My friend and her hubby are trying to decide on a name for their upcoming arrival.
They will welcome a baby girl into the world shortly and it got me thinking – there is so much pressure there is to choose the right name for your child.
They are stuck with it for the rest of their life.
So you’ve got to take EVERYTHING into consideration.
Whether it be pressure from family to keep up tradition, how to spell it or whether it goes with your last name.
Most popular baby names:
Charlotte remains the number one name for girls and Oliver is still the top choice for boys, according to the annual McCrindle Baby Names Report.
Olivia, Ava, Amelia, Mia, Isla, Grace, Ella, Chloe and Harper were also among the top 10 baby names for girls last year.
For boys, William, Jack, Noah, Thomas, James, Lucas, Henry, Ethan and Mason rounded out the top 10.
Around one in 10 of the 300,000 babies born in Australia last year were given one of the top 10 baby names.
Things to take into consideration when choosing a name:
Spelling
There is always going to be different ways to spell names – like Ashleigh or Ashley. But steer away from the weird and wacky creations for straight forward names like Danyal when you could just have Daniel.
Does it go with your last name?
Make sure your name doesn’t cause embarrassment down the track. Names that look good on paper don’t always sound great. Examples include Wayne Carr, Joe King, Iona Gunn or Jenna Taylor.
Family traditions ?
Should you take on any traditions held by either family? Will you use the middle name as a nod to grandparents or other loved ones?
Famous people
Both my husband and I like the name Bridget – but his last name is Jones. So that’s not ideal.
Whatever name you choose. Make sure it’s you’re decision and you are happy with it.
That’s all that matters.
– Melissa Meehan
