How to Pick the Best Name for Your New Baby

When you have a brand new baby, one of the most difficult things to do is to choose the perfect name for your child.  You and your significant other will probably spend countless hours debating the merits of different names.  So how do you make that final decision and pick one name over all the others?

Some people choose to name the baby after someone in their family.  While this is certainly an option and is a great honor for the person involved, you have to consider the feelings of other people in the family.  Why did you name your baby after your spouse’s grandfather and not your own?  Because of this, most people choose to name their child something completely original to avoid family disputes.

If you are short on ideas, you can find a ton of baby name books in the bookstore or library, as well as websites full of baby names.  You can use these resources to find out the meanings of each name so that the one you choose will have even more significance to you.  You’ll learn the popularity of different names for each past year, and you’ll find out where they originated from.  

Beware of naming your baby something that most people would consider strange or uncommon.  Celebrities often do this because they want their baby to have a unique name, and to be more original.  Remember that there is a fine line between ‘sassy’ and ‘scarring’ (we don’t want to have to mention Gwenyth Paltrow naming her daughter Apple!)  Think about the ways in which people are going to treat your child according to his or her name.  You don’t want your child to have a name that will cause their peers to make fun of them as they grow up. 

Also, choosing the spelling is important, as it could result in everyone spelling the name wrong if it’s too uncommon.  A good idea is usually to go with something classic, but not too common.  Try to consider your partner’s suggestions as equally as your own.  If you husband wants to call your new baby boy John while you favor the name Zuriel, be aware that you might have a long and complex decision-making process on your hands!