One of the most exciting things new parents get to do before the arrival of

their child is choose the baby's name. Will it be something popular or

unusual? A family name or something original? We will explore the

top baby names as well as some of the more unique possibilities to help you

choose the perfect name.

Top Baby Names

In the 90s, the most popular name for a boy was Michael. For the past

five years, the most common name has been Jacob. Other popular names

include Joshua, Matthew, Ethan, Andrew, Daniel, William, Joseph, Gregory,

Jonathan, Benjamin, and Christopher. If you are looking for a classic,

these baby names have been popular for years.

The most popular name for a girl has not changed in the past fifteen

years. It continues to be Emily, and is currently followed by Emma,

Madison, Olivia, Hannah, Abigail, Isabella, Ashley, Samantha, and

Elizabeth. Except for Ashley and Elizabeth, the popularity of the others

is recent and affected by pop culture, especially television shows.

Other sources of popular names are best-selling novels and celebrities.

After Gweneth Paltrow named her daughter Apple, many people have done the

same. The Harry Potter books and the Lord of the Rings movies have also

added many names to the list of the most popular.

Unusual Baby Names

One way today's parents have created unusual names for their children is by

changing the spelling of a popular name. Variations that are becoming less

unusual include Emilie, Elisabeth, Karin, and Erika. Names like Stacy can

be spelled in three different ways (Stacy, Stacie, Staci).

Another way to personalize a baby name is to use a nickname as the child's

full name. For instance, Ben instead of Benjamin, Jon instead of Jonathan,

and Matt instead of Matthew are becoming more common.

Other unusual sources for baby names come from the world around us. The

popularity of names such as April and May continues to come and go, while names

such as Winter, and Hazel are still unusual. Consider choosing a baby name

reminiscient of the time of year when your child will be born or the time of

year they were conceived. Fruit, vegetables, colors, and the adjectives

that describe them are a good starting point (Pear, Lemon, Azure). Other

uncommon names are those of plants and flowers, such as Hyacinth, Daisy, and

Fern.

Other ideas to get you

thinking:

Africa

Autumn

Butterfly

Calla

Kansas

Peach

Names that describe an ideal or a personality, such as Hope, Grace, Prudence,

Patience, Temperance, or Chastity, are still unusual although not entirely

unique. Other descriptive baby names include Cadence and Candid.

Other unusual names come from sources that are not commonly used today.

While Biblical names are popular, Greek mythology is only rarely used.

Your child may be the only one in their class to have the name Athena, Minerva,

or Pan. Or you could give them a name from another culture, such as the

Swedish Carina or the Polish Aleksy.

Baby names from other cultures include:

Anuket - Egyptian

mythology

Augustyn - Polish

Crina - Romanian

Dimitriy (Dima) -

Russian

Freya - Norse mythology

Hestia - Greek mythology

Kirill -

Russian

The possibilities are endless! But as mentioned above, remember that if

the source of your baby's name is a television show, novel, or celebrity, the

name may not be that unusual when they begin school several years down the

road. This is especially true for girls. Look for Apple, Reese, and

Uma to be popular over the next five years.

Perhaps you'd like something even more original.

Unique Baby Names

If you don't want your child's name to be the same as anyone else's, you can

create a unique baby name. These names can have many sources. The

more common methods of creating something original are by the combination of

family names or the addition of a syllable or letter to a popular name. An

example of the latter is Kylen, a unique girl's name which stems from the boy's

name Kyle. Unique baby names which may come from a family name include

Stafford, Prestoff, and Kilin. While some people may find these better

suited for a middle name, others may prefer their unique nature.

A sampling of unique

names:

Baton

Jaico

Kermin

Lorelai

Mady

The Meaning of a Name

For some people, it doesn't matter whether a baby name is popular or unique,

it just has to mean a certain thing. Rather than choose a baby name with

an obvious connotation such as Spring, Grace, or Rose, they want a name that

will bring goodwill to their child through its ancient origin.

Some popular as well as unusual baby names include:

Adelaide (Adelia,

Alyssa, Allison) - noble

Albert - bright

Alethea - truth

Beatrice -

traveller

Cara - beloved

Colbert - bright

Darwin - friend

Elfleda -

beauty

Gertrude - stength

Hannah (Anna) - favor, grace

Henry

(Henrietta) - power

Isolde - beauty

Keisha - favorite

Letitia -

joy

Manfred - strength

Osmund - protector

Robert (Bob) - fame

Vivian

- alive

Tips For Choosing

There are many things to consider when you finally select a baby name.

Will this be a name your child can use for life, or will it sound silly when it

refers to an adult? Will this name cause your child to be picked on?

Will they have to constantly correct people in its pronunciation or spelling,

and does this concern you? Are there any stereotypes (good or bad)

associated with it?

One last concern is: does it fit with your last name? Generally it

sounds better if there are a different number of syllables in the first and last

names. Only rarely should the first letter of the first and last names be

the same. This is of course more of a concern for boys, as they will keep

their name for life. Of course, any decisions about hyphenation in the

last name should be made before the first name is chosen.

Try not to get overwhelmed by the possibilities. After all, you have

nine months to make this decision! Leave yourself open to the myriad

sources of ideas, and you will find the baby name for you here findnamemeanings.com. And of course,

if you let people know you're looking, friends, family members, and even

coworkers might add their own suggestions!

Keep these things in mind, and you will choose a popular, or unusual, or

unique baby name that your child will be proud of for life.

Source by Julie Parker