Choosing a Baby Name

Deciding on a name for your baby is one of the most delightful and defining tasks of early parenthood. There are so many options, whether you choose a family name, a name of cultural or ethnic significance, or one that simply sounds "right."

• Visit Top 10 Baby Names for the most popular baby names from 2005--and then add your own favorite to the list!

• Check out Baby Names by Country to view and add names from other cultures.

If you're having a hard time choosing a name, keep a few things in mind. First, try saying your baby’s name aloud over the course of a few days. Does the name resonate with a positive sound and meaning? Project forward to all the potential nicknames and schoolyard taunts! Is it a name that will "grow up" well with your child, from the diminutives of childhood ("Tommy") to the authority of adulthood ("Thomas")?

Check the initials

Don't create a similar fate for your child that befell Patricia Iris Gatsby! Choose a name that will not cause your child to be relentlessly teased by her peers in elementary school.

Check the syllables

Some parents also think of the syllable count in a name, as it can contribute to whether a name is rhythmical or not. In general, names with an even syllable counts are not as nice on the ear. Consider how Henry Patrick Gardner sounds versus Sean Patrick Gardner. The one-syllable name “Sean” allows for varying emphasis.

Other Baby Name Sites

• The Baby Name Wizard is a great application for viewing name possibilities and seeing baby name popularity, now and in the past.
• Popular Baby Names is an extensive resource of over 25,000 baby names and their meanings, organized by origin.
• Baby Name Details is another wiki completely devoted to baby names.

• Baby's Named a Bad, Bad Thing is, as you might guess, a tongue-in-cheek look at some less than wise naming choices.
• Baby Names Garden is another site worth looking at -- they have some good lists.