How the tool finds names
You type your two first names. The tool looks through around 1,700 different popular and classic first names from our English, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian lists, and keeps the ones that carry a little of each of you. It finds three kinds:
- Made from both. The start of one name and the end of the other make up the whole name. Lucas and Julie give Lucie; Marco and Giulia give Mia.
- Starts like one, ends like the other. The name opens with a few letters of one of your names and ends with a few letters of the other. Marc and Anna give Mona.
- Contains or hides one of your names. Tommy contains Tom, and Luca is hidden in Lucas. These carry only one of you, so they come last.
Names made from both come first, then names that start and end like you, then the rest. Within each group, names from the English list come first and show their meaning. Names from the other lists show their origin and which list they come from.
The tool never suggests either of your own names, and it leaves out double names such as Mary-Kate. Some pairs simply share few letters with real names. When fewer than six names fit, the tool says so instead of filling the list with weak matches. A nickname or a longer form of your name often opens up more ideas: try both Alex and Alexandra, or Jo and Joanna.
Tips for a name you both love
- Say it out loud with the surname. A name can look perfect on screen and stumble in speech. Try it with the surname you plan to use, and with a middle name if you want one.
- Check the initials. First name, middle name and surname together should not spell something you would rather avoid.
- Think about nicknames. Most names get shortened at school. Make sure you like the short form too.
- Look at the whole family. If you have older children, see how the name sounds next to theirs, and whether two names start with the same letter.
- Honour both families. A name from your partner's language, or one that is easy to say in both, can mean a lot to grandparents on each side.
Whose surname?
If you type both surnames, the tool lists the usual options: each surname on its own, and both together in either order, with or without a hyphen. What you can register depends on where the baby is born.
In England and Wales, a child can take the surname of either parent, or both. You can give the father's surname even if you are not married and he does not come to the registration.
In Ireland and the United States, the options and the paperwork are set locally, and in the US they differ from state to state. Ask the registrar of births where your baby will be born before the registration, so the name on the birth certificate is the one you both want.