The names we choose for our children are the first and most permanent gifts we give them. Sometimes they are gag gifts. Everyone has a story of the kid they went to school with named Rusty Pipes (Yes, I did know a boy in High School named that) or Ima Pigg or something to that effect. You always wonder what the heck were their parents smoking to do that to them? There are also the ones who throw together stuff like Moxie Crimefighter and then send their kids out into the world. I'm all for individuality and trying to give your kids an identity, but make sure that identity is something they'll want. Rusty Pipes will go through his life hearing about how he should've been a plumber, Ima will be ruthlessly teased with oinking noises until she marries someone with a less porcine surname and Moxie will never be taken seriously as anything but a masked superhero. All I'm saying is THINK before you fill out that birth certificate. Make sure it's something YOU wouldn't mind wearing for the rest of your life. Make sure it's something your child can live with, because once you give it to them they have no choice.

Definitely be careful about family names. I had a friend with the middle name Lindsey because his grandfather was named Lindsey. He was picked on in Kindergarten and First and Second Grade, because Lindsey is more commonly used as a girl's name now. Then in Third Grade he started working out. now people no longer express their opinions to his face (he earned the nickname Lance for his resemblance to the Tour de France winner), but I know he has heard them snickering behind his back. It's not fair to the child and will just make your job harder as a parent.

A good tip (that I wish my own parents had heeded) is to give your child a name that can be shortened. People feel more comfortable around you if they can shorten your name, or call you by a nickname. But DON'T pick a name that sounds like a nickname (like Cody or Brandy) These names are great when the kids are young, but not so great when they get to be seventy or eighty. You want something that can command respect, but also be shortened for a more casual conversation among buddies.

Also think about the place where your child is growing up. In the Southern US, Hiram may be perfectly normal, but will stand out like a sore thumb in the Northern US. Up here in Vermont and Western Mass, nobody bats an eyelash at names like Jeremiah, Uriah and Geoffrey, but people would think those names were a bit odd out West. In Utah names like Genesis and Destiny may be common, but up here we would think those were very strange names. And that's just the US, other countries have their own set of rules.

Another friend's family has a nice tradition. When they are thinking of a baby name they take the letter of the last person who died in the family and use the first letter of their name as the first letter of the new baby's name. For example my friend's grandmother had died shortly before she was born, the grandmother's name was Deborah, so the family honored her by giving their daughter a name that began with D. However realizing that Deborah was not a good name to give their daughter they chose Darcy. Her name is both hip and interesting, but also honors her deceased Grandmother. best of both worlds Yay!

Some people like it when the last sound in the first name is the same as the first sound in the second name. Like Lauren Nicole with the two N's. But I try to stay away from that. It's just not pronounced distinctly. Just like the D's with "pronounced distinctly"! True, most people will know that William is his name when they hear William Morris, but it still sounds like Will Ya Morris to me! Like on American Idol one year there was a Will Makar or something like that. That could also be Wilma Car.

I agree with most of the other posts, too, like on initials spelling undesirable words, strange spellings on normal names just to try to be different, etc.

Speak out loud the whole name, just the first and last name, and the nickname and last name.

And please let the boys keep the boy names! Please don't name your girl Hunter or whatever. The stories about the dads wanting boys and still naming the girls those names breaks my heart, not because I'm narrow minded on names (I like different!), but because those daughters may very well think, "Oh, so Mom and Dad are not fully happy with who I am. They really wanted a boy and loved that name and stuck with it. I don't live up to their expectations. I'm not good enough. I wish I didn't exist. Everybody teases me." Of course, that may be a little exaggerated, but it's mostly true. On the other hand, when the parents choose a traditionally boy name for their son that parents of girls have taken over, the boy gets teased. I know a man named Cary who insisted his sons have very definitive masculine names that would not be taken over (hopefully) and that his sons wouldn't be teased about for having a "girl" name. We even knew a married couple (male and female) who were Lynn and Tracy. Sort of hard when you haven't met them yet to figure out who might be who. (Grammar?) I actually don't remember now which way it was. Please don't name your daughter Paul. Anyway, enough on that.

It's also really cool when there is some reason as to why you chose your child's name (besides the fact that you just like it). My kids every now and then will ask me to tell the story of how they got their names. You can tell the one with more of a story behind it feels like that is just so cool! It does help them to have more of an identity, purpose, if you will. They even feel your love more knowing you put a lot of thought into their name.

i like to say use a name you like and dont hear offten for a first name and then use a classie plane name for a middle that way your child can use there middle name for offical bisness and there first for life

dont go crazy with the length i knew a kid with 5 names then his last name. a first middel and maybe a 2nd middle is okay and use some thing you like, stop caring what people say if your best friends dont like it who cares this is your baby i know that is hard if your mom doesn't like the name its okay to go with it if you like it they named you so you get this one but also dont do some thing you wouldn't want to live with for ever