Baby names are big business! Choosing one is one of the hardest things a parent-to-be must do. There are so many options. There are thousand-page books filled with options. Countless websites with even more options. And a name is important. It will be with your child throughout his or her life. So how do you choose? We asked real moms to share why they chose to name their babies what they did.
We went to the Mamas Uncut Facebook community to ask:
Why did you choose the name(s) you chose for your child(ren)?
– Mamas Uncut Facebook Page
Let’s turn now to the community responses. Here’s why these moms chose the baby names they did.
Baby Names From Family Names
“Our son was named after my father, grandfather, and great grandfather. All were named William but went by various nicknames like Will and Bill, but my father went by his middle name. Our son’s middle name was my partner’s father’s name. My daughter from a previous relationship was given the name my ex-partner had always wanted since she was young and it incorporated her grandmother’s name into it as the middle names.”
“First born: Kaleb Michael Preston. His dad picked his first name. His two middle names are after his dad and his grandpa and uncle (my dad and brother). Our second is named Jeremiah Thomas. which his dad picked out.”
“My daughter is named after some very old relatives. Leira + Kanell = KaLeira.”
“I chose my oldest baby’s name because it was my great-grandmother’s name. I chose her middle name after my 3rd cousin because I was named after her mom. I chose my 2nd baby’s name because it went with her daddy’s, and I chose her middle name after my sister’s little girl. My 3rd baby’s name is after me, and I picked his middle name simply because I loved it. Same with my fourth baby. I loved his first name and I let his daddy pick his middle name which came from the Bible.”
“My son is named after my brother who passed away in 2014. He’s the only other boy.”
Baby Names Ideas from Pop Culture
“Zoe Ann: Zoe from Sesame Street. Ann from my aunt. Kaylee Storm: Kaylee is a combo of my mother-in-law’s middle name and mine. Storm is from X-Men. Jackson Dewayne: Jackson is my husband’s best friend’s last name. Dewayne was my daddy’s middle name. Emily Faith: Emily is from General Hospital and Faith comes from the Bible.”
“Both of my girls are named after video game characters, haha! We both love video games is why. Liara and Kairi. Liara’s middle name is her aunt’s middle name and Kairi has my middle name.”
“My husband and I were never into super unique ‘weird” names.’ We had a hard time deciding, but in the end, our oldest is named Nora after Nora on Being Human (U.S. version) and our youngest is Alice after Alice in Wonderland. Both fairly normal but not super common in our area.”
Baby Names With Special Meanings
“Chrysanthemum Vanessa. Chrysanthemum is the November flower which is when we found out I was pregnant (3 days before my husband’s birthday) and it also had a lot of beautiful meanings attached to it. And Vanessa is for my favorite aunt who passed away nearly 8 years ago. I gave my daughter her name so she’d have a part of her.”
“My daughter’s name is Aurora, named as we danced under the northern lights on a Nordic cruise.”
“Dakota my son is because my family is Native. My daughter, Lillian, is named after my favorite flower (lily), the symbol of innocence, purity, and beauty. Their middle names are a tribute to their grandparents (Lillian Margaret) & Dakota James Wilhelm (German).”
“My daughter’s name is Phoenix Ophelia… The reason is that she was a Rainbow Baby after I lost 4 babies. She helped me rise above the ashes.”
“Because We Like It!”
“Keira because we liked it. Riley because my great grandpa was William Riley and so is my cousin. The new baby is Lorelai because it’s our compromise. My hubby wanted Laura, and I don’t. So we decided on Lorelai, and he can be the one who calls her Laura.”
“My husband and I decided early on if the baby was a boy he would name him and vice versa. It was a boy. Our last name is King. My husband wanted our son to have a strong name. His name is Alexander Julius after Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar!”
“My daughter’s name is Jordan Marie. I named her Jordan because I like that name. Marie because, not only is it my middle name, but it is also my great grandmother’s first name.”