youve chosen. If you plough through hundreds of pages of names in this book and none of them jump off the page at you, then you probably havent found the right one yet. Likewise, if a relative, friend, or even your spouse suggests a name and you wrinkle your nose every time you hear it, also not the name for your baby. You will want to pick a name that you can shout with confidence across the school playground, or hear with pride when they graduate from university. Pick a name which makes you smile because if you love it, hopefully your child will too. Research. Youve already started the process of researching which name to pick simply by buying this book, but there are ways to expand the process if you wish to.

The internet can be a fantastic way to look up meanings in more depth, or to find out if your babys name is becoming more or less popular through the years. This is particularly useful if you want to avoid a situation where your daughter has the same name as three other children in her class, or if you dont want your son to be teased because his name sounds rude in another language. Other ways to do research include making lists of names you hear during the run-up to the birth, going back into history to find names of great cultural importance, or finding a meaning you like and linking a name to it. The name Helen, for example, means light, but there are a great many variations of it, including Aileen, Eleanor, Helena and Lena. Therefore, if you like the idea of naming your daughter light but arent keen on Helen, researching other variations might just lead you to the perfect one. Dont listen to other people. Sometimes, grandparents and friends will offer advice during this time which may not always be welcome.

This is worth bearing in mind if youve fallen in love with a name and its either slightly unusual or doesnt follow the set pattern your partners family have used for the last 50 years. Sharing your choice of name with other people can lead them to criticise it, which youd probably rather not hear if youve got your heart set on it. Also, if youre bucking with tradition and dont plan on calling your newborn after their great-great-great-Grandfather, keeping it a secret until after the birth and registration can work to your advantage. Trust your own instincts and remember: no-one will really care once they see your baby. Its name will simply be its name. Find a name with meaning. A lot of parents want to find a name for their baby that means something. Find a name with meaning. A lot of parents want to find a name for their baby that means something.

If youre interested in history you might try naming your daughter after queens of England (Elizabeth, Mary or Victoria) in the hope that it will fill your childs soul with a sense of pride and importance. This can inspire your child to try to live up to their names reputation. Having a name which has a back story helps your child understand their significance in the world, so whether you name them after a religious saint or prophet, an important political figure or a hero in a Greek tragedy, ensure they know where their name comes from. They may just be inspired to be as great as their namesake. Have fun. Picking out names should be a fun process. Laughing at the ones youd never dream of choosing can really help you narrow it down to the ones you would.

You can also experiment with different spellings, pronunciations or variations of names you like, or go to places where you might feel inspired. Some of the best names come from the worlds of nature and literature, so why not go down to your local garden centre or library and have fun with the classic, cute and downright silly words you find there? Expand your mind. Dont rule out the weird ones just yet! As a teenager I went to school with a girl named Siam. Her parents had conceived her on a honeymoon trip to Thailand and given her the countrys old name as a result. She loved growing up and having an unusual name, as Im sure Ireland Baldwin (Alex Baldwin and Kim Basingers son) and Rumer Willis (Demi Moore and Bruce Willis daughter) do too. Also, dont be afraid to play around with spellings and pronunciations, even if the results are a little less than conformist. Try it out. While youre pregnant, talk to your baby and address it using a variety of your favourite names to see if it responds. Try it out. While youre pregnant, talk to your baby and address it using a variety of your favourite names to see if it responds.

There are numerous stories of names being chosen because the baby kicked when it was called Charlie or Aisha, but was suspiciously silent when it was called Dexter or Mildred, so see if it has a preference! You can also try writing names down and sticking them to your fridge, or saying one out loud enough times to see if you ever get sick of it. That name you picked out when you were eight and always said youd name your first child, for example, might not sound so appropriate now youre an adult and have to name a human being for real. What if you cant agree? This is probably the trickiest problem in the baby-naming process to solve. Its wise to research a number of names you and your partner are both interested in and make a point of discussing your reasons for liking or disliking them long before the baby is due to be born. The labour and delivery room is probably not the best time to argue as youll both be tired, emotional and at least one of you will be in pain. Avoid sticking to your guns on a name one of you really isnt happy with because it might lead to resentment down the line, with your baby caught in the middle.

You could try compromising and picking two middle names so you both have a name in there you love, or you could each have five names youre allowed to veto but no more. You could also try making contractions out of names you both like, such as Anna and Lisa (Annalisa) or James and Hayden (Jayden). Whichever way you go about it, it is important that you both eventually agree on the name you are giving your baby, even if it means losing out on that one youve had your heart set on for a while.