Choosing the Perfect Baby Name

We all have one, and everyone we know has one. But even among the thousands of possible options, many parents struggle to find the perfect one for their children when they are born. They are names.

Like any other word, names have origins and meanings. But unlike "other words", a name is the word by which we will be known throughout - and remembered long after - our lifetime. Choosing last-names for your new baby is easy, just put yours at the end. This gives family identity. But what about the first and middle name? Oh the challenge can be frustrating.

Many parents spend hours browsing lists of baby names. As if reciting poetry, they say each name out loud, stringing first and middle in succession with the family name to test the sound and flow of syllables. It's like writing music.

Some parents will choose names of people they love or admire, bestowing upon the new life they will guide the honor of those who have guided them. Others will search for a new name, a new identity, which the child will define on their own. So, which method is best? I suggest using all of the above.

I have long had a fascination with names and their meanings. It began when my mother explained the reason behind her choice for my name. She even played the Perry Como song for me, the one that inspired her decision.

"Oh Patricia my darling Patricia, I can' see all my dreams in your eyes. Your smile is as gay as a bright summer day. You're much fairer than Erin's blue sky."

She also the meaning of the name "Patricia". Derived from the word "patrician", it means, born of nobility. However, she never did explain the contradiction of making me do house chores. But I digress.

When I was trying to think of a name for my first child I struggled for days and days. But then I remembered a promise I had made to my father when I was a little girl. I promised that I would name my first child after him. His name was Edgar. I had a girl.

So there I sat, looking at my brand new, precious and still un-named daughter. I said names, going through the list of maybe names, waiting for a response. She slept. Then a nurse came in with a magnificent arrangement of flowers. They were from the wisest and most precious woman I have ever known, my grandmother. Her name was Elizabeth. It means, "With God."

When my grandmother came to see her first great grand-daughter I was excited. As she held my little girl, the same way she had held me so many times, she looked up and asked, "So, what's her name?" I smiled. "I named her after you, grandma." Her tears of pride will always be remembered as my greatest honor.

When grandma asked what her middle name was I had to confess, I had no idea. I relayed the promise I had made to her son, my father, who had died almost a year before. Edgar wouldn't work. Leon wasn't right. He always was a funny man, in a backwards sort of way... Wait... Leon... Leon backwards is... Noel. The name means "all is well".

Elizabeth Noel, "With God, all is well."

When my daughter Elizabeth was in the second grade she came home with news of an assignment her teacher had given to her class. Each student had to ask their parents how they got their names. The next day, they were to stand in front of their classmates and explain the reason(s) why their moms and dads chose the names they have.

When Elizabeth returned home from school she was beaming. She said she her teacher told her she had the best story of all. Even her classmates agreed. Her story got the loudest applause.

So, you see, while choosing a name for your child you have an opportunity to assign more than a string of words that will identify them on legal documents. The name you choose will do more than get their attention when you say it out loud. Whether inspired by the meaning, its origin or through tribute to someone who came before them, you are given the ultimate honor of bestowing upon your child the blessings of potent things. Your child's name will become a part of your family history to which they will add new chapters as they carry it forward in their own life.

There is a pair of questions we ask most often as humans. "Where did I come from?" and "Why am I here?" When you take the time to write a story with your child's name, imagine the unexpectedly powerful answer you will have to offer when they ask you those questions for the first time.