Some friends of ours recently had a baby and while they had the first name picked out, they weren't quite settled on the middle. So for a little while on Facebook she was "Autumn Pending." At the rate we're going, we may just have Pending Pending.
It's not that we aren't looking. We just aren't finding. I have read, front to back, the baby girl names in THREE baby name books. THREE. I'm having a bit of trouble. Anything I see with any excitement Captain America meets with a "meh." And vice versa. And really, there's nothing either of us likes enough to put it into negotiations.
It's such a challenge, because we were so sure about Ella & Natalie. I'd wanted a Natalie my whole life, but around month 6 with Ella it just wasn't right. So we opted for Ella as our girl name. We found out Natalie was a girl at 20 weeks, and from that moment she was Natalie. This child is a mystery. She's had three due dates. She has no name. Not that she needs it right now, what with not being born and everything. But eventually, she will be born.
My children come from long lines of people who don't use their given names (too many to list, really). For some reason, I then feel completely pressured to come up with a name that will be used in all stages of life.
So, let me amuse you with my freakishly precise baby naming criteria (all about personal taste, I take no issue with other people going against these):
- No names in the Top 15 popular baby names (heck, or the Top 20-50 if I could help it).
- Preferably nothing that can also be used for a boy.
- I generally am attracted to older names. But not really old. More like Ava than Hepzibah.
- Nothing longer than 7 letters (slightly scarred over watching poor Natalie learn to write her name).
- Nothing with a bizarre meaning that I'd hate to saddle the kid with for life.
- Nothing that sounds like one of the existing names in our house (no Isabella, since we have an Ella, not Madeline since we'd have Maddy & Nattie, etc).
- I'd love to avoid something she will have to spell for people her entire life.
- It should kind of "go" with Ella & Natalie.
- Nothing that easily lends itself to a mean nickname.
- Preferably nothing that the teacher looks at and wonders "How on earth do I pronounce that?"
- Nothing sports related (been there, done that, thank you, Captain America).
- Must keep in mind what her initials will spell (preferably nothing).
- Nothing that first brings to mind some sort of famous person. Like Hillary.
- Something that works on a small child as easily as it does a 40-yr-old doctor or CEO, or a grandma. Not that my child needs to be a doctor, CEO, or a grandma, but I want her to have options and be taken seriously. If she wants to be taken seriously.
- No names that put a lot of expectations on her, like Patience. I mean, I'd love for her to be patient, but it would stink to hear all the time "With a name like Patience, you'd think you could wait a little longer for dinner," or something.
Posts
5 comments:
I actually think all your criterias are reasonable. It looks like a long list when all written out, but nothing stands out as an odd criteria that someone shouldn't have. 'Course, we have yet to come up with a middle name, and we're sticking with the same boy name we would've used if Hannah was a boy. Good thing she was a girl, but now, we have to start thinking!
I was very selective about my oldest daughter's name. Hope Vianna. Her middle name is a little unusual, but it's a family name and it works with her first name.
We had a name picked out for our youngest daughter. She was going to be Sarah Michelle. When she was born, she was just not a Sarah Michelle. I looked at my husband and said "She looks like an Emily Cheyenne". He agreed and we renamed her within 5 minutes of birth.
Alina?
How about Elizabeth? I realize it's longer than 7, but you'd have all those convenient nicknames.
I totally get it. I've always had a thing about names. And then Jude came along and I ended up going a completely different way than I'd ever imagined. But I knew it was his name very strongly. It will come to you. And I appreciate your issues with giving her a name that is not difficult. As a little girl named Gretchen in a world of Susans and Lindas, I constantly had to spell my name and explain my name. And it's 8 letters. I have a friend who recently named his little boy Declan. But instead of spelling it Declan, they decided to spell it the old Gaelic way, Deaglan. Which just made me shudder, because you know NO ONE is EVER going to pronounce it right, and he's going to spend his whole life cursing his parents.
Post a Comment