给宝宝取个好听的名字需要哪些步骤?

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.

你肩负着给人命名的重任。未来的许多年内，人们都将叫他/她这个名字。不要有压力！下列步骤可确保你选择了正确的名字。

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

1. 考虑一下是否有需要遵循的规则

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?

或许你想以已逝之人的名字给宝宝命名，又或者你想以圣人之名或家族之名给宝宝命名，又或者你想取一个有着特定文化传统的名字。如果你的一生中有类似之事，那肯定不需要花很长时间思考，但是请真真切切的思量一番。这些是不是你愿意打破的规则？在何种情况下呢？好吧，那你的另一半同不同意呢？

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

2. 如果意见不一致，谁将做出决定呢

"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.)

“这是一个常见的难题，”‘我一生的名字’（My Name for Life）公司的创始人雪莉•苏珊娜说道。‘我一生的名字’是一家替孩子取名的咨询机构（是的，这是个正经生意！）。“对于某些夫妇，答案很简单：只有一个家长能对婴儿的名字做出最终决定；而另一位家长则决定其它事情，”她说道。（做出最终决定的人通常是母亲。）

"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.

“而现实却不总是如此简单，”她补充道。在这种情况下，她会建议父母弄清楚分歧所在。如果是风格问题（传统名字PK不同寻常的名字），那么就可以挑选位于两者之间的名字（比如“很少使用的经典名字，”苏珊娜说道）。如果是情绪问题——比如该以父方姓氏命名还是母方姓氏命名——也许你就得起一个中性的名字和复合式的中间名字。

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

3. 阅读有关婴儿名字的书籍，并把自己喜欢的名字列成清单

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.

也许自你开始和未来宝宝的父亲/母亲约会之际，你就在留意这些书了。但现在要来真的，你必须将名字清单缩短。如果必要的话，父母双方可以分别列出名字清单，然后比对。

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

4. 不要纠结于这个名字是否太普通或太独特

"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.

“喜欢一个公认的好名字是没错的，”苏珊娜说道。“同时，如果名字很好听又适宜取名，即使这个名字很独特，那也无须担忧。”反正孩子们都能茁壮成长，她说道。