Guides
Choosing a name, agreeing as a couple, checking the full name.
9 guides · each a few minutes to read
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How to Choose a Baby Name: The Method Naming Consultants UseBorrow the method of baby name consultants, from intake questions to a tested shortlist, and choose a name you will both be glad to say every day.Choosing a name
How to Test a Baby Name Before You DecideEight quick tests for a baby name finalist: say it aloud, add the surname, check initials and nicknames, picture the playground, the CV and the 80th birthday.
How to Agree on a Baby Name with Your PartnerStuck on a name with your partner? Practical steps, from blind lists to capped vetoes, to find a name you both love.
How to Find Baby Name Ideas: Seven Places to LookStuck on a blank list? Seven reliable places to find baby name ideas, from your family tree to old birth records, and how to turn a long list into a short one.
Making it fit
How to Choose a Middle Name That Fits the FirstPick a middle name by deciding its job first, then checking rhythm, the join between names, initials and how a family name can fit.
How to Choose a Sibling Name: Match Without CopyingNaming a second or third child? How to pick a name that sits well beside your other child's, using style, sound, popularity and era.
How Popular Is Too Popular for a Baby Name?What 1 in N babies really means, your odds of a namesake in a class of 25, and how to tell a rising name from a fading one before you decide.
Family & languages
How to Honor a Family Member in a Baby NameSeven ways to carry a grandparent's or loved one's name, from the exact name to a nickname, a translation or a meaning, and how to keep the peace.
Baby Names That Work in Two LanguagesHow to choose a name two families can say, spell and love in both languages: same spelling, bridge pairs, hidden meanings and the checks that catch problems.