Musings from the Newborn Nursery: Naming Your Child

Baby names are a big deal.  There are many considerations to be made such as cultural traditions, family names and how the name will sound with the baby’s surname.  There are constituencies (family and friends) to satisfy.  The name must be smart, elegant/dashing, fun, interesting, dynamic, CEO-esk and not too common but not too weird.  After all you are selecting a word that you will utter more than almost any other for the rest of your life. As a pediatrician, I hear a lot of names and am often asked for my opinion.  I didn’t take a course in medical school on naming babies.  I don’t have a degree in baby naming.  However, over the years I have developed suggestions on how to approach baby naming which I offer when asked.  Here are my 10 pointers when naming your child: If you choose a very popular name, know that it is highly probable that a few others will have the same name in your child’s future kindergarten class.  My daughter, for example, has 3 friends named Sophia and it can get confusing.  Also, in the internet age, it just takes one bad Sophia to ruin the reputation for all the others especially if you have a common surname. When possible, choose a name that is easy for others to pronounce and spell (including family members for whom English may not be a native language).  You will save your child a lifetime of frustration and wasted time correcting others who mispronounce or misspell it. Just because your 2 year old picks a name for the baby d...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - Category: Pediatricians Authors: Tags: Perspectives Baby Names Newborn Prenatal Prenatal Preparation Source Type: blogs