How to chose your baby's name.

[SarzWix]

Do a little research into your family history, find out if there are any traditions going back a long way - my middle son's middle name is Lawson after my Grandad, long after naming him I found out that there was at least 3 generations of Lawson's before him! Also on my grandmothers side there is a long line of the name Snowden, and a tradition of using the mother's maiden name as a first name dating back to the 1700's. I wish I'd known that before naming the kids, I'd definately have tried to keep up the tradition somehow. (Although how 'Brown' could have been a first name, I haven't worked out!)

Anyway, not having this tradition thing to draw on, we just bought lots of baby name books including some Celtic ones (seeing as OH is Cornish), and made a shortlist of the ones we liked best (much arguing ). Then waited til they were born and knew straight away which name 'fitted' them best off the list. Middle names of all 3 relate to grandparents in one way or another.

Doesn't have to be set in stone before babs is born does it? You might choose Ben and find it looks like a Jerry!

[HayleyB]

Sarah you're back, I hope you're feeling tons better, great to have you back

[HeyWayne]

We may have had a breakthrough....

Both agreed on two sets of names - male and female.

I'll keep it as a surprise though.

[yoanbob]

Your ahead of us then wayne, still working on the boys and not too sure of the girls.

my mums cousin has a merlin, a lawrence, an arthur, and then a few years later she had a colin, bizarre.

[Rhona]

My Grandfather's name was Liscombe. Very unusual and never heard of it anywhere since.

Nicole Kidman was brave calling her daughter Sunday Rose... I only hear Sunday Roast...

[HeyWayne]

Funnily enough, my late Grandfathers name is the middle one we've agreed on. Shpookeh!

[bluemoon]

I wanted to call my baby Mark. (this was nearly thirty years ago) When I told my MIL she said 'Oh, Mark, thats nice.' Thank god I told her, if I hadn't I'd never have heard the name spoken in a Barnsley accent until it was too late. So keeping it quiet isn't always the best idea.

[squashysu]

Funnily enough, my late Grandfathers name is the middle one we've agreed on. Shpookeh!

No matter what if i had ever have had a son, my boy was gonna be called after my late grandad, who was the lovliest bloke i will ever meet and 15 years on i still so miss him, but i have my garden thanks to him and my green fingers! Thanks Grandad xx

[sharonr]

With both of ours we had picked girls names, but we were struggling on boys names. In the end I`ve had two boys. We didn`t decide on their names until after they were born. Some people say when you pick a name before the child is born be prepared to change it after as it might not suit the baby.
The oldest is Michael, don`t know why and the youngest is Kyle as we wanted something short as our last name is Robinson.
After we had named Michael my father informed me that the first grandson in his family was always named after the grandfather I didn`t fancy calling him Samual Herbert.
On a slightly different note I was supose to be called Aggy. I`m glad they changed it.

[Rhona]

I wanted to call my baby Mark. (this was nearly thirty years ago) When I told my MIL she said 'Oh, Mark, thats nice.' Thank god I told her, if I hadn't I'd never have heard the name spoken in a Barnsley accent until it was too late. So keeping it quiet isn't always the best idea.

That made me laugh. So what on earth DID sound okay in a broad Barnsley accent?!

[ailsasyl]

I was sure that I wanted a name that didn't get shortened. As i am Sylvia and hate it when folks call my Sylvie, also be aware of songs, when i meet someone new especially older peeps, which is often as I work as a home carer I am often greeted with a rendition of Sylvia's mother!!

I chose Stacey for happybunny, her pals started calling her Stace but she told them she hated it and now she Stacey her middle name is Rebecca a name both me and the ex loved but gave as middle name as dont like becca, becs or even worse Beckles.

Best one I heard came via my brothers partner whos a school teacher, as heard of dept at the time he got the lists of pupil starting that August and one name jumped out Versace Maclachey!! Poor child!!

[Flummery]

A friend of mine, a school teacher, found it very hard to pick names for her 2 boys. She said just about every name her husband liked was a no-no because it reminded her of a little horror she'd taught previously!

[Pootle]

Wait till the third one - we were called by the registrar at 5 weeks and 5 days pointing out that we hadn't registered the birth of youngest daughter...then realised that we'd given her the initials OCD doh!

[bluemoon]

That made me laugh. So what on earth DID sound okay in a broad Barnsley accent?!

You have to keep the vowels short and snappy and never, ever follow a vowel with the letter R.

[SueA]

I bet it sounds pretty similar to a 'Manc' accent saying 'Mark' or 'car park', imagine Oasis saying the name ! I used to get the mickey taken out of me because I went to a very slightly posh girls grammar school where some of them had had elocution lessons & although I don't have a very strong accent I tried to modify it.
Believe it or not my late dad's first name was 'Lord', I would have thought it was illegal to call your child that but maybe they got away with it because he was born in Ireland. Needless to say he was always known by his middle name of 'Stanley'!
My late f.i.l. was called 'Lancelot' by his mum but being a big tough brickie was always known by his middle name of 'Arthur'! Could have been worse, she could have called him 'Merlin'!