It is one of the first major decisions you will make on behalf your child. And arguably the most important. So how on earth are you supposed to find the perfect one or two or three to bestow on your little one when you’ve barely met the bundle of wonder?!  Terrifying. Daunting, maybe. Or SO MUCH FUN!!

I loved the name hunt more than most. I’ve been dreaming up my hypothetical childrens’ names since I became mom to my dolls and later to my tamagotchis and even later to my virtual ‘Sim’ children (they were always named Madison and Kaylee, because you were curious.)

After a lifetime of thought, more recent research, some dwelling, more thought and finally a split second decision the night before my c-section that wasn’t, I came up with the perfect name for our daughter. Yes, I. My husband was involved in 3% of this process by way of some vetoes. He all but refused to engage in the name game so, naturally, I would bring it up on long carrides so he’d have no escape. Muahaha. His choice was not getting very involved therefore the name was (very obviously) of my choosing.

Lydia Ashelyn Hess

Here are some things that I felt were important considerations when choosing my child’s name

1. Flow & Syllables – this was major for me. I grew up with a 1 syllable last name and married into a 1 syllable last name. Houle –> Hess. My parents gave me and my brother three syllable names to create an almost sing-songy rhythm. Jillian Houle. Benjamin Houle. DA da da DA. Still with me? It was really important to me that the name we chose had three or more syllables and the same little jingle. Lydia Hess. Check. Consider what kind of flow you like. Short and sweet? Stick with less syllables. Sing-songy?  Use more. Make sure you like the sound of the first and last names together. And that the first and middle flow well too. Say it out loud like it would be read at a graduation. And then like you’re going to scold them. And then like you’re calling them inside for supper (jk that doesn’t happen anymore)
2. Nicknames – My advice… if you don’t like the nickname, don’t choose the name. At some point in Zachary’s life, he will be called Zach, Alexander will be Alex, Jillian will get Jill… No matter how hard you try to correct and reinforce and beg, people will still use the nickname, often inadvertently. And even if they listen to your pleas- I don’t feel like a name should require that much effort from the get go…for either you or your child. If you do like a name’s nickname, make sure you also like how it flows with the last name. Alexander was/is on our list. But Alex Hess with the double ssss sound at the ends doesn’t fly with me. Some names don’t lend themselves to becoming a shortened name the way others do, though. We use the nickname Lydie. But I doubt she will ever be called Lydie Hess.
3. Popularity – I was dead set against there being more than one of my daughters name in her kindergarten class. I’m hoping I succeeded. Time will tell. But I didn’t want a name that no one had ever heard of either. Finding something you love in that middle ground can be quite the feat. I obsessed over the top 100 names list and looked up the rankings of all names I even remotely liked to see how ‘trendy’ they were. Another reason why Alexander didn’t quite fit the bill…It consistently ranks in the top 5. And then there was the fact that I had a girl. Trends are another thing to keep an eye on. Nora, my runner-up female name, came in second largely because of its consistently rising ranking. A Jennifer that is some years older than the crazy boom of Jennifers is still a girl with a very common name, even if she was the first of them. I felt like that was too close to happening with Nora. I heard of so many others using it right before she was born (4 of them) that I got nervous (plus it didn’t pass the 3 syllable sing song test) So it got demoted.
4. Spelling – I was actually going to spell it Norah. Shhhh. I think the h on the end looks pretty. There are all sorts of variations to many names, some more common than others. I personally like varied spellings.  The only concern I have about them is the difficulty of having to constantly correct people. It’s not fun for a little kid to have their names spelled incorrectly on every award, trophy and written anything under the sun. Or be unable to find the personalized keychain with their name on it at the Christmas tree shop. So sad.
5. Initials – Don’t name your child Adam Scott Smith please. Or Phoebe Madeline Saunders, think about middle school would you?
6. Meaning – Some people care a lot about the etiology of names. I dont even know what Lydia means so clearly I’m not one of those people. BRB… a quick googling has informed me that Lydia means “woman from Lydia. Lydia is a name in the Bible. Lydia was a woman of God; she loved to hear God’s word and put it into action. She also sold purple clothing”….Purple clothing seller. Clearly this wasn’t my priority. But it may be yours so do your research!
7. Origin – Lydia. Greek. We aren’t Greek. Also not the priority for us. But some people have a strong connection to their heritage. I’m thinking of Italians named Giuseppe and little Irish babies named Maeve. I love this especially if you have a super obvious last name like Iannucci or McLaughlin, respectively. Hess is super German. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get on board with Hans or Brigita. But there are plenty of name lists based on origins out there if you’re looking for something steeped in tradition.
8. Family – Lydia’s middle name, Ashelyn, is a subtle ode to her  grandmothers maiden name, Ashe. It paired well with Lydia and transformed a classic, old lady name into something a little more current and cutesy. With the added bonus of including a family name. Win win.

Oops that was 8. Enjoy that there bonus.

Here are my favorite baby name resources for further assistance:

Baby Center
Social Security Administration – U.S. Census Statistics
And my all time favorite baby name blog:

Swistle
Hope you found these helpful. Got any suggestions of other things to think about? I hope to have more children that need names in the future….