I am a 28-year-old in Little Rock, Arkansas, with a passion for fostering and adoption.

Tips for Naming Your Baby

• Make the name easy to say and spell. Many parents want to choose something that is unique—which can be fun and creative—but try and imagine how your child has to live with that name for the rest of their lives. Every time they start a new class, meet someone new, or order coffee, they will be asked how to spell their name. Doing that 100 times can get really irritating. You can have a unique idea for a name that still is easy to sound out and pronounce. Consider doing that.
• Avoid names that bring negative thoughts to mind. Let's say there is a famous murderer with the name David Blackburn. Naming your child David is, of course, fine but if your last name also happens to be Blackburn, avoid it. You don't want people constantly associating your child with bad thoughts.
• Don't pick a name that is too common. In my high school class, we had three guys with the name Hunter Goodwin. It was always incredibly confusing figuring out who everyone was talking about when saying their name. If your last name is already very common like Smith, Brown, Williams etc.. consider thinking of a more unique name. Otherwise, it may get confusing later in life when they share the same name with many others. One way to check to see how common the name might be is to look on Facebook. Go to the search box and try typing "John Smith." See how many results you get. You can even filter by state. Now try a name that is less commonly used like "Quentin Smith". You will find that there are fewer people listed with that name. It's not the end of the world if your child has the same name as someone else, just try to make sure it isn't something so common that it will get confusing later in life.
• Find a name with important meaning to you or your family. Whether it's a family name or you're literally finding a name with a cool meaning, it's great to be able to tell a story of how you got your name.

Baby Girl Names From Your Favorite T.V. Shows

Baby Boy Names From Your Favorite T.V. Shows

Top Baby Names of 2018

Baby Names Inspired by Important Women in History

• Clara
• Rosa
• Hillary
• Michelle
• Barbara
• Jane
• Gloria
• Louisa
• Amelia
• Zora
• Shonda
• Kate
• Angelina
• Emma
• Anne
• Diane

Baby Names Inspired by Important Men in History

• George
• Barack
• Donald
• John
• David
• Benjamin
• Grant
• Mark
• Luther
• Lincoln
• Neil
• Quincy
• Steven

Baby Names for Girls Inspired by Music

• Selena
• Celine
• Christina
• Ella
• Judy
• Alanis
• Adele
• Miley
• Lauryn
• Tina
• Billie
• Janis
• Amy
• Dolly
• Aretha
• Nina
• Shania
• Cyndi
• Lauryn
• Carrie
• Nicki
• Isley
• Fiona

Baby Names for Boys Inspired by Music

• Bruno
• Michael
• Justin
• Elton
• Stevie
• Jack
• Lennon
• Dylan
• Steven
• Joe
• Willie
• Art
• Paul
• Ringo
• Robert
• Ray
• Marvin
• Hendrix

My Favorite Baby Names

Comments

FlourishAnyway from USA on July 03, 2018:

Laila is my favorite. I’ll save it for a female cat since I’m not having any more kids.