With literally hundreds, if not thousands of baby names to choose from how can you find the right one? During your months of pregnancy you will most likely spend a lot of time thinking about this. Since your child’s name will stay with them for the rest of their lives, it is also one of the first and most important decisions you will make for your child. Here are some tips that may help.

Brainstorm a list of names

Sit down with your partner and just brainstorm an initial list of names. Don’t think about first or last names at this point, just names you have heard and like. Remember, the number one rule of brainstorming is to not prejudge. Over the next few weeks continue to add to the list.

Don’t do it alone

Everyone must be happy with your child’s name. It is important for both parents to work together and negotiate in order to find a name both will like. During my wife’s pregnancies we would email, leave phone calls and notes with names. We both agreed upfront that both of us would have to like a name to use it. There were many that I loved that she hated and vice versa. It is important to give and take a little to find a name both parents will be happy with.

Don’t forget to solicit parents, friends and relatives. While ultimately it will be your decision and your partners, we found it very helpful to bounce names off of friends and relatives.

The Sound of the Name

By now you should have a decent list of names. You may or may not want to throw a few family names into the mix. Now is the time to start combining the names. How do the first and last names sound together? While they may sound good at first, that could change when you add a middle name. Take your names and mix and match first and middle names. Sometimes you will be surprised and what you thought of as a first name may end up as a last name and vice versa.

Think about nicknames, spellings and abbreviations

This is important. As your child grows will kids make sure of your child’s name or come up with an unfavorable nickname? Or what seems cute when your child is a baby may not be cute anymore as your child gets older. Another consideration is to take the first letter of your baby’s first, middle and last name and put them together. Does it spell anything unfavorable? Not many parents think of this is not a realization you want to make after the birth certificate is issued!

Research name meanings

There are tons of places on the internet where you can find the meaning of a name, and there is a lot of software you can buy. This can be a fun time to explore the origins of a name and may lead you do new names you have not thought about. Are you Irish? Check out some Gaelic names for example.

Pick 3 or 4 names and wait for the baby to arrive

This is probably my best advice. What may have seemed like a great name when you decided on it may not ‘fit’ your new child! For example, when our first son was born we instantly knew his name would be Kailan, which has a name meaning of ‘mighty warrior’. He came out at 10 lbs and it was a real fitting name. The birth certificate does not have to be issued right away, so take your time with your new baby before you leave the hospital and see what ‘fits’ his or her looks or attitude!