by Kelly Ann Griffin

Created on: January 25, 2008

A precious baby girl deserves an equally darling name. With her upcoming arrival, parents have a lot to think about when deciding on a baby name for their daughter. Facets such as etymology (name meaning), ethnic origin, religious significance, and even current cultural associations should be prioritized by both parents. For instance, name popularity often is related to the current Hollywood scene ("Britney" may be on a name down slide with the notoriety of Ms. Spears as of late, yet "Mia" is climbing with the favored "Princess Mia" in the Princess Diaries movies). As we progress into the millennium, older names once popular in the nineteenth century also seem to be emerging again.

Often a wise tip is to choose a name that is relatively favored by the public, falling somewhere in the top one hundred rankings, but be leery of the top ten baby names. If you choose a top ten name, your daughter likely will have a "name twin" in her classroom as she grows up. Uniqueness tends to be nicer than "Emily #1" and "Emily #2" (Emily has been the number one baby girl name in the U.S. since 1996).

Middle names are important too. There is a rhythm to follow. The reason for so many "Ann" and "Marie" middle names relates to the fact that they flow with most first names, and parents often do not consider the middle name with as much thought. Break out of the middle name mold! Instead of Mia Marie, try Mia Belle or Mia Elise. As she realizes how many other girls share a common middle name, your daughter will cherish a unique, poetic combination. Be careful though, the new "Ann" and "Marie" seem to be becoming "Joy" and "Faith," as well as some other recent prototypes.

So what are the up and coming baby girl names? A selection of the rising stars can be seen below:

Anna (pronounced AN-ah) Hebrew, meaning "Grace, Favour"
Brianna (pronounced bree-AN-nuh) Gaelic, meaning "Noble, Virtuous"
Ella (pronounced EL-a) Greek, meaning "Bright Light"
Grace (pronounced GRAYS) Latin, meaning "Good Will"
Lily (pronounced LIL-ee) English, meaning "Lily"
Madeline (pronounced mah-duh-LINE) Hebrew, meaning "Woman from Magdala"
Mia (pronounced MEE-ah) Hebrew, meaning "Wished-for-child"
Zoe (pronounced ZO-ee) Greek, meaning "Life"

They may not be in the top ten yet, but look out Emily, they are all flying up the charts.

Best wishes with your new baby girl. Choosing her name may be the first of many significant decisions you will have to make that will impact your little one's future. Find a good name database (babynamesworld.com is a relatively thorough database), do some research in trends with your top names, and choose wisely. If you do not, she may just get back at you when she reaches the teen years.

Learn more about this author, Kelly Ann Griffin.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.