What's in a name?
William Shakespeare wrote, “What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.? Wise words.
For every pregnant couple, the ritual of tossing around names for the baby is an exciting one. Deciding whether to name the new baby after a relative, a saint or a movie star can be fun and thought-provoking, or stressful and riddled with anxiety.
Start early and stay open-minded. You may adore the name Edna, after your maternal grandmother, but your partner may be stuck on Penelope, after his great aunt. Don’t despair. First of all, you have nine months to think about it. Plus, you’re bound to get plenty of unsolicited advice from both sides of the family, for better or worse.
It’s both amazing and reassuring how babies grow into their names, whatever you decide. If your son is called Noah, it’s hard to think of him as having any other name.
If you want to name your baby after a relative, but don’t really savour the name, use it as a middle name and choose a name you both like for the first name. This way, you keep the name in the family, but you don’t need to use it when you call your child in for supper.
Consider what the nickname might be when you select a name. For example, Elizabeth may end up being Liz or Beth. Robert may be called Bobby, so make sure you can live with the options. And if you really like the nickname better than the formal version, it may be wise to use the full name for legal purposes on the birth certificate so the child will have options as an adult.
Popular names for 2006, for girls, were Aubrey, Juliana, Maggie, Nevaeh (yes, heaven spelled backwards), Addison, Camryn, Charlotte, Claire, Chloe, Lily, MacKenzie and Jayden. For the boys, trendy names have been Aiden, Brody, Miles, Peyton, Landon, Braydon, Logan, Noah, Caden and Steven.
The top 10 names for 2006 for girls were: Emma, Madison, Ava, Emily, Isabella, Kaitlyn, Sophia, Olivia, Abigail and Hailey. Interestingly, 40 per cent of popular girls’ names end in an “ah? sound, like Amanda or Alyssa, while 30 per cent end in an “ee? sound, like Lily and Hailey.
The top 10 names for 2006 for boys were: Aiden, Jacob, Ethan, Ryan, Matthew, Jack, Noah, Nicholas, Joshua and Logan. Note that 40 per cent of trendy boys’ names end in an “en? sound, like Devin and Landon.
Just for fun, I checked to see what the 10 most popular names were for boys and girls in the 1950s. Here goes. For girls: Linda, Mary, Patricia, Barbara, Susan, Maria, Sandra, Nancy, Deborah and Kathleen. For boys: John, James, Robert, William, Michael, David, Richard, Thomas, Charles and Gary. I always remember having lots of Lindas and Susans in my class!
Many parents take a common name and change the spelling to give it a more unique, creative twist. Take Kaleigh for example, and try Kaylee. Or change the “i? in Madison to a “y?, creating Madyson. Or switch a “c? for a “k? as in Kaleb instead of Caleb. Just remember; if you get too unusual your child will end up spelling his or her name over and over again, or will see it misspelled on a regular basis.
Have fun with the name selection for your baby, who you will love whether she’s named Grace or Mavis. Check your family tree and see what your great-grandparents were called. You may discover a gem right in your own family.
See how it sounds with your surname. Say it out loud a few times. See how it looks in writing. Then take the plunge. Name your baby and feel confident that it will be just right!
Lila Hope-Simpson is the Director of the Home and Heart Nursery School in Wolfville
