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Baby names: cute ideas to make your choice easier

There are several aspects of a pregnancy that generate commotion among family members, friends and even strangers. From the congratulations raised by the news to the preparations for a baby shower, the choice of the child’s name is certainly one of the topics that most motivate the participation of people around the mother in formation.

As much as everyone spends their whole lives knowing new names and giving their input on other people’s records, it is normal that the moment of naming one’s own offspring brings with it several concerns, after all, it is assumed that the child will be called that way for the rest. of life.

classic names

The classics are interesting because they remain beautiful for a long time, never ceasing to be a cool option, as they are beyond the fashion names and have been consecrated for many years.

Girls

  • Amanda, Carolina, Cecília, Fernanda, Heloísa, Laura, Letícia, Luísa, Mariana, Olivia.

boys

  • Alexandre, Daniel, Eduardo, Felipe, Gabriel, Guilherme, Henrique, Mateus, Otávio, Rafael.

short names

These are ideal for anyone who wants their child to have more practicality and ease when they need to use their name. It will be easy to read, write, memorize, in short, a nice and short name to not give the child trouble.

Girls

  • Alice, Bruna, Cora, Flor, Lara, Laís, Maia, Rita, Rosa, Sara.

boys

  • André, Artur, Cauê, Carlos, Ian, Luís, Marcos, Otto, Téo, Vitor.

compound names

Putting together two names that harmonize with each other is practically a tradition and many compound names are classics that will never go out of fashion.

Girls

  • Ana Beatriz, Ana Júlia, Angela Maria, Carolina Maria, Débora Cristina, Lúcia Helena, Maria Eduarda, Maria Fernanda, Maria Paula, Rita de Cássia.

boys

  • Antônio Carlos, Carlos Eduardo, João Miguel, José Carlos, Luís Felipe, Marcos Vinícius, Marcelo Henrique, Paulo César, Pedro Henrique, Vitor Hugo.

Names in honor of loved ones

Whether it’s a loved one, an admirable member of the family or to maintain some tradition and continue a name, honoring people close to you is a very common and even admirable decision. However, it is important that both the mother and the father of the child agree with the choice and, in the case of older honorees, it is also worth considering whether the name might not seem too anachronistic, which would imply that the child would become called by nicknames or suffixes, such as Júnior or Neto, for example.

In Brazil, the last names that refer to the honoree are usually male, but that does not mean that women cannot receive this type of honor either. Although it is not usual, it is possible to register the child also with suffixes such as Neta or Segunda, in addition to the possibility of just using the name of the honoree as a middle name or to form a different composition.

In the case of tributes to older people, one may have the impression that some names are not suitable or match children. According to the linguist specialist in onomastics and anthroponymy Gleyce Ramos Bastos, this is due to cultural changes that are natural and also cause “changes in the language and, consequently, the system of names follows these transformations”. That’s why, “currently, in general, children are not given names typical of much earlier generations,” she explains.

Names of famous and historical figures

Historical figures, celebrities, musicians and sportsmen. A little distant from the homage, the reference to public persons is also a frequent option for dads who want to see in their children characteristics of their heroes or even reaffirm their admiration for the honoree.

Girls

  • Anita: a revolutionary from Santa Catarina married to Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of the leaders of the Farrapos War, and known as the “Heroine of two worlds”; or reference to Malfatti, a Brazilian modernist painter;
  • Elis: reference to Elis Regina, important MPB interpreter, who died in 1982;
  • Isabel: Princess of Brazil responsible for signing the Lei Áurea, which abolished slavery in 1888;
  • Leila: actress Leila Diniz became a reference for women’s liberation in the 1960s and died in 1972;
  • Lígia: reference to Lígia Maria Moraes, pivot of the Brazilian women’s basketball team, who died in 2015.

boys

  • Ayrton: reference to Formula 1 driver Ayrton Senna, who died in 1994;
  • Raul: reference to the Brazilian singer and composer Raul Seixas, who died in 1989;
  • Oscar: one of the biggest names in Brazilian architecture, Niemeyer passed away in 2012;
  • Vinicius: poet, composer and important Brazilian diplomat, Vinicius de Moraes died in 1980.

Names that refer to parental preferences

Contrary to what one might imagine, parents do not have the right to register their children with any name they want. Lawyer Suelen Fernanda de Souza explains that “by force of law (6015/73), notary officers intervene when the name given to the child by the parents is embarrassing or vexatious”.

Therefore, although there are no defined criteria for a name to be rejected, the ideal is that the standard norm of the Portuguese language is respected and, in the case of foreign names, it is important to check its meaning, in addition to possibly being necessary to prove that this actually belongs to another culture, “distinguishing it from the shameful or strange name, aiming to protect the bearer’s rights from being the target of constraints in the future”, explains Souza.

With these details observed, it is also interesting to think about some other possibilities: names that are “in fashion” can make the child have three other namesakes in the school class and, therefore, be called only by their surname. Do you want your child to be known that way? Combining names, whether to form a compound or to create a new one from the junction, can sound strange or make the writing too long.

Names with remarkable meanings

The meanings of names can also be part of the selection process, but “today, in practice, this has absolutely no relevance to anyone’s life, except for a matter of curiosity, linked to what is usually called of book culture”, says specialist Gleyce.

It is interesting to know, however, that many of the common names in the Portuguese language — as well as its other words — are derivations from Latin, a language in which it was customary for proper names to be inspired by other common words, thus bringing a “meaning that expressed some characteristic that the parents saw or wanted in the child”, explains the linguist.

For couples who carry the curiosity to know more about the name that will be given to the child, nowadays it is much easier to carry out this research. Several internet sites provide very complete explanations for thousands of names and, in addition to the applications already mentioned, there are also several options that have large lists of names and their respective meanings, such as My Baby’s Name, free for Android.

Another possible way to prioritize the meaning of the baby’s name is by opting for numerology, which assumes that each letter can be represented by a number from one to nine and their sum reveals a little bit of each person’s personality. Numerologist Anah Maria Libório says that “each number has countless qualities and difficulties. The missing letters in the name are qualities that the person does not have, or aspects in which they have difficulty”.

In numerology, the date of birth also helps to signify, so the ideal would be that the name was chosen only on the day the baby is born, because “if the name is compatible with the energy of the day, the life of this child will be very more harmonic and she will define her future professional career much more easily”, explains Anah Maria.

If you are interested in numerology, but do not want to wait until the day of birth to choose your child’s name, the numerologist says that one possibility is to talk to a professional and, combining the name that you like the most with the last name that the child will have , some possible spellings are studied for each day of the month foreseen for the baby’s arrival.

Biblical or mythological names

Just as, in antiquity, it was common to give children names derived from common words, honoring deities, Catholic saints and other biblical characters was also frequent.

As already explained by Gleyce, this practice is also due to the parents’ desire to recognize in their children characteristics of these important figures and, with regard to the Judeo-Christian tradition, these names are usually associated with attitudes of strength, love, perseverance, hope and, above all, faith.

If you like the idea of ​​naming your child with these symbols, but you don’t identify with the Judeo-Christian culture, a good option may be to resort to mythologies that also contain important characters who have had stories that represent the same qualities. See some examples:

Girls

  • Hannah: in the Christian Bible, after having prayed to God, Hannah gave birth to the prophet Samuel even though she was barren. The name means “graceful”;
  • Brigite: from Celtic mythology, a warrior goddess also known as the “Lady of Inspiration”, for being related to the arts and fertility. The name also means “luminous”;
  • Aurora: Greek goddess of dawn, brought the sun and dew in a chariot. The name can mean either “the daybreak” or “she that shines like gold”;
  • Cynthia: one of the names given to the Greek goddess Artemis, considered the protector of births and goddess of hunting. The name Cynthia is derived from Mount Cinto, where Artemis and her twin brother Apollo were born;
  • Diana: Roman equivalent of Artemis, Diana is the goddess of the moon, forests and hunting. The name means “divine”;
  • Esther: The title of one of the books of the Christian Bible comes from the queen of Persia Esther, who saved the Jewish people from extermination. The name means “star” and is one of the possible variations for Estela;
  • Gaia: From Greek mythology, Gaia was the Earth Goddess or Mother Goddess. The name means “Earth”;
  • Helen: daughter of the Greek god Zeus, Helen was married to the King of Sparta Menelaus and was kidnapped by Paris, which started the Trojan War. The name means “luminous”;
  • Isis: Egyptian goddess of motherhood and the moon, Isis was considered a friend of slaves, fishermen and the oppressed. Her name means “supreme goddess”;
  • Kali: one of the representations of Parvati, wife of the Hindu god Shiva, Kali is considered powerful to end all evil. Furthermore, the name can also mean “pretty girl” to Hawaiians.

boys

  • Adonis: in Greek mythology, Adonis was a handsome boy who aroused the interest of the goddesses Persephone and Aphrodite, generating the conflict that started the succession of the seasons. The name means “god of the hunt”;
  • Achilles: Hero of the Trojan War in Greek mythology, Achilles was bathed by his mother in the River Styx and became invincible, except for the only part that was not bathed: his heel. The meaning of the name is “suffering of the nation”;
  • David: In the Christian Bible, David is responsible for the death of the giant Goliath and later…

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