Should you a pick a unique baby name for your new child or opt to go with a more traditional name? Perhaps you’ve already decided and you know deep inside if you should pick a unique baby name for your new boy or girl, but you’d like some confirmation–to be sure that the name you are picking will have a positive effect on the life of your new-born child.

The common advice for some time, from some, was to stay away from unusual or unique baby names. The thought was that perhaps having a name that stood apart from other kids at school could have an adverse affect on your child; after all, children usually just want to fit in and feel wanted and loved by their peers. As adults, we often covet the right to stand out and to be unique; creativity is a positive thing in our culture and individuality is the rugged, American trait that we have all come to love and admire.

My wife and I decided from the start, to pick names that were uncommon and creative and meant something to us; none of the names we picked were that unusual that they would elicit a strange look from bewildered hearers. But the names we picked reflected a time or a place or a belief or something unique and special in our lives that we wanted to honor or that we wanted to live on in our memories and our lives. We had travelled, for example, with our church on a missionary trip to Scotland when we first were engaged. And so a Celtic name had a lot of meaning for us and our second son received a Celtic-Irish name (my wife’s ancestry happened to also be Irish, so it fit). For our first-born son, we picked a strong Biblical name because our faith is the most important element in our lives. Our third child also received a clearly Christian name. Our fourth child’s name was attached to a personal story that involved an event that happened on a memorable date at the Zoo. And our last child, somehow ended up with a traditional, albeit very old and almost forgotten name that you rarely hear nowadays.

Picking a unique baby name that reflected who we are as a family was very important to us and we have never regretted that decision. And you know what? All of our kids are as well adjusted and loved as any other kid at school.

The bottom line: Don’t worry too much about the common psychological folklore that is out there. You know your family, you know your name, pick something that reflects who you are–and love your new baby with all your heart: love is what will shape the personality of your child much more than its name ever could.

No related posts.