Things to Consider When Picking a Baby Name

Ready to consider baby names and not sure where to start? Check out PopYum’s list of things to consider when picking a name for your baby! 

1. Look up meanings of names. Each name can have its own meaning and origin. For example, the name Katie means pure while another common name, Cameron, means crooked nose. Some names even have different meanings in other languages - such as Risa, a Japanese name, which means laughter in Spanish. 
2. Think of possible nicknames. For each name you consider, think about the possible nicknames that might arise from the original name and see if it sounds good with your last name. 
3. Think of the initials. Chances are more than likely that your child may need to write down their initials on something and it’d be best to make sure it doesn’t spell something unusual, such as P.M.S. or A.S.S. 
4. Try saying and writing the first and last names together. See how it looks and hear how it sounds. Ask yourself - does this sound and look good? 
5. Ask yourself if you’d prefer a common, unique, or generational family name for your baby. You can check a name’s popularity at: https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/ 
6. Consider your family’s culture. Honoring your culture with a baby name can be a great choice. If you choose to name your child after a living relative, some people may like this but it may also cause confusion. In particular cultures as well, naming a child after a parent’s name can be considered bad luck. 
7. Talk with your partner. If you have a partner, it’s important to see if you and your partner both agree on the baby name. 
8. Ask yourself - would you want this name? If the answer is no, maybe consider some other names. 
9. Consider sources of inspiration: If you’re feeling stuck, think of some possible categories of inspiration. These could be names based on culture, pop culture, religion, location, tradition, seasons, nature, colors, mythology, astrology, and more. 
10. Consider the names of the siblings. Whether this is your first child or seventh child, it’s good to see how the names sound together. 
11. Check a name for multiple spellings. Some names can have multiple spelling variations, such as Steven and Stephen, Hailey and Hayley, Zak and Zack, and much more. 

We asked some of our PopYum superstars to share their stories of how they decided on their kids' names. Check out their stories below! 

PopYum: How did you decide on the name(s) for your kid(s)?

Superstar Jenny: “The bible. God’s word has always been my refugee and words of hope and love and comfort, so I thought my kids having Bible names would always remind me of where my blessings come from.” 

Superstar Haley: “We had a million girl names picked out and for some reason boy names were hard for us…and of course our first baby was a boy. We went back and forth for weeks, and couldn't find a name we agreed on until I stumbled across my son’s name while scrolling on a baby apparel website. I said the name out loud and my husband and I looked at each other and said that’s the one! 17 months later my daughter was born and her name was one we loved from the day we found out she was a girl, it was honestly harder narrowing down the list of names we loved with our daughter than it was to actually pick one out.”

Superstar Estefania: “We chose Asher from a show we were watching. We loved the name and once we looked up the meaning we knew we had to name him Asher. The meaning definitely was the cherry on top.” 

Superstar Chantty: “The way I decided to elect my daughter’s and son’s name was by wanting them to have meaningful names, specifically biblical names with a meaning. My daughter’s name means “Noble.” For my son’s, well for him it’s a funny one. During my pregnancy with him I used to watch the show “Vampire Diaries” and I fell in love with a character’s name. However despite this I still wanted him to have a meaningful name as well. My son’s name stands for “Home Ruler.” It’s crazy because without meeting them and getting to know their personality I feel as if I picked the perfect names for them. “