as you get closer to your due date, you will be asked the same question more and more often, and that question is "have you picked a name yet?" although you may be tired of hearing this question or of thinking about the problem of finding baby names for your newborn, this is an important issue that you will eventually have to deal with. this guide will help you make this important decision.

getting started
how important is it to find the right name? while your baby's name is how he will be identified for the rest of his life, it doesn't define his identity. some names do seem to have stereotypes about the type of person that has such a name (like barbie being associated with a beautiful blond, or myron with nerds), but these associations will not create that trait in your child. you should find a name that you like and feel positive about.
you should also consider your family history when deciding on a name. does your family have any traditions that you wish to follow, such as naming the first born male after the paternal grandfather? you can also look further back in your family tree to find a name. or just choose a name from your ethnic or cultural heritage. if you have to use a family name that you really aren't happy with, then consider using it as a middle name or as just an initial.

while you don't have to consider every suggestion that your friends or family make, if you are in a relationship, you should make the decision of choosing a baby name with your partner. consider making your own lists of names and then comparing them. remember that you both may need to compromise a bit to pick the final name.

compatibility
once you begin to find names that you like, you should make sure that it is compatible with or sounds good with your last name.
some general guidelines to find compatible names include not picking a first name with a lot of syllables if your last name also is multisyllabic. also avoid picking a first name that ends with a vowel if your last name begins with a vowel, don't pick a first name that rhymes with your last name, don't create puns (holly wood or candy barr), and don't pick names that create an acronym or spell a word (faith alice taylor = fat) .

popular names
picking a name that is trendy or on the top of popularity lists has some risks. these names don't stay popular forever and your child will be left with a name that everyone else has (which can make things difficult in school).
if you are against using a very popular name, you can use our baby name finder to search for names that are in the bottom 25% or bottom 10% of the rankings.

celebrity names
a common source for baby names comes from the names of celebrities, from the names that celebrities choose for their own children, and from the names of the characters that they play on tv or in the movies. should you consider using a celebrity name? maybe. but remember that lots of other people are also going to be using these popular names and the popularity of the names often fade with time.

nicknames
you may plan on your child never being called by a nickname, but you can't always prevent this from happening. when choosing a name, always consider what nicknames or pet names can be derived from this name and also test the nickname for compatibility.
you may want others to use your child's full name (like joseph), but there will always be someone who calls him by a pet name, (joe or joey).

if you are strongly against nicknames, you should look for a name that is nickname proof, such as amber, bryn, chelsea, gail, morgan, paige for girls, or adam, blake, carl, dean, ethan, glenn, justin, luke, mark, ross, todd for boys.

unique names
if you do not want to use a popular or traditional name, there are many ways to come up with your own unique name. some techniques you can use to come up with a unique or unusual name is to use an ethnic or foreign variation of a popular name (emilia, an italian form of emily), using a place name (although there are some popular ones like dallas or dakota), using an occupation as a name (sailor), using a last name or surname as a first name (kennedy), or using names from nature (summer, river, forest, etc).
you can also create your own name by adding a diminutive ending to a popular name (-ina, -ette, -ita), adding a prefix before a name (da-, la-, ta-, etc), spelling a common name differently, or combining or blending other names.

the danger of using a unique name, especially if it is very unusual, is that while it may make your child stand out from the crowd, he may stand out too much and can lead to teasing.

test your picks
our baby name finder makes it easy to compare different combinations of names. you can also save them to a list that will be saved until your next visit. this makes it easy to share your ideas with others and practice saying them.
once you make a list, put it aside for a few days or weeks and check it again. you may find that you are not so excited about a top pick anymore after having some time to think about it.

conclusion
find a name that you like and feel positive about. you can't please everyone, especially family members who become babynamers and want the baby named after them or for some other relative to keep in line with family traditions. remember, that you can always start your own traditions.

baby name