How to name a baby: the best resources and most popular books
There are many ways that babies get their names. Some more unconventional than others. Spare a thought for Marjorie, whose naming story I once overheard on a train.
“She was very sickly when she was born and they didn’t think she’d survive. So they called her Marjorie as they didn’t want to waste a good name on her. She had the last laugh though as she lived to 86!”
This is probably not the best way to name a baby. But how are you supposed to make such an important decision that may affect the rest of your child’s life?
It’s hard enough choosing one you like, but you’ll probably have to reach a consensus with a partner, who may have wildly different tastes. I had to give a firm no to both Blade and Fang.
Parents also sometimes want to get involved. My mum recoiled in horror when I said we were thinking about the name Nell for a girl. “But your great grandfather ran off with a woman called Nell!” she said aghast.
The naming of John the Baptist. He was always going to be a baptist with that name.
It would be a lot easier if we reverted to the simplicity of the Middle Ages. Between 1377 and 1381, an analysis of 10,000 people from 10 counties showed that over half of all men were called John or William and nearly half of all women were called Alice, Agnes or Joan. Imagine how much simpler it was to name your baby then. Although annoying on May Day when calling for a son to come home and being besieged by 58 little Johns.
But it would certainly save a lot of time. Before my son was born I spent hours trying to pick names. When we still didn’t have a final decision by my due date, I thought, “Oh well, let’s just wait until the baby is here and then decide.” Not realising that making a life-impacting decision when you’ve not slept for three days, is probably not the best idea.
When he was eventually born, he didn’t ‘look’ like any of the names we’d shortlisted as I somehow thought he would. And I was incapable of making any decision greater than sit up or lie down. So he remained nameless for the next five days. It would’ve been longer but for a hospital visit due to jaundice and poor weight gain. They asked for his name and I had to say he didn’t have one. I felt like the worst parent ever, with my poorly, skinny, yellow, nameless baby.
I really should have had a name by then. I’d certainly put the work in. Here are some of the best resources. I hope you are more decisive than me.
Blank Post-it notes on a pregnant belly will probably not be a massive help.
1. The Office For National Statistics (ONS) website
Here you’ll find all the baby names used in the UK every year from 1996 onwards. As long as at least 3 babies have been given a particular name that year, it appears on the list. This gives you around 5000 names for each gender. So you should find at least one you like and you can also see exactly how popular it is.
If you want to take inspiration from the past, they also have historical lists. You can see the top 100 names from 1904 to 1994 at ten-yearly intervals. Fanny, Horace and Trevor are surely due a comeback soon.
2. Daily Telegraph birth announcements
If you are posh/aspirational/nosey/desperate, the Daily Telegraph birth announcements can be found online. It’s actually quite interesting. I regularly came across the girl’s name Willa, which I'd never heard of before, showing what kind of circles I don’t mix in.
3. Mumsnet baby names forum
If you are thick-skinned you could try the Mumsnet baby names forum. You can ask for suggestions and opinions or just browse posts for ideas. Be warned that commenters can be quite brutal.
I just looked up my son’s name and here’s a selection of responses to the question. “What do you think of the name Rudy?”
Rudy awful
OMG are you all bonkers???
Awful and too similar to rude.
Rudy-Trudy. Terrible name IMO, sorry.
I actually have an eight year old nephew called Rudy, and I thought that it would grow on me because I love him, but I still think his name is absolutely horrible, sadly.
I'm sorry but I hate it, I mean I really cant think of a more horrible name at the minute.
It’s the worst name she can think of! Worse than Adolf. Worse than Chlamydia. Worse than Lucifer. Sorry, Rudy.
4. Hire an expert to invent a name for you
This is not for everyone. Actually, it’s probably for practically no one. But if you want a unique name and have a spare $34,000, a Swiss company, Erfolgswelle, will create an entirely new name for your child. Fourteen naming experts, four historians and twelve translators work together to give you a shortlist of names.
As an experiment, in under 15 seconds, I came up with Rhistille, Mesania, Pharlow, Thurselle. Give me another hour to check they really are unique and I’d feel okay charging you £5. Which is a slightly better price considering a made-up name may not stay unique forever. After all, Shakespeare invented Jessica in around 1596 and look how that took off.
5. Nameberry.com
The American website, Nameberry, is a very comprehensive resource of everything relating to baby names. You can find inspiration lists, a forum and a name generator, which makes suggestions based on your current favourites. There is also an advanced search tool, which is helpful if, for example, you want a three-syllable, unusual name that ends in ‘t’ and contains a ‘z’. (Nazaret anyone?)
6. Baby naming books
Finally, there are baby naming books, which are still popular despite the wealth of information on the internet. These began appearing in the 1800s with one of the first being confusingly part of a recipe book. Mrs Clarke’s cookery book (1889) featured not only a hefty 1400 recipes but a baby name list. Why Delia Smith’s How to Cook didn’t also have a baby naming guide, I will never know.
Baby name books usually have a big list of names, some as many as 40,001. They also have name meanings, tips, advice and inspiration lists.
It’s up to you how you use them, though. You could just be like my dad. When choosing a name for my sister, he opened the book, liked the very first name, and closed it again. His firstborn became Abigail. He didn’t get much further with my name, Annabel.
The top 5 most recommended and/or best-selling books:
If you buy through a link, I may earn a small affiliate commission.
1. Baby names 2024
Eleanor Turner
Over 8000 names. This popular naming book is updated annually. It includes information on baby naming trends and predictions for next year’s hottest names.
2. The Penguin Book of Baby Names
David Pickering
Over 5000 names with stories and meanings behind them. It also has popular celebrity names and the top ten names through the centuries.
3. An A-Z of Baby Names
Patrick Hanks
Over 2,500 names with inspiration lists including religious names, unisex names and names from literature and popular culture.
4. The Ultimate Book of Baby Names
Clint Hammerstrike
This has a name selection tool, that gives you your top 26 names by the end of the book.
5. Best Baby Names 2022
Siobhan Thomas
With a how-to guide, over 9000 names and inspiration lists. These include unisex names, recent high achievers, celebrity baby names, mythological names and musical names. As of November 2023, this is the most recent edition.
And finally…
When you think you have the perfect name for your baby, it might be worth considering the following:
Does it ‘go’ with their surname? Nobody wants to be a Theresa Green or Michael Hunt.
What the initials spell out. A child might not enjoy growing up being a Bella Una Mitchell.
Do you like any shortened versions of the name that may be used when they’re older? You might love Richard but not be so keen on Dick.
The current popularity of the name. Unusual can be nice. But if you think your future child will ever yearn for a tourist tat keyring/bracelet/pen with their name on, stick to something more common.
Is it fairly easy to spell and pronounce? Not the end of the world if it’s not but it could be a slight pain being called Knezherbejigette.
Will it suit both a baby and an adult? Although I’d have no issue with, for example, a High Court judge called Lil’Baby-LouLou.
Once you’ve finally decided on a name, test it out. David Beckham revealed that before his third son was born, they tested his name by shouting up the stairs, “Cruz, come down!” Your neighbours might think you’ve lost your mind but it could help.
Whatever you choose, remember there will always be somebody who doesn’t like it. When my parents were expecting my older sister, my excited grandma promised to buy the pram. When she later heard that the new bundle of joy would be named Abigail her only response was, “Buy your own pram.” You can’t please everyone.