My husband went to school with a boy named Justin Case. Seriously.

Ever heard a person’s name and thought, “What were their parents thinking?!?” Don’t be one of the parents receiving those accusing thoughts. Give your child’s name at least as much thought and care as you give their nursery theme and their car seat.

Completely stumped on where to start when it comes to baby names? There are a few easy areas to look to for inspiration:

• Family History Think about relatives who have played a significant role in your life. Or ask parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents about names that have been important in your family over the years. You may find a hidden gem!
• Religion Does faith play an important role in your family? Look to the names in your religion for ideas. Within many religious texts, you’ll find a veritable cornucopia of names.
• Favorite Authors, Musicians, or Artists Maybe a book or piece of music is very special to you, special enough to influence your child’s name. Look to the names of your favorite artists in a variety of venues. If you’re not crazy about their first name, maybe their middle name or even their last name will work.
• Favorite PlacesCities and countries have become a new source for baby names. Perhaps you’ve heard of a new bundle of joy named Brooklyn, London, or Lansing. A city or country you’ve visited or lived in that has been special to you may be that source you’ve been searching for.
• Celebrities Is there a movie star whose name you’ve always admired? Or perhaps a celebrities creative naming of their child caught your fancy?
• Hobbies Think of what makes you who you are, as an individual or as a couple. What defines you? Perhaps there is a one of a kind name there. Flying enthusiasts have named their children Jett or Piper, Swing music lovers have chosen names such as Duke and Ella. Look where your hobby leads. If you’re a painter, peruse names of colors. If you’re a gardener, keep your eyes open as you look over names of plants and flowers.
• Find a name from its meaning If a particular name of a hobby doesn’t quite work as a name, or is just a little too unusual for your tastes; try searching for a name based on the particular word that appeals to you. Try a website where you can type in a name meaning and receive a list of names, such as http://www.parents.com/baby-names/. For example, Minah means Daisy in Arabic, if you don’t prefer the English version. And Beau or Beaumont is a French derived name meaning “mountain”.

Now that you’ve got the creative juices flowing, here are some guidelines to keep in mind as you pick that perfect name.

• Say it One of the best ways to decide if the name you’re considering really works is to just say it out loud. Say it with your last name, then say the first, middle, and last all together. How does it sound? Does it flow well? Or is it halting? Is it just too much of a mouthful? How will it sound when you or your child is telling someone their name for the first time? How will it sound when you’re yelling at them across the house?
• Think about initials When you come up with a list of possible first and middle names, try combining your child’s first and last initials, as well as first, middle, and last, to make sure they don’t spell any embarrassing words. Your child will, at times, be required to write their initials on school projects, and one day will sign them on leases and bank papers.
• Look up a name’s meaning Names’ meanings used to have much more significance than they do now, but it’s still worth noting. No one may ever notice that your son’s name, Ethan, means strong or firm. On the other hand, Marie might be disappointed to find her name means “sea of sorrow”.
• Be unique, but… There are limits. Sure, you want your child to stand out in the crowd, but do they really need to be the only one on the planet with their specific name? Would you want to be the only one on earth with your name? There are other ways for your child to be an individual, focus instead on raising a child who knows who they are and isn’t afraid to be different, whether their name is Tom or Ximun.
• On the other hand Popular baby names are all the rage because, well, they are what’s currently popular! If you pick a name that a friend used recently, and your cousin, and…. Well, you might want to take a look at the current, or past several years’, top 10 baby names. Lovely as they are, just keep in mind that if you pick one of these, you child will grow up with several children in their class with the same name.

• How do you say that? Along with unique names, unique spellings have become a bumper crop in recent years. While it’s nice that parents want to make their child’s name different than other children with the same name, it can go overboard. Make sure that (hopefully) someone could see your child’s name and pronounce it at first glance. Let’s face it, your son or daughter doesn’t want to spend the rest of their life correcting people on how to say their name: teachers, callers, prospective employers. Here’s a good test: write the name you’re thinking of down on a piece of paper, then show it to a few friends or family and see if they can say it correctly.
• Consider all versions Let’s say you adore the name Samuel, but you don’t like Sam. You will, of course, be able to address your child by any version of their name you choose, but you will have little control as to what other people choose to call them, especially when your child is in school. If you choose a name that can be shortened and often is, just be sure you like all of its renderings.
• Multiples middle names It’s not uncommon for parents to give their child two middle names, to honor both sides of the family or because mom and dad simply can’t agree. Whatever the case, if you choose to go this route, just know that your child will most times not be able to fit both middle names on forms and papers, and will have to choose between the two.
• Your baby will grow, so should his name Some names are very cute for little babies, but quite unfitting for an adult. Imagine your child with the name you’re considering as a child in school, in college, dating, at job interviews. Will the name grow with them?
• Be kind Parents few and far between, for reasons unexplainable to most of us, choose a name that’s more of a pun than a title a child will carry through their life. If you’re thinking of a name that you imagine would be funny, reflect on how your child will feel carrying this name through their life. Really, if you want to use a joke for a name, save it for a pet.
• Classic versus Trendy Everyone seems to have their own style, and its fine to reflect that in your children’s names. If you pick a name that’s very trendy though, it may seem very dated in about ten years. (For examples, look to the names of children of hippies.)
• Unisex names Unisex names have been popular for several years now, and don’t seem to be losing any popularity. And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with giving your son or daughter a name that can be used for either sex. Just be careful choosing a name that is definitely associated with the opposite gender of your child. At best they face a fair amount of teasing in school (like the boy in my middle school named Leslie) or at worst, they will often be confused for the opposite throughout their life when anyone sees their name in print.
• I have a secret… One final idea to consider would be keeping your child’s name a secret until they are born. For one thing, it gives you a little tidbit to savor until your child is born when it seems like almost everyone already knows their gender, due date, and nursery décor. Secondly, when you tell friends and family your child’s name before they’re born, they feel at ease sharing their opinions on the name you’ve chose, good and bad. However, if you wait till you’re holding your sweet baby in your arms, and introduce them by their newly revealed name, everyone is much more apt to smile and approve of the new title- how can they help it when they’re staring at that new, tiny life?

In the end, there are a lot of different factors to consider when choosing the perfect name for your child. Don’t get too preoccupied with the “perfect” name. Find two or three that appeal to you and as you consider them over time, you’ll know which one is the right name for your baby. What’s most important in the end is that you love the name, and it’s a name your child can grow to love as well.

Comment below! How did you choose your child’s name?