5 Tips for Finding the Perfect Baby Name

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For some expecting parents, naming their baby is a piece of cake. For others, the task can be agonizing. It’s a big deal, naming a baby. This is a name that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Gah! It’s so much pressure.

Well, I’ve gone down this path twice now without any regrets, so I thought I would share my baby naming advice with you. It worked for me and I know it will work for you too.

1. Go with what you know. Sometimes using the good ‘ol J.R. is the way to go when naming your child. Or maybe your family members made it easy on you by instilling a tradition of giving all the male heirs the same name. You know, Michael Senior, Junior, III, IV, and so forth. The only time you absolutely cannot do this is when you give the same name to all of your children. Take it from George Foreman or Michael Jackson, no family should have to endure five George Foremans living under the same roof or two Prince Michael Jacksons inhabiting the same planet. Let’s not get lazy here.

2. Timing is everything. You know how some people wait until the very last minute to decide on their baby’s name? One of my best friends did that. The nurses had to practically strong-arm her to fill out the birth certificate. If you wait too long, you run the risk of three things happening: 1) You leave the hospital with Baby Jane Doe, 2) You make an impulsive decision and name your baby the first thing that pops into your head (like Episiotomy or Foreskin), or 3) You annoy your family members so much that they “forget” to drop off your frozen casseroles for the week. If you can, try to get the baby name figured out before the ink dries on your release forms.

3. Be creative. It’s totally great to think outside the box when you are naming your baby. Standard baby names aren’t for everyone and this world would be a boring place if names like Apple and Moses didn’t exist. If anything, overly-weird baby names just make you look more balanced and normal, so look on the bright side- ok? One word of advice: You know the “stripper name game” where you use the third letter of your first name, the street you grew up on and your first pet’s name to determine what your fictitious stripper name should be? Don’t do that when you name your baby. Please.

4. Use a map for inspiration. I love it when people are named after places! Baby Gizmo’s own Hollie Schultz has a daughter named Savannah and my dear friend is named Merced. Be careful though and check your history. Otherwise you might end up raising an “Alcatraz”, “Chernobyl” or a “Waco” and I really don’t want to know what the future lies for those poor kids.

5. When in doubt, use a family name. This has worked great for me. Each of my daughters is named after a great grandmother on each side. Bam! Everyone is happy. This rule doesn’t work for everyone though. Not every name transcends the test of time: Bertha, Percival, Gilbert, Elspeth…. Call me crazy, but there might be a reason the popularity of these names is waning.

There you have it! Follow these easy tips, and all you preggos will be well on your way to naming that hot little bun in your oven. Good luck!