Picking your baby’s name is not always easy. The experience ranges from joyful, to emotional, to sometimes frustrating. This list of baby naming tips should help you to avoid common pitfalls, and to enjoy the process in a positive way.

1. Start looking at baby names early. You are likely to change your mind often, so the more time you allow, the easier it will be.

2. Use the internet. There are lots of great resources online, from baby name lists, to articles about the meanings and origins of names, to forums.

3. Think about your baby’s future. Don’t pick a name that may be teased on the schoolyard. Don’t saddle your child with a name that will be an embarrassment.

4. Classic is classic for a reason. Classic means time-tested, well-loved. Classic names always work well.

5. Don’t be too trendy or cool. Tastes and fashions change.

6. Unique is fine – but not too unique. There’s nothing wrong with choosing a distinctive name. It can convey a positive sense of independence and strength. Naming your daughter Ariana is good. Naming her Drusilla is stretching it.

7. When it comes to placenames, you have to be careful. Dakota is a true native American name, steadily growing in popularity. Milwaukee, on the other hand, really is a city in the Midwest, and best left that way.

8. Naming your baby after a relative is common in many cultures. You may want to think about naming your child after a parent, a grandparent, etc.

9. Using surnames as first names can be risky. People will never know if it’s the child’s first name or last name.

10. Double gender names such as Corey, Brett, Dale, and so forth, while they may be perfectly good names, present risk. The risk is that over time, the name will become more male, or more female, leaving the losing gender with a potentially embarrassing name.

11. Pay attention to what a name may mean, even if the meaning is obscure. The biblical name Helah, for example, actually means “rust.” In this age of the internet, any meanings will be dug up by your child’s middle school friends, so be sure to do a background check on names you are considering.

12. Spelling variants can be a stumbling block. Before you choose a name with alternate spellings, be sure you are willing to accept some confusion. Alicia, Alyssa, Alisha, and Elissa may all sound alike to some.

13. Don’t make it too hard to pronounce.

14. Make sure it works with your surname.

15. You and your partner should love the name you choose. If you can’t agree on one, keep trying. (That’s why starting this process early is good).

16. When it comes to family – inform them what your baby’s name will be, don’t let them pressure you. It’s hard enough to pick a baby name, without opening it up to a committee.

17. Finally, be proud of the name you pick. If you’ve done your research, and agonized over it, you’ve done the best you can. And that’s a special gift for your new baby.

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