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Baby names guide: How to make the perfect choice for your newborn

Selecting a baby name can be as exciting as it is challenging. The process often evokes strong opinions and can lead to passionate debates. After all, the name you decide upon shapes a part of your child's identity and becomes a lifelong companion, transitioning with them from infancy to adulthood. Therefore, it's advisable to take your time and consult various resources. Sources of inspiration can range from books and websites to street conversations and movies.

February 9, 2024

You might find it helpful to maintain a central repository for all your chosen names—such as a notepad, digital document, or even a note on your smartphone—to organize your top choices.

Factors to Consider When Naming Your Baby

When choosing a name, there are numerous considerations to ponder:

  • Would you prefer a classic or contemporary name?
  • Are you seeking a name that can be shortened to a nickname?
  • Does the name need to carry a specific or unique meaning?
  • Should the name be gender-neutral?
  • Or, perhaps, you might want to pass along a family name, much like royal families do.

Old-World Charm or Contemporary Vibe?

Classical names like Elizabeth, Catherine, William, George, and Edward remain popular and stand the test of time, thanks to their use in royal families. Even traditional names like Arthur have seen a comeback in recent years. Pop culture also influences naming trends, with names like Dua (Dua Lipa) and Kylo (Kylo Ren from Star Wars) rising in popularity.

If you're more adventurous, you might be inspired by celebrities who often break from tradition, bestowing upon their children unique names based on brands, objects, or abstract ideas. Names like Apple, Lourdes, Birdie, Audio, Cricket, Everest, Rainbow, Puma, and Sunday exemplify this trend.

Let's look at a recent release of popular baby names:

According to the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales in 2021, the top five boys' names were:

  1. Noah
  2. Oliver
  3. George
  4. Arthur
  5. Muhammad

Meanwhile, the top five girls' names were:

  1. Olivia
  2. Amelia
  3. Isla
  4. Ava
  5. Ivy

To understand how naming preferences have evolved, consider the top names in 1974:

Boys

  1. Paul
  2. Mark
  3. David
  4. Andrew
  5. Richard

Girls

  1. Sarah
  2. Claire
  3. Nicola
  4. Emma
  5. Lisa

Interestingly, research by the ONS suggests that mothers' age significantly influences naming choices. Younger mothers often veer toward modern names—like Harper—while older mothers prefer traditional names.

Useful Tips for Selecting a Baby Name

  1. Be Open to Feedback: Prepare for diverse reactions if you unveil your selected name before birth.
  2. Write Down the Initials: Make sure the initials do not spell anything unsavory.
  3. Say the Name Out Loud: Practicing vocalization can help prevent unintended comedic impacts.
  4. Balance Tradition and Modernity: If traditional names aren't your preference but hold family significance, consider using them as middle names.
  5. Think of the Shortened Version: Often, nicknames stick in the long run, so ensure you like the short version of the name.
  6. Consider Long-term Appropriateness: A cute name might be perfect for a baby but might not suit an adult in a corporate setting.
  7. Overall Sound: Pay attention to how the chosen name blends with your surname, and avoid inadvertent tongue-twisters unless intended.
  8. Names With Meaning: Names with a specific significance may hold a unique charm.

Choosing a name can be an enjoyable activity, provided it's approached with an open mind and patience. When the right one comes along, you'll know, or at least, you should by the time you need to register the name.

Create a list of favourite names and take time to add or eliminate options. Reviewing this list later can provide a nostalgic look back on your naming journey.

We wish you the best of luck and enjoyment as you embark on this special journey to discover the perfect name(s) for your baby.

Sources:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/bulletins/babynamesenglandandwales/2021#top-baby-names

If you’re trying to conceive (TTC), you probably know that there are certain foods and nutrients that become especially important once you’re pregnant. But nutrition plays a vital role even when trying to conceive, much like laying a strong foundation before constructing a house.

Certain nutrients create that foundation by supporting egg and sperm health (yes, nutrition matters for both partners), hormone balance and creating a hospitable environment for a fertilized egg to implant. In fact, studies show that certain nutrients can help increase fertility and improve success rates for both natural conception and fertility treatments.

In other words, nutrition is a key player in the TTC journey, but getting the right nutrients in the right quantities can be tricky. That’s where supplements come in. Just as you’d take a multivitamin to fill in nutritional gaps for optimal health, fertility supplements can give you that extra nutrient boost.

Choosing supplements for your fertility journey

When choosing a supplement to support your fertility journey, look for science-backed, high-quality ingredients. Our editors are careful to select and partner with brands that use ingredients that have been clinically studied to support fertility. Eu Natural® (pronounced you) covers all those bases and more. We love knowing that Eu Natural® products contain zero artificial additives, binders, or fillers and are lab-tested to ensure purity and potency.

Photobook: Luthier. Beeches Lane by &Something

When choosing a supplement to support your fertility journey, look for science-backed, high-quality ingredients. Our editors are careful to select and partner with brands that use ingredients that have been clinically studied to support fertility. Eu Natural® (pronounced you) covers all those bases and more. We love knowing that Eu Natural® products contain zero artificial additives, binders, or fillers and are lab-tested to ensure purity and potency.