Tag: baby name

Mr. Sandwich and I started talking about baby names pretty early in the pregnancy, just a few weeks after we found out that we were expecting a girl (which was quite early, because we did CVS testing).

Here were our criteria:

1. Her name had to be a name. No fruits, constellations, or mixed drinks.
2. Her name had to sound traditional, but not old-fashioned
3. Her name could not end with the letter that begins our last name.
4. Her name could not be alliterative.
5. Her name could not be one of the top 10 baby names for the past few years.
6. Her name could not be the same as any of the main characters on Sex and the City.

That eliminated a number of my favorite names, including Lily, Ava, Sophia, Miranda, and Charlotte (it especially eliminated Charlotte, who is Mr. Sandwich’s least favorite SATC character). But it still left us with a world of names, because we were looking for a name that was familiar, but not so popular that three other girls in her class would have it.

I read baby name books for meanings and origins, and checked the Social Security lists and NameVoyager on Baby Name Wizard to see how the popularity of specific names has changed over time.

We wound up with a list of names–some were clearly first names, and some we liked as middle names. Periodically we’d revisit the list; some names would come off, and another might go on. But we weren’t able to settle on one that we were sure would be right for our baby.

Finally, I said, “Let’s commit to waiting until she’s born.” And we did. After Baguette was born, we held her up, looked at her, and said the names aloud. One of them was just right. It met all the criteria, it reflected family names, it honored a historical figure we both admire, and it just seemed to suit her.

She thinks so, too–I can tell from the way she uses it. And ultimately, that’s what we wanted.

Photo by ladybugbkt, via Flickr.