A Rose By Any Other Name
Experts are predicting a ‘full-blown baby naming revolution’ this coming year, with names that will ‘defy convention’, boast unique spellings and also ‘non-traditional gender identities.’
We’ll be seeing names like Thor, Jupiter, Luna, and Pandora drawn from multicultural mythology; names of feminist heroines like Ada (Lovelace), Emmeline (Pankhurst), Bell (Hooks), Eleanor (Roosevelt), Rosa (Parks); a rise in preppy names like Oakes, Collins, Anderson, Kensington and Winchester; and a whole heap of names beginning with the letter ‘O’ – Octavia, Oakley, Orson, Otis, Omar and Otto.
See any you like? The full list of 2017 names can be found here:
Some people just know don’t they? They have a name picked out even before conception. Others wait to meet their new bundle before settling on a name. And while there is no right or wrong way to pick a baby’s name, there is definitely a lot of pressure that comes with the territory. After all, it’s just a little something you are giving them…FOREVER! Eek!
On top of the pressure, there’s also those suggestions (perhaps guilt trips) from family and friends, not to mention their unwanted reactions when you test drive a few current contenders with them. Prepare for brutal honesty and crushing disappointment!
While we believe the most important thing is absolutely to choose a name that YOU love, we also believe that everyone can always use a few objective pointers. Here are a few simple considerations to keep in mind:
- How original is your chosen name? Is it so unique that you risk mispronunciations and a lifetime of your child correcting how others say it/spell it? How would you have felt with that?
- Have you checked what the initials of your child’s name will make….for example Anthony Adam Stevens (ASS) or Robert Sole aka Mr. R Sole….Oops!
- Are you happy with how the first name can be shortened? Does it rhyme with anything unfortunate? Kids at school will always be creative!
- Does the name age well? Princess might be a cute name when they are small, but imagine them in a job interview or running a board meeting with that name.
- Have you checked the meaning of the name? Make sure you are happy with what your name represents as well as how its sound.
- Finally, don’t feel pressurised to take a family name. If you don’t like it, don’t take it. But first have a quick think, could you use it as a middle name to appease? Or even use the relative in question’s own middle name as an alternative? It’s worth exploring all options before an outright dismissal, right?
Good luck to all those parents-to-be out there making a shortlist! We look forward to seeing what the 2017 revolution brings!
