Naming your baby is one of the most important things that you will ever do. Other than raising him/her to be a productive member of society, of course. Anyway, picking the name that your baby will have for their entire lives is a huge responsibility and shouldn't be taken lightly. This is the name that they will be known by in school and in the workplace. This is the name that they will use on all of their important documents in life. This is the name that they will be elected to the President of the United States with. There are several ways to go about picking the perfect name.

Family Name or Junior - This is one the easiest ways to name your baby. Do you want your baby to be a Junior? Perfect. Is there a sentimental family name that you want carried on by your offspring? Great. You are done.

Favorite Names - Maybe you have a favorite name in mind. You may have always liked a particular name for no particular reason. That is fine too and almost as easy as the Family Name/Junior option.

Cultural Names - Choosing a name that is popular or meaningful to your particular culture or ethnic background is a wonderful way to name your baby. It can provide a backdrop for your child when learning about their history as they get older.

Meanings of Names - You can certainly choose your child's name by what the name means. However, I caution you because some names don't match the beauty of their meaning. But being able to tell someone that your child's name means "perfect angel" can make your heart warm.

Baby Name Books - How many baby name books can someone have? I was given a baby name book by everyone I knew when I was pregnant. Unfortunately, for the most part these books are useless unless you have a particular name in mind. I tried to read through the book, letter by letter, and just ended up getting frustrated because my baby's name was hidden among thousands of other names that I would never even consider. It was hard to sift through the wrong names to get to the right name when I had no clue before picking up the book. But if you do have an idea, the baby name book is great for finding out the origin and the meaning of your name of choice.

Now that you have your name, you should run that name through a barrage of tests to be sure that it is in fact THE name.

Initials - Once you put the initials together, does it spell something weird? Will your child's initials be B.A.D or E.W.W.? Sometimes this can't be helped but it is worth looking at.

Length - Is the name you chose for your bundle of joy excessively long? Will your child have a hard time learning how to spell and write their name in school? If the name is long and you have your heart set on it, go ahead but just be prepared to spend a little extra time on homework when your child enters Kindergarten.

Rhymes - Once you have the name, spend some time coming up with rhymes that cruel little kids might make up when your child goes to school. If the name rhymes with something gross or unpleasant, you may want to rethink your decision. Not all kids are cruel and no one may ever make fun of the name but it would be highly irresponsible to skip this exercise.

If after all of that you are confident that you found the name, go through the process again to pick back-up names and names for the opposite gender. You never know if your boy will be born a girl or if you will get two babies when you thought there was only one. Happy name hunting!

Learn more about this author, Bonnie Christiano.
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