by Shirley Norling

Created on: September 09, 2008   Last Updated: July 17, 2011

When choosing a name for that new little one there are many different things people may take into consideration. I don't think there's any really wrong way to choose a name.

Some individuals will consider their culture when choosing a name. African Americans, or Native Americans will sometimes give their children different names then Caucasians. My niece recently adopted a baby from Ethiopia. She chose a name associated with that culture, even though the child will be raised here in the United States.

New parents may want their baby named after another individual. It could be a grandparent, a special friend, or someone who's deceased that they were close to. They may use one individuals name for the first name, and another for the middle name.

My religion, Catholicism, used to want you to consider using a saints name for either the first, or middle name. That has changed a lot over the years, though. It doesn't seem to be that big of a deal anymore to have child named after a saint.

Celebrities seem to use unique and different names, such as Apple, Twiggy, Suri, or Blue, for their newborns.

Some parents try to choose a name that they think will fit with the babies last name. Jack Johnson, David Dawson, Michele Marie Mortenson, are a few names that come to mind.

I have known families that will only consider naming all their children with the same letter of the alphabet. Jack, John, Jane, Joe, and Justin are a few examples of this scenario.

Twins are sometimes named with names that rhyme, such as Charlie and Carley, Carrie and Mary, or Clarissa, and Marissa. This is not as common as it used to be, though. Many parents want their children to be separate individuals, even though they were born on the same day. My son and daughter-in-law were like that. They named their twin boys Steven and Mathew, and they are as different, as their names, today.

I know couples who had the same name picked out for either a boy or a girl. Some names you can use for that are Jean, or Gene, Don or Dawn, Kevin or Keven. I named my oldest son Kevin, not realizing that could also be a girls name, but I think that goes with the times. You can name your child whatever you want, boy or girl.

When choosing a name for your baby, keep in mind that baby will be living with that name for a lifetime. I've got a brother-in-law, and a sister-in-law, who are named Dickie and Janey. They aren't happy with those names now when they're in their fifties. Dickie seems a little childish if he were running for president.

When you finally do come up with a name for that new precious baby, make sure it's what the two of you want. Try not to let someone else intimidate you into using a name they think should be used. After all, it's your baby, so you should be able to name him or her, whatever you like, or feel is appropriate, after considering all your options.

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