Great Baby Names

Kat writes:

I named my first child before she was conceived. We also had names lined up for another girl and two boys - I was so protective of these names I told pregnant friends they couldn’t use them! So when it came to picking a name for Boo II we thought we would just dust off the original selection. Problem is, there are a lot of babies with these names and we don’t love them like we once did. So it was back to the drawing board and time to look for new inspiration.

I was lucky enough to be sent a copy of The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenburg. This book is not like the 2,001 books with 50,001 names (which only look at names alone) it takes into account all sorts of factors to create groups and suggest names for siblings. Naming, like most other things, has fashions which come and go. Laura has created a unique reference which manages to stimulate your thinking about names rather than leaving you swimming in a sea of words. The actual name snapshots section only contains 1,500 names but once you start reading you soon realise this is plenty. Each snapshot has: Popularity (USA rankings), Style, Nicknames, Variants, Sisters, Brothers and a description. The description often includes a short definition, brief history and feel of the name.

As well as the name snapshots there are the style groups and advice on choosing a name. The style groups and sibling suggestions are what makes this book truly wizardly. You look at a name you like, and there are suggestions for similar names in brothers & sisters as well as a whole group of similarly inspired names. I have tried this out on both our name lists and those of friends and generally there is at least one suggestion that is already on their list and more which appeal. Very occasionally the US origins of the book mean it doesn’t quite match our UK thinking but this is so rare I would say it doesn’t matter.

The advice section at the beginning is brilliant. It includes trends and family matters as well as some golden rules for name choosing. For example: Rule #1: Personal taste isn’t so personal. Yesterday a friend of ours announced their new baby’s name. Unfortunately for us, that is the name we have chosen for our baby. She didn’t ’steal’ it but came up with it completely independently of us. Laura sites just such cases and then shows how cultural and geographical influences shape the thinking of communities. So, while I am a little annoyed they got there first I won’t be demanding she change the child’s name. I won’t.

For my money, this is the definitive book to name choosing. Rather than looking through lists and lists of names, you will find yourself flicking back and forward as new names are thrown into the pot. Add to the book a couple of good sites like Nameberry and Laura’s own site, Baby Name Wizard (with amazing features: Namipedia, Name Voyager and Advanced Name Finder) and you will be well on the way to finding great names that suit your family.