Choosing a Unique Baby Name

You're expecting a child, and, being an original person (or couple), you don't want your child to be one of five Michaels or Emmas in his or her class at school. You want to find a unique name, something original that sets your child apart.

Good for you! This article is here to help. But first, a word of caution. Your child will have the name you choose for his or her entire life. A little originality is great, but too much can be a burden. Do you think your daughter will really want the name Rainbow Sunshine Smith on her medical license? Will your son enjoy walking across the stage at his high school graduation as the principal solemnly intones, "Ezekiel Othello Ranger Jones?" Something to keep in mind when naming your baby.

Now for the fun part. There are two steps to choosing an original name. The first step, of course, is avoiding common names. One excellent reference site is www.mongabay.com. Here you can find the three hundred most popular male and female first names. You can even search for the most popular names in the state where you live.

Another good resource to help you make sure your baby's name is truly unique is the website Think Baby Names. If you type in a name, it will tell you if that name is one of the most 1000 popular names in the United States.

So, once you've decided that James and Mary (the most common male and female names in the U.S.) are definitely off your list, what next?

Now it's time to choose that unique name that won't make your child cringe every time he or she has to say it aloud. Some families develop unique names by combining the names of two or more people. For instance, if the father's name is Joseph and the mother's name is Lisa, a daughter might be named JoLisa.

Other families search their backgrounds to find unusual first names or surnames. One of my nephews, for instance, has the middle name "Roque" (pronounced "Rock"), an Irish surname on his father's side. A friend of mine named her daughter "Amantha" after a great, great, great grandmother who lived around the time of the Civil War. Doing the research and honoring ancestors can be great fun, and you're likely to discover some perfectly serviceable names that have simply fallen out of popularity over the years.

Remember, however, that some names do not age well. "Gay," for instance, used to be a popular name for girls and boys alike. It meant cheerful. Now the term gay is used almost exclusively to mean homosexual. Whatever your child's adult sexual orientation, he or she will most certainly not appreciate the bullying and teasing the name "Gay" would inspire in this day and age.

Finally, other parents want their child to have a name with meaning. An excellent site to help you find the perfect name to express your sentiments is www.parenthood.com/babynames.html. A search for the word "peace," for instance, turned up over 200 name options, many of them unique and lovely.

Choosing an original name for your child can be lots of fun, as long as you don't go overboard. As your child grows up, make sure he or she knows the origins of his or her name and why you selected that particular name. If you have chosen well, your child will grow into adulthood proud of his or her name and pleased that you took the time and effort to select something a little out of the ordinary.