When I first held the positive pregnancy test in my hand, I didn’t immediately think of baby names. Rather to: When will the nausea stop again? Can I avoid sushi for nine months?
But at some point this moment came when I realized: We’re going to be parents. And our daughter needs a name. One that suits her, suits us and that we still like when we say it for the hundredth time a day. At best, it shouldn’t cause laughter at school. And it also fits abroad, after all, our daughter is half Brazilian. Not that easy!
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We are looking for a name: From the first list to the shortlist
Of course, at the very beginning there was a list. Or let’s say: several lists. I scrolled through pregnancy apps, browsed Pinterest boards, and read countless pages Baby names for girls open. My friend and I quickly realized that our tastes were different. I like names that sound feminine but not too playful. He tends to prefer short, international names that also work well in Portuguese.
Our first lists each had over 20 names. And it already became clear: we have to find compromises. There were candidates that I thought were beautiful, but that he associated with some negative associations from his school days. And vice versa.
The meaning was important to us
The meaning of the name plays a big role for me. I think when you hear a name and then know a special meaning behind it, it feels much more rounded. So I researched the origin and meaning of each favorite.
That left many a name right off the list – not because it was bad, but because it didn’t fit what we had imagined for our daughter.
And here is the first tip if you want to find baby names for girls yourself:
Read the meaning before you fall in love too much.
Sometimes you discover things you didn’t know before and they immediately change your perception.
Family names – yes or no?
A big topic was also the question: Should the name have a connection to the family?
In some cultures, it is traditional to name children after grandparents. We had a few nice names in the family, but it didn’t really click. We wanted that to be our daughter’s name her own is, regardless of expectations or family history.
How the name sounds in everyday life
A name doesn’t just have to look pretty when written. It also has to sound. For a long time we both liked a name that unfortunately doesn’t sound so nice in German. You will say this name a thousand times and of course other people will too. It shouldn’t just fit in theory.
A name has to work internationally
Since my boyfriend is Brazilian and we can both imagine living there for a while, it was important to us that the name worked in both languages.
This means: It should be easy to pronounce in Portuguese and German without sounding significantly different.
Trends vs. timeless
I’ve noticed that many parents are guided by the current trend lists – or consciously stay away from them.
It was clear to us: We don’t want a name that appears five times in every daycare group. But it shouldn’t be so rare that when you hear it for the first time, everyone asks: “Excuse me?”
A tip I read while researching:
Look at those Name statistics of the last few years to get a feeling for whether a name is currently becoming extremely popular or is slowly going out of fashion.
At the beginning I also looked at how things were going with them Boy names looks like we don’t know the gender yet. None of the names really convinced me. Finding a boy’s name was probably not for me because I knew instinctively: It would be a girl.
The final decision
In the end there were still two names on our shortlist.
One of them felt more and more right (especially for me). It just fit – with her, with us, with everything we associate with this new phase of life. Fernando still had to get used to it at first.
Our learnings from the name search
If you’re trying to find baby names for girls yourself, here are a few things that helped us:
- Both write lists independently of each other. This way you can quickly see whether names overlap.
- Test the names out loud in everyday life. Does it still sound beautiful when you call it?
- Check the international meaning and pronunciation. Particularly important when there is a cultural background.
- Take your time. Some names take weeks to feel right.
- Be willing to change your mind. Even if a name was initially your favorite, the feeling may change later.
These names did not become these
Here are some girl names we liked but didn’t turn out:
Conclusion
Choosing a name for your child isn’t a to-do list you can check off in an hour. It is a process that has a lot to do with feeling, intuition, but also with small, practical considerations.
By the way, we are currently not announcing our daughter’s name online for her protection. Our path was marked by long lists, heated discussions, sudden flashes of inspiration and, at the end, this one moment when we knew: That’s him.
And now, every time I hold her little hands and say her name, I’m glad we took our time and listened to what we felt. Because that’s exactly what makes him close theirs names.
