Category: Baby Names Advice
These veteran parents know their style, but that doesn’t always make it easier to choose a favorite.
Christina writes:
I need some help coming up with a name for our FIFTH baby. Our oldest is a boy and the rest are girls. New baby is another girl, which makes it harder – we already have three! My husband and I struggle finding a baby name we both like – two of our children were nameless five days after they were born. We both like longer names that can be easily nicknamed. We also like older names, but not “popular” older names (no Hazel). Our children’s names and nicknames are:
Richard Malcolm (Richard was hubby’s idea – third generation Richard – we refer to him as Malcolm or Mac for short)
Louisa Kathryn (Lucy for short)
Thanks for the help!
The Name Sage replies:
They’d love to honor grandma Jacqueline … but a cousin has already used their first choice! Time to ask the Name Sage for some fresh alternatives.
Sandra writes:
My husband and I are expecting our first child and we just found out it’s a boy!
Baby is due September 28th so I’m just starting to seriously consider names. We know for sure that we would like to name him after my husband’s mother who passed away four years ago. Her name was Jacqueline.
We love Jackson but my cousin already used that name for her son. Jonathon (nickname Jack) was vetoed and just Jack doesn’t feel quite finished to us. Jackie and Clair (after her middle name) are too feminine for my husband’s preference.
We’re open to creative ways to honor my mother-in-law to sidestep the name stealing possibility, but it seems like options are limited. The guilt I’m feeling from both sides is making this challenging, too.
I’d appreciate any advice you may have, or creative name suggestions that we may have bypassed! I just read the article on “9 creative ways to honor loved ones with your child’s name” which has me seeking alternative solutions, too.
The Name Sage replies:
By Gay Cioffi @ Little Folks Big Questions
How do you tell your only child that you’re expecting a baby?
Before answering this question, I always begin by asking a parent to imagine what it would be like if their spouse or partner made an announcement one day, out of the blue, that went something like this:
“I have exciting news. You are a wonderful spouse, and I love you very much. But, I have decided for our family that it would be incredible if we got another spouse to live with us and join our family, it is going to be so great. And, you will be the special “first” spouse who gets to teach this new spouse everything you know. You are going to love it!”
Most of us would say, “really… seriously?”
This is basically how the idea of a new baby can come across to an only child. Of course, this news should be shared joyfully; however, I am suggesting that parents be mindful of the magnitude of the changes it will bring to the family dynamic and the questions it may raise for the firstborn.
A double challenge: getting dad more involved in the naming process AND finding a girls’ name both parents love for their new daughter. But does that mean mom has to give up her favorites?
Amber writes:
Thank you in advance for helping us name our daughter, due at the end of September/early October.
This baby will have two sisters, Emily and Haven Grace. Emily is from a prior relationship, thus the huge difference in names.
I chose Haven Grace and her dad agreed, so this go-round, I would like him to play a bigger part.
Harlow is my favorite, but it has been vetoed. My runner-up loves are October and Sage (go figure, Name Sage!) but Dad is not impressed with October, even though it’s the month we were married.
He likes Autumn, Serenity, and Faith. I’m not a huge fan, though I might like Autumn Rain or Autumn Reign.
I’m looking to capture the fall season with the beautiful colors of the season being highlighted in the name. Her baby color theme is orange. That beautiful, New England, fall sunset type of orange that can be yellow or pink. We very much enjoy Biblical names and terms. Jesus is our homeboy. We aren’t afraid of Halloween themes, as our wedding was just that.
One more wrench in the works: our last name. Kids are vicious, and our last name sounds like Please without the ‘L’ sound.
The Name Sage responds:
Let’s look at the comebacks in the US charts this year. These aren’t names that have returned to the Top 100, or even the Top 1000. I’m talking about names that disappeared completely from the official name data – because they were used for less than 5 boys or girls each year – and reappeared in 2017.
Some of them have been away for a long time. Esper, which was given to 6 girls in 2017, was last recorded for girls in 1912 and for boys in 1926. Addiemae (or Addie–Mae – the data doesn’t record punctuation) hasn’t been seen since 1915, while Rayo and Union last appeared in 1923.
Many of the returners are variant spellings of popular names. They’re not common enough to make it into the charts every year, but odds are that occasionally enough parents will name their kid Ferne, Izabele or Keagyn to put it in the rankings.
