The Most Important Parenting Decision
Do you know what it is?
When I’m not working at Nameberry (which I am often!), I have a job as a perinatal therapist.
There’s overlap between my two roles — name consulting can look like therapy, and therapy with parents involves name discussions.
“Have you thought about names for your baby?” I ask my clients who are expecting.
“How did you choose your child’s name?” I question my postpartum parents.
It’s not just because I’m interested in names — although I always love a name story! I ask because the names we give our children reflect our values, relationships, and self-image, all of which show up in the therapeutic space.
Yes, there’s so much that goes into a baby name, which is why it’s the most important decision you make as a first-time parent.
Children’s names set the tone for family identity, so it’s important to think about what you want that to be before naming your first-born.
So what do you need to consider when naming a baby? Find key points and more on the blog 🔑⬇️
Naming Boys
Do you find naming boys more difficult than naming girls? You’re not alone!
65% of our consulting inquiries are about boy names, so it’s a dilemma we hear all the time.
There’s some historical precedence here — the pool of boy names in use was smaller than the pool of girl names in the 20th century. Fewer names = harder choices.
With each year, the numbers are evening out — 55% of the names used in America last year were given to female babies, compared to 63% in 1980.
There’s never been a better time to name a son than right now. The options are ever-growing!
If you’re after a stylish but unusual masculine name, check out our piece on 12 Boy Names That Deserve More Love (half of them are on my personal list).
For many modern parents, values around gender are leading them towards unisex names for boys. On the blog this week — the top gender-neutral names, rising stars, and our other favorite names with a near-equal sex distribution.
And we’ll let you in on a secret — these names have hidden nature meanings. There are oodles of options for boys (and girls), from celebrity favorites Cosmo and Evren to contemporary shorties Nash and Beck to bona fide classics Maxwell and Douglas.
More fun things
How fashion designer Saya Fukuda named her daughter Millie Sakura 🌸
A master list of Southern Millennial names, compiled by @hmmwhitely ☀️
Can you believe that these names are more popular than Joan and Heather? 😱
The most-regretted baby names, according to the Social Security Adminstration (Washington Post) 😭