Choosing a Name for Your Baby Girl

Making your girl’s name shortlist

Unless you and your partner are in firm agreement on your baby girl’s name from the get-go, a shortlist is a helpful way to zero in on the perfect name for your daughter - the one you both agree on and love.

You might have had a few names in mind already, but when things get a bit more serious (as in, you’re actually feeling some kicks and flutters) you realise that Bluebell Physalis doesn’t work that well with your surname after all. It’s time to knuckle down and find some real candidates for your daughter’s name.

What theme do you want for your baby girl’s name?

Your shortlist may well end up being comprised of girl’s names with various themes. Traditional names, cultural heritage, nature-inspired names, Biblical names… You might divide them up by theme and pick a first name from nature and a middle name from your family history, for example.

Or the other way around. Or neither. One of the reasons why picking a baby’s name can be tough is because there are so many names out there and it’s almost entirely up to you!

Your girl’s name shortlist will start off as a “longlist”…

…and that’s OK, you still have time. You even have some extra time after your daughter arrives to pick her name because you legally have six weeks to register her birth. Many parents only settle on their daughter's name when they see her, so don’t worry and don’t rush things.

Gradually, some girl’s names will drop off the list and then things should be a bit clearer. Eventually, a few front-runners will emerge and you will choose one or two. Trust us, you will.

Seven tips for choosing your baby girl’s name

Whether you’re staring at a list of girl’s names as long as your arm or you’re tossing a coin between two dead-heat choices, these tips will help you to name your daughter.

Are your chosen girl’s names suitable for an adult?

Girl’s names are traditionally softer and more feminine (obviously) than boy’s names, but that doesn’t mean you have to go the whole hog and pick a sugary-sweet cutesy girl’s name. You’re naming an adult, an adult woman who’ll be sending out her CV to Big Important Companies one day, after all.

Do the initials work well together?

Arabella Susan Smith. Just think about how the initials will work when you’re sewing them into your daughter’s gym kit. There’s lots of other acronyms we could come up with, but we’re far too mature (probably). Just run the initials past your mind’s eye for a second before settling on a combo. 

Speaking of surnames

Experiment with your combination of first and middle names to see if they’re balanced, if the end and beginning sounds mesh together well and whether they work with your surname. Araminta Scroggins? Nothing wrong with either name, but together?

Is your girl’s name too trendy?

If a name is particularly “now”, it might feel very dated by the time your daughter gets to secondary school (or even earlier). You might  really love one of the most popular baby girl names, but if there’s five of them in her form, it can get wearing.

It might be better to use that very popular name as a middle name - at least it’s not a “filler” name or a suffix - and look a little further down the ONS top 100 for a first name choice.

What’s the nickname potential?

It’s not just about the rude nicknames here (Ophelia, anyone?), but the nicknames that your daughter’s friends will give her - and they will. Sophia often becomes Fia, Evangeline becomes Evie or Lini and Miranda can turn into Randa. You might not mind, as these things tend to evolve organically, but if there’s a known diminutive for your baby girl’s name and you don’t like it, you could be playing with fire.

Could you live with it?

Unusual spellings, a middle name that lends itself to schoolboy sniggers (we’ve all heard of Theresa Green, right?) or a girl’s name that routinely gets the “…oh, how interesting…” reaction will soon wear thin. Your daughter, remember, will have to live with her name for a long time and you’ll be calling it out for a long time, too.

If you're choosing one of the more unusual baby girl names, keep it under wraps

If you’ve chosen a less popular baby girl’s name and you think your family and friends won’t like it, then don’t say anything until she’s a done deal. People will find it much harder to be critical of baby names once the baby is actually born.

Bambino Mio can help you to find the perfect girl’s name

We’ve got our own name generator to give you advice, inspiration and interesting information on girl’s names, so give it a whirl. 

Unfortunately, you’ll have to come up with the amazing backstory to your choice all on your own…