Which Name To Choose For Your Baby

Ask any mother: what was the one prevalent concern she had for the nine (or thereabouts) months she carried little Timothy in her womb? She will smile at you, perhaps blushing slightly at the memory of it's seeming insignificance. She will glance briefly at her pride and joy, and then she will reply: “choosing the right name”.

As simple as that. Or so it may appear.

It goes without saying that parents want their children to be sociable and popular, not just in childhood but also as an adult. We are stuck with our names afterall – unless, of course, due to years of taunts and teasing as a result of our parent's poor choice, one chooses to change it by deed poll. But that is relatively uncommon. More likely, the majority of us will live out the humiliation in silence. Such is the importance of making the right decision.

The baby name 'business' is booming – bookshelves are lined with such titles as “The Modern Book of Baby Names”, “A Dictionary of First Names”, and “50,001 Best Baby Names”. In fact, the variety of names on offer to an expectant mother are becoming almost as many as there are grains of sand.

However, do all parents want to use these popular names? What about those who wish for a more unique baby name? Well, there are those out there as well: just take a look at the marvellously helpful and entertaining site, www.search4babynames.com . Qualiquerine; Faranfalli; Dodders; Flodderth – just a few labelled under 'uncommon' and 'odd' baby names. Then there are a handful of gems to steal from the celebrities: Apple made the headlines thanks to her mother, Gywneth Paltrow; less limelight was given to Jason Lee's son, Pilot Inspektor. Don't forget to take a peek at the 'up and coming' section, with delights such as Justice and Lyric to choose from.

In fact, it could be said that deciding which name to choose for your baby has become so difficult firstly, because of the almost infinite lists being compiled of them, and secondly, because there is now a tendency to want to seem 'fashionable', as it were. Due to this current trend, the arguments which might ensue between husband and wife due to difference of opinion on whether their baby girl should be called an old-fashioned-yet-more-popular-of-late Lily or an off-the-wall Rainbow are becoming more and more frequent.

A little perspective might help: if it is generally accepted that today's names are weird and wonderful, one should take a look at the school registers of one or two hundred years ago – but that is another topic entirely.

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