Down Syndrome and Baby Names

People with Down syndrome often have speech impairments, even in adulthood. My sister, Katie, has had years of speech therapy. We still can’t always understand her. When you think over names for your baby with Down syndrome, it helps to plan for this.

Kids with Down syndrome have a harder time learning to speak. Even with decades of speech therapy, they are likely to have a speech impairment as adults.

As your kid grows up, they will need to:

1. Say their name
2. Write their name
3. Spell their name out loud

Try making it a breeze instead of a chore.

Short is Sweet

Katie often skips over parts of long words. She also has mix-ups. So, “AirBNB” becomes “AirDVD.”

Four-syllable words rarely work well. Three-syllable ones are often better. Two-syllable words often work, but tricky consonants still cause problems.

So, Leonardo and Elizabeth may struggle to say their names. But Amy, Ella, Leo, and Ben won’t have these problems.

Consonants

Hard consonants can be harder for people with Down syndrome to say. I hear Katie casually calling herself “Kay-ee” sometimes.

Tricky consonants include CH, J, T, V, X, and more. It can vary a little for each person.

Sometimes, Katie will:

• Change R to W
• Change J to S (When she was little, she called me “Senna.”)
• Change S to TH
• Skip sounds like R, T, and NG

Imagine how a name will sound if someone with a speech impairment says it. “Reed” becomes “Weed.”

Once, Katie was talking about How to Train Your Dragon. She tried to talk about the character Astrid, but she made it rhyme with “bird.” If you need to sound that out verbally, then don’t do it in polite company.

While you narrow down your name list, think simple. For example, Abby will work much better than Trinity.

Honoring Relatives Simply

Maybe you love your grandma Cecilia or your uncle Frederick. But you also want your kid to say their own name correctly! Now what?

There are some creative options to keep it simple while honoring a loved one:

1. Use a shorter/similar version of the name. For example, you could write “Gwen” on your baby’s birth certificate to remember Aunt Gwendolyn.
2. Use the long name as a middle name.
3. Have your baby share the same initials (e.g. Evan Ted for Emmanuel Theodore).

Of course, you can also use a nickname and let your kid stumble through their long legal name when needed. You and your partner (if applicable) have the final say here.

What About Future Kids?

Depending on your plans, you might choose to have more kids. That’s not a bad thing: many siblings of kids with Down syndrome do just fine. Also, as your kids age, having more sibling support isn’t bad.

Your kid with Down syndrome will sometimes need to say their own legal name. But they usually don’t need to say a sibling’s legal name. Nicknames work fine. And if you don’t pick out a simple nickname for a future kid, then your kid with Down syndrome will create one.

It doesn’t hurt to picture how your kid with Down syndrome could say their sibling’s name. (You don’t want them running around the playground yelling that mispronunciation of “Astrid.”) So, pick something that’s unlikely to make people cringe.

But in general, you’ve got more wiggle room here. As long as your kid with Down syndrome can use a decent nickname, you’re good to go.

Great Baby Names for People with Down Syndrome

Short names with soft consonants will be easier for your kid to say. So, try giving your kid an easy name. They’ll have to repeat themselves less often.

Try names like these:

Maybe not these:

Take time to think about how a child would say the name. Then picture how an adult with a speech impairment would say it. Maybe stuff your mouth with marshmallows and see how it sounds when you say it that way!

There are no set rules for baby names (with or without Down syndrome). But it doesn’t hurt to think ahead. A good name is one your kid can say with happiness instead of frustration.