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Let's Talk Names

Tuesday, June 25, 2019



Aren't names interesting? I mean, think about it. Our parents decide on a name they like and they think will fit us and the family we are born into, and we are (usually) called it for the rest of our lives. Sort of crazy, right? And then, if and when we become parents ourselves, we are given the same responsibility. So... how do you choose? I would love to hear how you've chosen names for your kids: have you gone the route of passing down meaningful family names? Did you use a traditional baby name book/website? Did you use the name you always thought you would, or change it at the last minute?

I was supposed to be Carolyn or Kimberly, but when I was born my parents looked at me and pivoted. And, of course, now I can't picture being called anything but my name.

I often get questions about my own kids' names. They're on the more unusual side, though not unheard of -- and actually, Hadley's name is becoming a bit more popular I think. 

Here are the stories: neither are family names, just names we liked and "felt right." We literally flipped through a baby name book at Barnes & Noble when I was pregnant with Carrington and when I spotted her name and suggested it to Steve, we both liked it right away and that was it from then on. The only other one we had considered before finding her name was Eva. I love that it's different without being hard to pronounce, and that she has a nickname she can choose to use. We probably call her Carrington and Carrie equally as often, and she'll answer to both without blinking. It just fits her! If she had been a boy, she would have been Owen Xavier.

As for Hadley, I had heard her name in the time since having Carrington and loved it. When we found out she was a girl, it popped into my mind right away. The only other name we considered for her was Arden. Here's how we decided which was meant to be: we had Carrington say each. When she said "Hadley" she pronounced it "Haddie" (which is still her nickname!), and we just knew that was the one. If she had been a boy, she would have been Maxwell Dean.

By the time you have the third baby of the same gender, it gets a bit tough to choose a name! By that time, you've already chosen four names you love: two first names and two middle names. When we found out this sweet baby was a girl, it took some brainstorming and searching to find her name (which we are keeping a surprise until she's born). Steve and I both have pretty strong opinions on names and would shoot down each other's suggestions. We did both like Alexandria, with a nickname of Andi, and thought that would be the one. But the more we considered it, the more it just didn't feel like her. It's funny how you can just get a feeling either way about someone you haven't even met. Her name was one that wasn't even on our radar, and yet once we said it out loud, that was it!

Some of my favorite names, besides my own kids' names, are:

Girls

Gillian
Collins
Alexandria
Lyla
Estella
Reese
Georgia
Paige

Boys

Maxwell (Max)
William (Will)
Sullivan
Dean
Dawson
Dalton

Your turn! What are your kids' names and/or some of your favorite names? I'd love to hear! 

8 comments:

  1. I love these so much. We loved: Quinn, Charlotte, Morgan for girls and Silas and Dexter for boys

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    1. I love all of those choices, and of course the names you chose for the girls!

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  2. I love hearing the back story of their names! Gosh names can be so hard at times. I completely relate with three of the same gender. We joke all the time if we end up with a 4th and it's another boy there is no hope for a name lol. We had our top three names with each of them and then named them after they were born. For us, the meaning behind the name was also an important factor. When it came to naming the baby it was the only name that made the list all three times, and when he came out, it was perfect for him.

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    1. Thanks, Sierra! I find name talk so much fun... but it's definitely hard in practice! I love that the meaning behind the names is special to you. <3

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  3. I love name stories, and now that we've had three, I feel like I can actually weigh in haha We really struggled with our first because we didn't find out the sex of the baby, so we could picture him/her. When he was born though, I just knew he was a Spencer, the name we'd kept coming back to for a boy (it was my uncle's name). We would have named him Liesl if he was a girl haha so I'm glad he wasn't. When we found out our second was a boy, Ryan picked the name Porter, and we just knew it fit him from day one. This time, we were so hoping for a girl, and when we found it was, we were kind of iffy! We originally thought of Holland for my Dutch roots, and we also really liked Greta, but we just didn't like the sound of the name with Moore. We decided to name her Mieke to honor my Dutch side and loved the double M :)

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    1. This was so fun to hear about, Melissa! Love your kids' names and I absolutely love that moment when you see their little face and know the name fits them perfectly.

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  4. I love the names you have for your two girls. My ex-husband (my kids' father) and I agreed that we didn't want names that could be shortened into nicknames and we didn't want our kids named after anyone in the family. My daughter, Shelby Nicole, is named after Julia Robert's character in Steel Magnolias. My son, Logan Bradley, was originally supposed to be Logan Isaiah but his dad decided he wanted Logan to have his middle name of Bradley. My third son, Adam Blake, was a lot harder to name. His father and I eventually put names we liked into a hat and picked two out to come up with his name.

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    1. Thanks, Terra! It's always so interesting for me to learn about the origins of names, and also about the process of choosing them for different people. Everyone has their own process/story! Love your kids' names!

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