What's in a name?
Choosing your baby's name is something all parents look forward to. You may have a favourite name in mind during or even before the pregnancy, or you may prefer to wait until after the birth to see what will suit your baby.
Here are a few things to consider before making your final choice:
- Your child has to carry this name through his whole life, so it should suit an adult as well as a baby.
- If the name is quirky, will he be teased or bullied because of it? Zowie Bowie lost no time in changing his name to Joe as a teenager.
- Does the name shorten to an unfortunate nickname?
- What does it sound like with your surname? A long surname, for instance, can happily take a monosyllabic forename, and vice versa. More importantly, say it out loud. Mr and Mrs Thyme would be ill-advised to call their child Justin, for example.
- If you are giving your child middle names, what will the initials spell out? Claire Olivia Williams, for instance, would give your child the initials COW!
- Some names have interesting or particularly appropriate meanings. Natalie, for example, means 'born at Christmas', and Russell means 'little red-haired man'.
Where to next?
- Search for a name with our baby names finder - we've got thousands!
- We've got some great suggestions for naming twins
- See the top 50 boys' and girls' names in England & Wales in 2001
- See the top 20 boys' and girls' names in Scotland in 2000
- See the top 5 boys' and girls' names in Northern Ireland in 2000