Most important factors in choosing a name

[ashthedreamer]

I think it's a combination of all of them for me. Sound and spelling are important for all of them--and the way it looks on paper--for all the names I consider. I want a name that will look professional, and I just genuinely want to really like the name. Family significance is a must--I was given a name with absolutely no family significance, and I really wish I did have a family name, so I want to be sure all my kids have an association to family (and just about any other name that will make the combo significant, too--values I stand for, noteworthy characters in literature, religious associations, etc., etc.). I'm not huge on flow, but I refuse to use the 2-2-2 flow, as when I finally add my surname, something like Sophie Olive Rachel Riley sounds so monotonous it's not even funny. I'm usually not too fussed about popularity--I was born Ashley, and still love the popularity aspect of my name... besides, I try to use unusual combos so the name as a whole (and the MN options) will give my children a bit of options if they absolutely hate being Olivia R. or Bella R.

My general rule for a FN, though, is that I just have to love it with absolute abandon. If I'm not completely in love with it, then it gets shifted to a MN spot. It's nice to have a family connection in the FN (and I do with a few names--Liliana, Jack, Asher), but if I don't, I'll just use a family name in the MN spot.

[annunziataalexis]

Nevaeh is most commonly pronounced na vay ah although some prefer to pronouce it as just na vay