Baby Names

[gina]

Ever since I found out I am pregnant, I have been thinking about baby names. I bought a few books and have searched numerous web sites. I am finding this really difficult. The names I like tend to be THE most popular names. but I am not sure I want to give my baby the most popular name.

The one name I feel strongly about (like a lot) is "Asher". It is a male name. I read it in a book. But my husband hates it.

Also my last name is sort of odd and things don't flow with it.

And my husband is Spanish and would sort of prefer a Spanish name since English names don't mean much to him. I, of course, have the same problem in reverse.

How are you all picking names? Willing to share any favorites? Words of wisdom? Any and all comments are welcome.

Gina

 

[FoolofaTook]

Hi Gina,
I personally like the name Asher, one of Jacob's sons and a tribe of Israel, always did like it. I do think, however, that they would really get picked on at school and might end up wishing they had a more common name every time the roll is called.

I had some friends who were in the same situation as you two, he was Spanish (although a US citizen by the time I met him, his parents were from Spain) and she had always been in the States. They decided on Isabel for their baby girl but he was all upset about how she originally wanted to spell it. She wanted to use "Isabelle" but he said that screwed up the Spanish pronunciation so they had to shorten it. I can't remember what they decided to name their son later on.

I've been looking for names that aren't desperately overused but also not so unusual that they'll hate their name if they get a hard time about it by their peers, kind of tricky. My husband & I have decided to choose one Gaelic name (we both love our Scotch-Irish heritage) and one Biblical name for our kid and I think we've just about got it narrowed down.

For a girl, we like Fiona Bethany. Bethany isn't actually the name of somebody in the Bible but it is the place where Mary, Martha & Lazarus lived (and died and lived in Lazarus' case). It's Hebrew and is supposed to mean 'Daughter of the Lord'. Fiona is just a beautiful Gaelic name which means 'Fair'. If it's a girl, I'm going to email Fiona Ritchie (host of 'The Thistle & Shamrock', a truly fantastic Celtic music show on NPR) and let her know, just for fun . Oh, by the way, we had Fiona picked out long before Shreck ever hit the big screen, but we do like Princess Fiona in the movie.

For a guy, well, we're still deciding on a Gaelic name but we both like Elijah for a Biblical name. As for the other, we're debating between Keaghan and Alasdair. Keaghan means ‘Ardent' or ‘Fiery' and Alasdair is the British form of Alexander which means ‘Protector of Mankind'. Actually, I know which one I like better and he likes the other one so if it's a little guy, one of us will ultimately have to cave in. What do you all think about those names, any opinions to offer?

What about everyone else? I'd love to hear everybody's naming ideas!

 

[gina]

I do like the name Elijah a lot. It sounds good. Easy to say. But for me personally, it is a bit too biblical, as I am not of particularly strong faith. (I don't think many people have even heard of Asher, let alone associate it with the bible.)

I read "Keaghan" with a long "e" sound, as opposed to an "a" sound. Is that correct? (Reagan, as in Ronald Reagan, is a long "a".) I think Keaghan flows better than Alasdair from Elijah. Maybe it is the two vowels sounds (at the end, and at the beginning) with Elijah Alaisdair.

Fiona Bethany is also a pretty name.

Isabel isn't bad. Especially if she would get my husbands dark hair and eyes and tendency to tan. It might seem a bit exotic. I like that it is sort of Spanish and English. But what if people called her "Izzy"? That would not be good in my opinion.

Gina
Gina

 

[FoolofaTook]

Yep, Keaghan would be with a long 'e' sound, just like you read.

Hey, I am capable of writing a short post after all! I'll bet everyone was beginning to wonder ;-).

 

[tryin2bfit]

It is so hard to pick out the "perfect" name, isn't it? I'm 27 weeks with baby no. 4 (boy) and we've already used the names we really liked with our 2 daughters and son. DH has gone through the baby name book and made a short list (short because he doesn't like many names). Every other name I suggest is too "trendy", "unusual", etc for him. We also don't want a name where he will be one of several of that name in school, even though we may really like those names (there are many Alex's, Cameron's, Nicholas's, etc in our kids' classes and we'd like to avoid that if possible).

We've got 2 names we can agree on but made the mistake of telling my parents what they are. My stepmom dislikes one of them so much, she said she wouldn't call him by that name, she would shorten it or give him a nickname! The other name was met with silence. DH says (and he's right) that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, but you always feel better when responses are positive rather than negative. I wish we hadn't told my family our ideas!

Anyway, I like to hear other people's choices for names and am looking for ideas.

Gina, I like the name Asher, and don't think I know of any kids by that name. Isabel (or Isabella) is very pretty, as is Fiona Bethany. I know a little girl named Isabella and her nickname is Bella, which I also like. I like Elijah as well, but my DH wouldn't go for this one.

I'd like to hear everyone's ideas, too !

Sandi

 

[gina]

One of the books I bought is "The baby Name Survey Book: What people think about your baby's name." The authors sent out surveys to a "[US]nationally representative sample of men and women of all ages from urban, suburban, and rural locations in all 50 states." The mailing reached 200,000 people. It sought to "caputre a collective portrait of personnel characteristics" associated with over 350 names.

***Where there was a consensus on what the name evokes, it got put into the book. No consensus, not in the book.***

If anyone wants to know what is associated with a particular name, let me know.

Asher wasn't listed. Nor was Fiona (not that I'd have repeated what it said without your asking.) Isabel or Isabella - "a carefree, fun-loving, sultry beauty" or "an old-fashioned, demanding wealthy woman."

Gina - I can't write a short message.

 

[Michelle D.]

I think picking a name can be a hard thing. With our twins we picked names from our family tree. We didn't know if we were having boys or girls so we had picked names for both. I was glad we had girls because I really didn't like the boy names we found. One of the girl names we picked and used was my great-great grandmother's name. I thought my grandma would be please that we picked it since it is her mother's middle name too. Well come to find out she has never liked that name! Just goes to show that you can't please everyone!

This time around we are having a hard time finding anything my husband and I both like. Since we won't find out if it is boy or girl again, we'll be picking a name for each. I think I need to get one of those baby name books. Good thing I have plenty of time to decide!!

Michelle (due 4/3)

 

[LovingLife]

Gina -- I know a little boy named Asher (my good friend's son) and I remember initially thinking "Asher?" but that quickly left and it's been an adorable name for him ever since. He's gone to pre-school for 2 years and just started Kindergarten this year and no one's ever teased him about his name. It's just as normal to little kids as Michael or David.

I've found that when people bring up names before the baby is named, you get all sorts of advice, negative reactions, etc., but once you name the baby, everyone is much more polite and supportive.

Last time we didn't have our baby's name decided when we left the hospital and were considering "Sadie" -- My dh went to work and several people told him at various times that that was a "dog's name" -- so he came home saying we couldn't name her that. (Oh brother!) We chose another name (Lexie) the next day and finalized it and later on, I had a few people tell me "Oh, that's my friends' dog's name" -- I didn't care a bit -- people name their dogs anything and everything . And I think it was a good thing we didn't name her "Sadie" -- One of my best friends had a baby girl the next year and had planned to name her "Sadie" after a beloved grandmother. So I was glad she got the uniqueness of it in our circle of friends.

My dh and I have never been able to come up with a name before the baby is born. By the 3rd baby, we just stopped even bringing up ideas until after the delivery. Not that we ever fought about it -- we just could never come to an agreement any earlier. I've also found that I get a little more say in it when my dh has just seen me go through labor and delivery .

This will be our 6th and I have a few ideas in my head, but who knows what the name will turn out to be. It kind of adds to the anxiety and excitement at delivery time! Best wishes in making your decision!