The Name Game

Since we decided not to find out the sex of our baby (scandalous, in this day and age) the next most common follow-up question during this pregnancy has been, "Have you picked a name?"

Guess what? We did! 

But it, too, will have to be a surprise.

Not in the least because there's always a chance you meet the little peanut and realize, "Actually, that just isn't going to work."

(True story: One of our ultrasound technicians told us she and her husband gave their child a name simply because she was ready to go home and they could agree on it. When she got home, and had told everyone the child's name, she realized that she couldn't live with it. According to the Social Security office, this is more common than you might think.)

Picking a name is a lot of pressure. If you've ever been a teacher, there are automatically some names that you just cannot choose because of student association. Same can be said of famous television characters or people you knew growing up. 

You ask yourself a lot of questions: 

• Is there a child on the street already named that, potentially causing confusion when you are trying to corral your kid to come home? 
• Is it a name that might sound cute now, but won't be so cute on a 65 year old? 
• Is it a name that would be awesome if it were an octogenarian, but too 'old' for a baby? 
• Will college admissions officers or future employers make assumptions about them based on their name? 
• How do you feel about raising your voice and saying (read: shouting) this name in frustration or anger? (Not that THAT will ever happen...)
• Will all the other parents look at you funny if you yell for your child across the park? 
• Will all the other parents also name their child this? (i.e. Is your child going to have to go by their first name and last initial ALL. THE. TIME. in school?)
• Should you name it after someone in the family? 
• Will someone else in the family be upset that THEY weren't chosen?
• Does this sound better for a dog?
• Is this too much alliteration?
• Should there be MORE alliteration?
• Will the child have trouble learning to spell this? 
• Will their teachers be able to pronounce this? (Our last name has already complicated this.😏)
• What famous people also have this name, and do we want this child associated with them (because it very well might happen)?
• Does this name MEAN something?
• Is it ever going to fit on anything if embroidered?*

*Yes, I did think about that.

[Of course, after all these questions, you and your partner still have to AGREE.]

And then there's still still the MIDDLE name to decide on! 

(Or, do they even NEED a middle name?)

You also can't talk about baby names you do or do not like with other people who are (or might one day be) pregnant. What if you use a name as an example of one you don't like, and then that ends up being their favorite name? Hard to face them and their future child(ren) after you basically said you would rather your child not have a name, then be named that.*

*OK, that's a little bit of a strong reaction, but you get my point.

Eric found a random baby name generator that is, truly, random. (The algorithm does not account for how names sound together, and, on occasion, has given the same name for both the first and middle name.) It has, while not given us a baby name, provided many hours of amusement.

While I can't say that we have picked the best names, or that people might still think we should have chosen something else, I can 100% guarantee that our baby's name will not be King Prince. (To quote Seinfield: Not that there's anything wrong with that.)