I Can’t Find Any Baby Names I Like
When I was pregnant with my second child, I found myself on the phone with my sister late at night.
“I can’t find any baby names I like,” I said in exasperation. “They’re all boring or so ordinary. Nothing really seems to fit this baby.”
Can you relate to the frustration of finding not a single baby name that resonates or feels “right?” If so, you may benefit from hearing some of the strategies I have discovered over the years. Many of these weren’t available when I was struggling to find unique baby names, but I’m glad that expecting parents now have these fun and creative options.
What to Do When You Can’t Find a Baby Name
I assume you already know about the most basic options for discovering baby names, including:
- Buy a book of baby names—or sit in a bookstore and browse through a couple
- Consider names of cherished grandparents, great-grandparents, or other family members
- Steal a name from your friends or someone you’re connected to on social media
- Use a variation of your favorite actress or social media star’s name
- Ask everyone you meet one question – “What’s your name?”
If you could easily find a name you loved in one of these places, you probably wouldn’t be reading this right now. I’m going to suggest some ideas that may help you dig a little deeper. The right name is out there. It just hasn’t found its way to you just yet.
Generate Names at Random
Behind the Name has a Random Name Generator that will offer random first and middle name combinations completely free. You select between first names only or first and middle name combinations, then tell the generator which categories or nationalities you want to pull names from. You can also just pull from all categories.
This is a great way to find baby names that you haven’t yet considered. You can also use the site to browse lists of names from a variety of categories and nationalities. It shows the history and meaning behind the name along with other information.
Looking for something totally unique? Check out The 463 Rarest Girl Names and The 503 Rarest Boy Names!
Look for Geographical Clues
Geography is a great resource for baby naming. Keep your eyes open for unique ideas that are right under your nose. Then take it a step further by researching a little online.
Here are some places you may look or research:
- Park names
- Ocean, sea, river, and lake names
- Places you would love to visit
- Your favorite vacation destinations
- Business and restaurant names
- Product names related to your hobbies
- Street names
- Animal names (our list of names that mean bear)
- Social media stars, musicians, and other celebrities (how about baby names inspired by the Beatles?)
- Movie and TV series characters (We already have lists for Doctor Who Names, Star Wars Names, Wheel of Time Names, Game of Thrones Names, Star Trek Baby Names, Lord of the Rings names,)
- Names from astronomy or the stars
- Names with specific meanings (Here’s a roundup of all our posts about names with various meanings, from dream, to magic, to alone, carpenter, and more!)
You never know when the perfect baby name will fall right at your feet. You just have to open your mind to finding names in unusual and ordinary places.
Use a Character Name Generator
If you liked drawing random names with Behind the Name, you may also enjoy this one. Many writers use character name generators to come up with unique names for fictional characters. You can use the same generators to come up with baby name ideas.
Some of the best free character name generators include:
- Reedsy – Do you think of your baby as a witty mentor, quirky sidekick, or daring hero? This character name generator allows you to pull up names based on those literary archetypes. You can also generate names based on fun literary categories, including gods, fantasy, and medieval times.
- Be a Better Writer – This is a simple generator about halfway down the page. Keep hitting the button to instantly generate a new name.
Related post: These medieval names are fun and interesting- and not commonly used today!
Mix and Match from an Ongoing List
I can’t find any baby names I like! You now have some creative strategies to help solve this problem. One way to use those strategies is to collect names and partial names that catch your attention or intrigue you. You may come across name ideas that aren’t quite right, but perhaps they are a piece to the puzzle.
You just have to find all the pieces to put it together. If you keep a running list of all potential pieces, you can combine them at random until you find the perfect fit. Keep reading for examples that will show you how this idea works.
Related post: How to choose a middle name for your baby has more creative ideas and examples
I Can’t Find Any Baby Boy Names I Like
You’re looking for baby boy names, so you start generating a list of potential options. Your list may include:
- You love hiking in the mountains, so you consider names of mountain ranges from around the world – Everest, Makalu, Rocky, Sierra, Ural, Tian, Madison, Lewis
- Boating is your favorite pastime, so you consider sea names – Caspian, Aral, Red
- You can’t wait to enjoy family beach vacations, so you consider beach names – Anse, Anakena, Bondi, Champagne, Nissi, Cala, Maya, Grace, Sancho, Bay
- You generate random baby names from some of the generators listed above – Leor, Anwan, Kiran, Seraphina, Aadya, Zia, Cymbre
What if we combined some of these baby boy name ideas? We may come up with the following options:
- Lewis Bondi
- Rocky Anwan
- Caspian Red
- Everest Bond
- Sanchotian
- Sancho Lewis
Some of the names you come up with may seem silly. They may all sound lame until you find just the right combination. The idea is to keep playing. The earlier you start in your pregnancy, the more time you have to find the right pieces to your name puzzle.
I Can’t Find Any Baby Girl Names I Like
Are you looking for pieces to a baby girl name puzzle? Using the same list of randomly generated ideas that we used for baby boy names, we may come up with these potential girl names:
- Madison Aral
- Nissi Tian
- Madison Grace
- Callie Sierra
- Red Champagne
- Zia Red
Again, you will come up with a lot of silly name options. The crazier they seem, the more your creative brain is likely working. Keep brainstorm, writing down more ideas, and eventually, you’ll find the right one!
Related post: Here’s a massive roundup of double-barrel names for boys and girls
Do You Need a Truly Unique Baby Name?
Every baby doesn’t have to enter the world with a unique name. You don’t have to go with something that seems weird, like Apple. You just need the name that feels right for your baby. Something that makes you smile because it just rolls right off your tongue.
The more time you spend playing with ideas, the faster you may find the perfect name. Give yourself permission to get silly and a little wacky. You never know when the right baby name will roll off your tongue.
Wrap Up – I can’t find any baby names I like
I hope that after reading this post, you’ve stopped saying “I can’t find any baby names I like” to “I have some ideas on how to look for baby names that I like!” Best of luck finding the right name!