Rachel Carrington - Baby Names Book: Getting Started on Choosing the Perfect Baby Names and Meanings.

Picking the right name for your child is the firstchallenging task of parenthood. Sure, it may pale in comparison to changingyour first diaper, but it will stick with them for life, and don't forget thatyour child may eventually hold you responsible so the pressure's on! While eachculture used to have a fairly limited set of acceptable names, nowadays almostanything goes. With all the options, it can be extremely overwhelming.

As if sorting through the vast amounts of options wasn'tenough, there is the often overlooked fact that just about everyone you know isgoing to have a suggestion of their own. Have you ever noticed that the firstquestion asked to a visibly pregnant woman is Have you chosen a name yet?

While this is often harmless curiosity, many people will,with the best of intentions, throw in their recommendation. Expect to beregularly be fending off suggestions from family, friends, and even some chattystrangers. While it doesn't hurt to be open to ideas, always remember that thedecision is up to you and your partner. Just politely reply with somethinglike, Nice suggestion! We'll think about it! Since the final decision restswith you and your partner, and everyone under the sun will lobby for theirfavored option, the two of you need to get organized and filter the potentialnames list down to something manageable.

You should set some guidelines and start discussing nameswith your partner as soon as possible. What matters most to you? Will you bechoosing a name from within the family? In the early stages you may find ituseful to keep a list of favorites handy and add names as they come to mind. Choosea reasonable number of names to keep on the list at any given time. Once youreach your upper limit and come up with a name you just have to add, and thencross an earlier choice off the list. Remember, starting off from a potentialnames list with 500 options is almost like not having a shortlist at all.

When you are deciding on a name there are a number ofconsiderations like keeping relatives appeased, avoiding monikers that carrybad memories, and watching out that initials and nicknames arent embarrassing.

Uniqueness:

Many people often regret giving their child a common namelike Mary or John due to the fact that when they go to school, there will bedozens more kids with the same name. However, there are limits to how uniqueyou should go. Its all right for movie stars to go and name their kids afterexotic fruit... those ids will probably grow up with kids even more absurdlynamed than they are!

One useful criteria in deciding how common or rare a name tochoose is to base it on the family surname. If the child's surname is somethinglike Smith or Brown, then you may grant yourself some leeway in choosing a rarer,less common name. If your family surname is something more exotic likeSobiesty or Valaranahan, a less edgy first name will probably help them fitin better.

Family Ties:

Many new parents like including a family connection in thechild's name. If you come from a small family, then there is often a fairlysmall pool to choose from. However, in large families, it can be trickypolitical game to choose one relative over another. It is not unusual fortypically close extended families to splinter into feuding factions over anexpected child's name!

If you are set upon this route because of preference ortraditions, remember to avoid fanning the flames of competition. Don't commityourself to a name until AFTER the child is born, when any party disappointedwith your choice can do little more than accept your choice. Do remember to berealistic when sorting through family names. For example, while it may be truethat Uncle Hezikiah was like a father to you, and he lived perfectly fine withhis name, the question is, could your baby handle it?

Family Tree

The ancestry and heritage of your child is very important,it may be advisable to give him a name that reflects it. Maybe naming yourfirst-born son after his father is a family tradition, or your religion drivesthe name category. What do you do if you have a particular name that you love,but it doesnt fall into the family traditions? You could give your child thename as a middle name, or use the family tradition name as the middle name.

Nicknames and Initials

When it comes to nicknames there are some cruel people,especially children, who will exploit a potentially embarrassing name. Justbecause you cant think of anything doesnt mean a resourceful second-graderwont come up with something. Guaranteed if he does he will be extremelyamused and banter it around add-nausium. So take time to rule out the obviousissues. Be sure your childs initials do not spell something cruel orembarrassing. For example, Patricia Ingrid Gregson, might have a nice ring toit, but would you really want your daughter's initials to spell P.I.G?