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Choosing A Name
 
 
 
The Right Name?
 
If given a choice, most people would probably not pick the names they were given at birth. Since the popularity of a name is subject to change from generation to generation, it is likely that the fashionable names given to a child today will be out of style by the time he is an adult.
 
No matter how much thought you give to the selection of your baby’s name, there is no way to guarantee that it will be pleasing to your offspring in the years to come. I wonder how many conservative children of “hippie” parents are happy with their unique and unusual names. Certain names never go out of style, but even the most popular traditional names are not agreeable to everyone. Since it is impossible to predict what name a child will prefer, parents should select the names that they like best.
 
This book will assist you by providing information about names and numerology that will help you make your choice. But in the end the decision is your own, and whenever you are in doubt you are urged to follow the prompting of your heart.
 
First Names First
 
We are living in a country where first names are used most of the time. Since your child is likely to be referred to almost exclusively by his first name, a good deal of thought should be given to its selection.
 
In modern numerology, as in our society, the first name is considered the most important. Surnames are connected to family and shared with parents and siblings, but first names are personal and more closely connected to individual identity.
 
Middle Names
 
Middle names are important. Three names have become the standard in our world. Every form you fill out has a place for a middle name. Living as we do in a computerized society a middle name becomes a necessity for identification purposes.
 
Another reason for providing your child with a middle name is that it gives another option to those who decide they do not care to be called by their first name. In my experience people who have no middle name often feel cheated, and it is not uncommon for them to pick a middle name for themselves.
 
Surnames
 
The names you choose should sound pleasing when spoken together with your surname. Though your child will most often be called by her first name, it is important that this name combine well with your family name. The best test of sound is the “ear” test. Say aloud with your last name each of the names you are considering. The sounds should be harmonious and the rhythm pleasing to the ear.
 
Initials
 
Be sure to consider the words that your child’s initials spell. No one wants PIG, FAT, or DIM monogrammed on a suitcase. It is also important to make sure that the initials are not an acronym for a nickname. Unless your child’s name is Robert, it would be unfortunate to have the initials BOB.
 
Unisex Names
 
Unisex names are becoming more common. There is a trend, strongly influenced by television, to give boys’ names to girls and to a lesser extent girls’ names to boys.
 
Although some people are still touchy about the fact that gender cannot always be determined from a person’s first name, I believe that unisex names are the wave of the future. Perhaps in the twenty-first century the list of unisex names will be as long as those of male and female names.
 
Names From The Arts
 
The entertainment industry is on the cutting edge with regard to trends or vogues in names. Movies, television, literature, and sports have a tremendous effect on what we name our children. More than any other medium, television has helped create trends in names. Most pervasive in influencing naming are soap operas, where the characters have a very high percentage of unusual or unisex names.
 
Created Names
 
Parents have always created names for their children. The most common way of creating a name is by combining syllables from two or more names. Thus, Mary and Joseph become Marjo. Another way of doing this is by combining two names into one. Derwin is a contemporary blend of Derek and Irwin. Created names have the advantage of being unique, but they are often changed by their owners to something more common, especially during the teen years.
 
Ethnic Names
 
It is wonderful to remember your roots or to honor another tradition that you admire when naming a child. However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when choosing unusual names. Combining different nationalities may sound exotic or comical. Be sure to avoid combinations that sound ridiculous. Like unisex names, multicultural names will probably become more common in the twenty-first century.
 
Religion And Tradition
 
Religion and tradition play a large part in the way children are named. The Catholic religion requires that its adherents use the name of a saint for the first or middle name. Christians everywhere have always favored biblical names and names implying moral virtue and religious worthiness.
 
Among Orthodox and Conservative Ashkenazic Jews the practice is to name a child after a relative who has passed on. However, Reform and Sephardic Jews often name a baby for a living relative.
 
Moslem names are usually derived from those of the Prophet, or members of his immediate family. The name of the Prophet Muhammad, with its estimated five hundred variations, is considered the most popular name in the world.
 
Name Changes
 
The ancients believed that the name mystically encoded the essential character, personality, and destiny of a person.
 
Like the natal chart in astrology, your child’s original name will always remain in the background coloring his or her entire life. When doing readings many numerologists use both the birth name and the present name. No matter how many times your child may change his name, according to the theories of numerology, he or she will always feel the vibrational influences of the name that is on the birth certificate.
 
You Cannot Please Everyone
 
Many people have a good idea what names they would prefer for their children. However, sometimes one parent is taken completely by surprise by the other parent or by grandparents who have also picked out names for the little darlings. Choosing baby’s name can turn into a tug-of-war. Although it is wonderful to get input from relatives and friends, you simply cannot please everyone, and in the end the decision must be made and agreed upon by the child’s parents.