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Old 12-30-2004, 11:27 PM   #10
Bungleau
40th Level Warrior
 

Join Date: October 29, 2001
Location: Western Wilds of Michigan
Posts: 11,752
Congrats on the impending heir to the family's fortune! May everything go smoothly for you...

Now, as for naming... there are few things more challenging. You may want something unique, but not so unique that people can't tell if it's a boy, girl, or half-orc.

You may have family traditions that suddenly sprout up. My dad and all his brothers have the initials "RJD". Except the last brother, at which point my grandmother gave up [img]smile.gif[/img] He's "AMD". My sister-in-law married into a family where every kid gets his father's name for a first name, and they call the kid by the middle name -- just like they did with my nephew's dad. Other people insist on naming people after relatives, saints, takeout restaurants... the list goes on.

If you have any of those to deal with, decide if you're going to do it or not, and if not, stick to your guns.

I suggest going to a baby name website and looking for alternatives. Heck, one of my favorite passwords came from one of those...

Things to avoid, from Bungleau's Book O' Knowledge:

1. Initials. Watch out for "bad" initials, because they'll cause problems later. "David Irwin" is not recommended, for example... think about it.

2. Close substitutions. Beware of names that are close to some other word for an animal noise, bodily function or body part. By the sixth grade, those will be put in use, and there won't be anything you can do about it (besides help your child come up with retaliatory names). Of course, there will be even more of those names by then, so just try to eliminate as many as you know about.

3. Cutesiness. With a last name like "Crall", I'd swear someone's had "Pub" as a nickname, somewhere along the way. Beware of any name that can be cute that way... it will backfire once they hit high school.

4. Stick to your guns. You'll run into argument after argument with your beloved about names, especially when she comes up with one that you vote down. And unfortunately, if any name breaks rule 1, 2, or 3 above, she won't believe you and will poo-poo the idea that children could be so cruel later on. They can, and it's your job to help your child avoid it.

Now, as for names... Evan Patrick is one I liked, and Justine Elise is one that my wife wanted. Can't remember exactly why I voted that one down, but I did.

Good luck
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