If you are looking to find THE perfect baby boy name, this is the place. I'll try and give you advice and things to think about to make the right decision for your boy. There are many factors to take into account when deciding on a baby name.
Cowboy
Now to the advice!
Personal taste
It sounds obvious of course, the first factor that comes into play when choosing a name for your little boy will be your own tastes. And this is good, you've got to like the name you will choose. You might choose a name for other reasons but you need to like it as well.
What you might not realize is that your tastes are influenced by many factors, in particular by your peers, the region where you live, your socio-cultural environment, etc. That means that you might think your tastes are pretty original and realize later that it's not the case... Don't worry too much, if the name you choose is pretty popular in your environment, it's also a good thing as it means your son will fit well in his environment.
Your heritage
Maybe you want to incorporate your origins into the choice of your baby boy name. This is always a good way to make a baby "fit" into the family and a normal wish of parents to acknowledge their origins and culture.
Check our "regional" lists: American names, Spanish names, Irish names.
Your baby's siblings
If you already have a child/children, then you should take their names into account and try to find a name that matches theirs. If your older children have Celtic names for instance, you are not going to choose an Italian name for your new addition. It sounds obvious with such extreme choices, but it is sometimes a bit more subtle than this. It wouldn't be a good idea to choose a very unusual name if your baby's siblings were called Kathryn and Henry for example. Choosing a matching name will help your new baby fit in the family better.
Your family and friends
Of course, you are the parent and deciding on baby boy names is your responsibility and prerogative. You don't want - and rightly so - to let your family and friends bully you into choosing/not choosing a particular name. That being said, it is also important that the name you will choose for your son is not a source of conflict with your family. If they all hate it, it will get back to him somehow. Whether you like it or not, you have to take them into account. If you don't want any problem, I suggest you don't share your name of choice with them before the birth. It's usually too late by then for them to object! ;)
Family might also come in the picture if you want to honor a family member by giving his name to your baby boy. This works fine if you like the name, but let's face it, sometimes it might be really hard! You might flinch at the idea to honor your grandfather who was named Coleman by giving your baby boy his name. You will need to be creative. You could use the name as a middle name. It's definitely the most common option in these cases as it achieves the objective but doesn't give your son a name that might be hard to live with. If you really want to use the name as a first name, maybe you can consider the nickname and go from there. If Coleman was nicknamed Cole, maybe you can find another name with the nickname Cole, such as Colin or Colby, or even go with just Cole. This is just an example, but you get the idea.
Fashion and Trends
We are all influenced by fashion in everyday life and of course baby name choosing is no exception. You don't want to choose a name that is so out of fashion that people will laugh at it. Maybe you want to choose the name that will be the next fashion hit and be at a trendsetter. In any case, popularity is an important factor. To help you, I suggest you check the list of the top 100 baby boy names and our unique names list.
Your baby's last name
I'd love to say that that is it, but I think that your baby's last name is indeed important! The way it sounds is important, the length is important. Also consider that the first name you choose might mean something when put together with the last name. Always pronounce the full name aloud when choosing. Do this without the middle name and with it, just to make sure you are not creating a silly sounding name. It sounds obvious, but sometimes it doesn't get obvious until it is read aloud.
A last piece of advice: try to give your baby boy the name that you would like to have if you were born yourself in today's world as a boy. It's always a good way to check whether you have found the right name for your baby or not.
Good luck finding perfect baby boy names for your little one!
Want to learn more about Parenting Boys? Keep up to date with the latest news and receive our special parenting tips?
Simple! Just fill in this form to subscribe to our monthly newsletter:
Boys will be Boys!
Click here to go from Baby Boy Names to
www.parenting-boys.com's home page
