Resources for Baby Names
By Michele Blandino
Among the first things you will do for your child is to decide on a name. This is a decision most of us don't take lightly since the name is something your child will carry for the rest of his or her life.
When choosing a name for baby, some people turn to religious custom to assist in choosing a name, while others choose a name because it holds some type of special significance or meaning. Maybe a name is chosen to honor a relative or to preserve the memory of a special place. For the rest, coming up with the "perfect" baby name can be a time consuming, confusing task. To help in your decision making process, here are some resources:
- BabyNames - This site allows you to search by specific name or scroll through entire listings to find a brief meaning and origin of the name. Still not sure? For $24.95, their "baby naming staff" will come up with six choices that are based on preferences you provide. The site also contains lists of the most popular names from recent years.
- Your Baby's Name - With a database containing over 10,000 names and meanings, you are likely to find something to your liking. This site also has a thesaurus which allows you to find a name based on any preferences you may have for a specific meaning.
- Unusual Baby Names - Voted best free baby name website for three straight years, this site is designed for parents looking for unusual or less common names. Registration is required, but once you fill out the simple web-based form you can browse lists of unusual names, study lists of popular names and review baby-naming hints.
- BabyNamer - Here's a resource that contains 13,417 girls' names and 7,971 boys' names to choose from. You can narrow your search to names that begin with specific letters, contain a certain amount of syllables, originate in certain countries and other criteria. The site also features daily lists such as the first names of men who have won the Boston Marathon and female British poets.
- Unusual, Unique and Creative Names This site is full of different fun resources and tools to help you pick the perfect name. From the Irish Name Generator to the tool that can help you pick just the right name for your rock 'n roll band, chances are you will find what you are looking for here.
This is just a small sampling of the many resources available. There are also websites that specialize in specific cultures or interests. The best way to find them is to type the phrase "baby name" preceded by the name of the culture (for example "Indian baby names" in your Internet search engine.