How Popular is Your Baby Name?

Careful consideration should go in to choosing your new bundle of joy’s name. We cribbed some tips from the Baby Name Guide for easing your baby-naming woes and cutting down on the stress of naming a new baby.

Baby Name Tip: Think of the child’s future

You definitely don’t want your child to be tormented on the playground by other children. And 25 years later, when they’re fighting for a high-power executive position, you don’t want them to be discounted because their name isn’t professional enough ("you'll be reporting to Speck"?). You should choose a name that your child will be proud of because it is forever theirs, but do take the time to consider the ramifications of their name many years down the road.

You should also think through the child’s initials. Make sure the letters don’t spell anything obscene, as this can also add embarrassment.

Baby Name Tip: Consider your ethnic background and family name

Ethnic names can be fun and serve as a sense of pride in their heritage for your child. Using a family name or naming your child after a grandparent, great-grandparent, or other family member creates a bond between that child and the person after whom they were named. Even if the namesake is no longer living, the bond is there.

However, using a family name should not feel like an obligation, so make sure it's a name you and your partner both love.

Baby Name Tip: Being unique is not the same thing as being creative

This tends to be where the celebrity parents get out of hand! They think naming their child something completely outrageous is being creative. But you can be unique and creative in your baby name without naming your baby after a fruit.

Even if you like traditional names, you can tinker with the spelling to make a baby name unique. If you’re considering the name Gary for a baby boy, you can change it to Garry, or try Mychal instead of Michael.

Baby Name Tip: Brainstorm

You and your partner should start discussing names way before the baby arrives. For some couples, this process takes as long as the entire pregnancy! Bouncing name ideas off of each other, compromising, and completely vetoing bad choices will eventually lead you to baby name bliss. Talking about baby names with your partner decreases the naming stress on just one half of the couple.

If you’re still having trouble coming up with a great baby name, watch TV show and movie credits, think of your favorite book characters, or read magazine and newspaper bylines for inspiration.

Top 10 Baby Names for Boys in 2009

Provided by the Social Security Administration:

Boys
1. Jacob
2. Ethan
3. Michael
4. Alexander
5. William
6. Joshua
7. Daniel
8. Jayden
9. Noah
10. Anthony

Over the past 100 years, Michael has held the top spot 44 times. Today, Michael is still a Top 10 name for baby boys.