給寶寶取個好聽的名字需要哪些步驟?

You get to name a human being. Who will be called what you decide for decades upon decades. No pressure! Here's how to make sure you're choosing just the right one.

你肩負着給人命名的重任。未來的許多年內，人們都將叫他/她這個名字。不要有壓力！下列步驟可確保你選擇了正確的名字。

1. Consider Whether There Are Any Rules You Need to Follow

1. 考慮一下是否有需要遵循的規則

Maybe you need to name your child after someone who's deceased, or want to use a saint's name or a family name, or you want a name within a particular cultural tradition. If there's anything like this in your life, it won't take long to think about what they might be, but think about them for real. Are they rules you're willing to break? Under what circumstances? OK then, does your partner agree?

或許你想以已逝之人的名字給寶寶命名，又或者你想以聖人之名或家族之名給寶寶命名，又或者你想取一個有着特定文化傳統的名字。如果你的一生中有類似之事，那肯定不需要花很長時間思考，但是請真真切切的思量一番。這些是不是你願意打破的規則？在何種情況下呢？好吧，那你的另一半同不同意呢？

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2. Decide Who Will Decide If You Can't Agree

2. 如果意見不一致，誰將做出決定呢

"It's a common dilemma," says Sherri Suzanne, founder of My Name for Life, a baby name consulting service (yes, that's a real business!). "For some couples, the answer is easy: One parent gets the final say on the baby's name; the other is in charge of a different decision," she says. (Mom is often the one who wins final choice.)

“這是一個常見的難題，”‘我一生的名字’（My Name for Life）公司的創始人雪莉•蘇珊娜說道。‘我一生的名字’是一家替孩子取名的諮詢機構（是的，這是個正經生意！）。“對於某些夫婦，答案很簡單：只有一個家長能對嬰兒的名字做出最終決定；而另一位家長則決定其它事情，”她說道。（做出最終決定的人通常是母親。）

"The reality is that it's often not that easy," she adds. In that case, she'll advise parents to figure out what kind of disagreement they have. If it's stylistic (traditional versus unusual), you can search for names that walk the line (like "a rarely used classic name," Suzanne says). If it's emotionally charged issue - like whose side of the family to honour - you may need to find a neutral first name, and a compound middle name.

“而現實卻不總是如此簡單，”她補充道。在這種情況下，她會建議父母弄清楚分歧所在。如果是風格問題（傳統名字PK不同尋常的名字），那麼就可以挑選位於兩者之間的名字（比如“很少使用的經典名字，”蘇珊娜說道）。如果是情緒問題——比如該以父方姓氏命名還是母方姓氏命名——也許你就得起一箇中性的名字和複合式的中間名字。

3. Look At Baby Name Books and Make Lists of the Names You Like

3. 閱讀有關嬰兒名字的書籍，並把自己喜歡的名字列成清單

Maybe you've been perusing these books since you first started dating the future other parent of your child. But now this is getting real, and you need to start narrowing that list. Make separate lists, if you must, and then proceed.

也許自你開始和未來寶寶的父親/母親約會之際，你就在留意這些書了。但現在要來真的，你必須將名字清單縮短。如果必要的話，父母雙方可以分別列出名字清單，然後比對。

4. Stop Caring If It's Too Popular or Too Unique

4. 不要糾結於這個名字是否太普通或太獨特

"There is no shame in loving a name that is well established," Suzanne says. "At the same time, there is nothing to fear about selecting a very original name if it is flattering and 'user-friendly.'" Children can thrive either way, she says.

“喜歡一個公認的好名字是沒錯的，”蘇珊娜說道。“同時，如果名字很好聽又適宜取名，即使這個名字很獨特，那也無須擔憂。”反正孩子們都能茁壯成長，她說道。