During pregnancy, there are few activities more fun or frustrating than choosing the absolute best baby name. You’ve got millions of choices and while yes, it can be hard to settle, it’s still a fun process.

Consider:

• If the name will sound good now and later. For example, Petey is a cute baby name, but for an adult…? You might be better off with an official Pete on the birth certificate.
• How the name is spelled. It may seem fun to spell a name in a different way but do you really want your child to have to respell it for everyone they meet?
• The meaning. The meaning behind a baby name is more important to some, but it’s still something to consider. Do you really want your baby’s name to mean “hated” because if you name your baby Job, that’s the Hebrew meaning. Wouldn’t a name that means “true” like Justin be a little better?
• Most of all though… make sure you like it. You’ll be saying it a lot, so it should have some significance or meaning to you specifically, that makes it special. For example, my son’s name is Cedar. He’s named after a place his dad and I visited in Montana and loved - a little town full of Cedar trees. It’s a nice story for Cedar.

Start looking:

One good place to start hunting for baby name ideas is the Social Security Administration’s site for popular baby names. You can learn about current popular baby names and search for names by popularity or year or both.

Babyhold is another great site for finding baby names - look up name meaning, get tips, and more.

Here at P&B we have lots of great ideas for baby names too. Check out the following…

• Thanksgiving baby names or autumn baby names
• Irish baby names
• Nature baby names