Picking a child’s name can be hard work. Tamera Mowry-Housley knows full well about the stress of naming a baby, as she and husband Adam Housley recently endured such pressure when choosing to name their first child Aden John Tanner. As the actress explains, “If I can barely decide on a pair of heels, how am I supposed to pick the name of my future child? When Adam and I finally decided on Aden’s full name – Aden John Tanner Housley – it was such a huge relief…John was the middle name of both Adam’s grandfather and mine, Tanner is for Tamera and Aden is for Adam.”
Hoping to help other parents facing the great dilemma of finding an identity for their child, Tamera has offered a few tips for naming children that just may save expectant parents a lot of time and energy.
Tip #1: Do your research
“There are so many websites that feature everything from the most common baby names to hundreds of baby names sorted alphabetically. There’s even a website called Nymblr that will come up with new names based on which names you already like. For unique name inspiration, you can browse the motherhood section of entertainment sites like People.com to see what celebs are naming their kids and why – their reasons may be strange, but they might inspire you too.”
Tip #2: Get it on paper
“Unless you have superhuman memory, you probably won’t be able to remember every baby name that has stuck out to you. Keep it organized by jotting down names the minute you think of them; this way, you’ll keep things from slipping through the cracks. Just make sure not to write every single slightly inspiring name down. After all, the point is to have a list of about 5-10 names that you can narrow down, not a giant list that will stress you out more.”
Tip #3: Search for and identify patterns
“Look at the names you’ve written down and see if there’s a pattern – are they all more traditional? Do they all have one syllable? Are they related to a past memory? If there’s a trend, it usually reflects what’s important to you and can help you keep narrowing things down.”
Tip #4: Remember a name lasts a lifetime
“Sometimes we’re so preoccupied with picking the perfect name for our baby, we forget that this lovely baby is going to grow up to become an adult – and their name is not going to change! With that in mind, try to keep away from names that you think may draw unwanted attention to your baby as they grow older. There are tons of names that may be perfect for a baby, but could be inappropriate or embarrassing for an adult. Remember that you can always have a sweet nickname for your little one if you really want to coo at them.”
Tip #5: Recite the chosen name out loud
“Some names may look nice on paper, but can sound completely different when spoken out loud. You might like the way a name looks, but saying it out loud might be a completely different story. Try saying the names you’ve chosen aloud and picture yourself saying them to your baby every day – you might find that some roll off your tongue more easily or sound more pleasant than other ones.”
