The Baby Name Dilemma
January 14, 2010 by Kristy Rossman
Filed under Pink Parenting, Pink for Baby
So, I’m almost positive that I’m having a little boy this time around since this pregnancy has differed so much from my first one! However, since my husband and I have our boy name selected, I’d like also to select a girl name just in case we are pleasantly surprised, which if I’ve learned nothing from my last pregnancy being convinced at that particular time that it was a boy, we were surprised to say the least, when I gave birth to our daughter 16 months ago.
But here’s the dilemma…
I can’t seem to find a name that jumps out at me as “the one,” and my husband is unwilling to accept the fact that we might be having another girl, since he’s convinced it’s either a boy or twins, Go figure! So, now it’s completely up to me to find a girl name whether he likes it or not. I initially suggested the name Lillian or Lily for short, but that conversation went absolutely nowhere, then I suggested the name Ella, and he shook his head in disagreement, then I continued with the names Gracie, Callista and Mackenzie! The only name he didn’t completely disagree with me on was the name Mackenzie, which is great, except for the fact that I’m not 100% sure that I love it, you know?
I turned to twitter this afternoon, when I spoke of my baby name concerns and was directed to BabyCenter’s List of Most Popular Baby Names of the Decade and 2009 by @kidzcomfort.
Top girls’ names of the decade
1. Emma
2. Emily
3. Madison
4. Isabella
5. Ava
Top girls’ names of 2009
1. Isabella
2. Sophia
3. Emma
4. Olivia
5. Ava
Top boys’ names of the decade
1. Aiden
2. Jacob
3. Ethan
4. Matthew
5. Nicholas
Top boys’ names of 2009
1. Aiden
2. Ethan
3. Jackson
4. Jayden
5. Jacob
By highlighting her mommy-hood adventures…the good, the bad and the funny, Kristy keeps her readers intrigued as a young, stay-at-home mom while tapping into her experiences with homebirth, cloth-diapering, breastfeeding, babywearing and beyond.
You know I always looked at former Presidents (for my boys) and then the first ladies or other names that would have a unique and specific meaning. I lean towards Judaism, Buddhism, and a few other enlightened religions so I was able to look at names from those derivatives and then also from family of origin since we are German-Irish, and Irish-Welsh. Just some thoughts…good luck!
Interesting! Thanks so much for your input!
I really like the name Callista, but like it spelled Calysta. It means bright eyes and isn’t that what pretty baby girls have sparkling at you each time they open their little eyes in Dad or Mom’s arms.
Sometimes it’s neat to name a little girl after the time of year or weather she’s born in. Breezy, Stormie Wind (I actually new a great Doctor who’s first name was Stormie), Summer, Autumn. I knew too little girls, one with the name of Spring and another with the name of Summer. My sister knew a Autumn.
There used to be a sight on the internet called What’s In A Name, and they would have lists and lists of names, variations in the spelling of the names and also the meaning and country of origin. I do not know if it continues to exist or not. I haven’t been there in a long, long, time.
I too love the meaning of Callista, that’s part of the reason why it’s one of my faves! Thanks for sharing your input!
I always liked Grace. George Burns would sign off Say good night Gracie. I always that that was so cute. I have a friend named Spring which I think is also sweet.
My friend dug into the family trees. She went back a couple of generations so there wouldn’t be “duplicates.” I thought that was a fitting tribute to a family member. (She did this with all three of her children. They all have very unique names as a result.)
Wow! That sounds like a lot of work, but intriguing to say the least!
I would just say, don’t get your hopes up too much about the pregnancy being so different! My two pregnancies were VERY different and both were girls! My husband was really hoping for a boy, round 2, but that didn’t happen. I also like the name Callista that you have picked out. When I was pregnant w/ my first daughter I liked Mackenzie Marie, my husband didnt like it. So now I have a Savanah and a Sarah. Good luck with the name choices! I can’t wait to hear what you decide!
That’s funny that you say you like the name Mackenzie Marie, because that’s what I orginally planned as the name of my first child, but instead ended up with a Kayla Marie instead! Thanks for sharing your input, I will definitely keep everyone posted!
Had Tobey been a girl, he would’ve been either an Isabella or a Layla. Isabella for my husband’s European side and Layla because we love Eric Clapton…lol
Ema has a friend named MacKenna which I loved and it is a little more unique than MacKenzie.
And I really like Claire, Brie, Daphne, Sophia, and Olivia.
But good luck anyway, I remember (very clearly) just how hard it is to name your child. It’s so much pressure. You don’t want them to hate you for choosing the wrong thing…lol
And should it be a boy, what IS the name that you guys have decided on?
I love the name Isabella, I always have, however, before I got pregnant with my daughter two years ago, I named our puppy Isabella or Bella for short! So, I guess I can’t have a daughter and a dog with the same name now…lol
I too also like the name MacKenna, very unique indeed! And I agree, way too much pressure there!
If we end up having a little boy, his name will surely be Caleb, that one we wholeheartedly agreed on!
You know, I don’t know either, LOL! We are ttc again and I have already thought about names, but none come to mind for me. Both my kids were chosen almost right before they were born! Sorry I am no help!
Ahh, I tried to leave a comment the other day but got error “Too many redirects”.
I found out a friend has a 10yo girl named Iris, I think that is quite pretty, and a gorgeous flower without being an overly-flowery name.
My favorite name site is “Baby Name Wizard”, it has trends through time, history, and you can even do advanced searches with sounds you like at the start or end, also by meaning I think.
I love my name, too–Alexandra means “helper [or defender] of mankind”.
I love the names Emma and Emmaleigh. Ava and kadence are other names I also like!
I’m a teacher and I would suggest giving your child a classic sort of name instead of a trendy one. Be carefully on odd spellings of names. You don’t want people saying to your child all of her life: How do you spell that? A name that may be cutsy for a baby or young child may not feel right for an adult professional.
I agree with Nancy about odd spellings. I have several nieces and nephews that HATE the weird spelling of their names and are tired of correcting either the pronunciation or the spelling.
We never came up with a girls name during either of my pregnancies so luckily we had boys both times. For us, the choice was based solely on how stupid it sounded with our last name. Even so, after very careful planning, my oldest ended up with the initials BJO – let me just tell you how much he was teased about that! Neither BO or BJ turned out to be a good choice
My youngest’s initials are ASO – again, the kids had fun with that one.
Good luck. Name your child isn’t easy!
My daughter’s name is Avery. It’s a different variation of Ava, but not as popular. I Love it and we get compliments everywhere we go!
I Also Love Mackenzie.
Here’s some of my favorites
Sophia
Cheyenne
Fallon
Saige
Charlotte
Genevieve
Jocelyn