The right book of baby names can really help you choose the right name for your baby. Choosing a baby name is a very personal experience.  Actually it is a huge responsibility and we all want to get it right. But how do you go about choosing the perfect name for your baby?

In this revised edition, of the 1984 book which sold over 3 million copies Bruce Lansky's 'The Very Best Baby Name Book' includes all that you will need to choose the perfect name for your baby.

The bulk of the book is the list of over 30,000 boys' and girls' names complete with origins, meanings, variations, and famous namesakes
With the fun and useful additions of:

• The top 100 baby boy names and the top 100 baby girl names
• The latest baby name popularity poll rankings, including the most popular names for African-American and Hispanic-American children
• Some of the celebrity baby names
• Popular names worldwide
• Legal issues related to names (such as what are the laws for renaming adopted children)
• Birthstones and flowers
• Fascinating facts about names and more

While I was pregnant the question I was asked the most was "Do you know if you are having a boy or a girl?" which was very closely followed by "Have you chosen a name yet?".  Actually for us choosing a name came very easily. We did in fact find out we were having a boy and as my husband is Scottish we really wanted our baby to have a traditional Scottish name and one of the first ones my husband suggested was 'Jamie'. Both my mother and I in unison said..."that's it!".  I think the whole process took about 2 minutes.  I know most people are not so fortunate!

But that didn't stop us turning to as many baby names books as we could to continue our search while we still had time to change our minds.  The first thing I would do was look up the name 'Jamie'.  In The Very Best Baby Name Book under Jamie it says: 


It does not, however tell me this name is Scottish or give me a meaning for it. So I was a little disappointed as I would have liked to have more detail. Other names in this book do have more detail I will add.    I think, however this book is more suited to the stage of choosing a baby name when you need a list of over 30,000 options and ideas to help you out.

I found the section entitled '15 steps to selecting the best name for your baby' interesting to read.  I think any new parent will find this list of things to consider when selecting a name very helpful.  These include things such as:  namesakes, nationality, religion, gender, number of names , sounds and uniqueness.

Did you know that one of the most common baby name terms people search for on the web is 'unique baby boy names' and   'unique baby girl names'?  We have all met someone whose name we will never remember....I fear their parents did not read this book to take the advice of Lansky who points out

"A highly unusual name, such as Teague or Hestia, could be an even greater disservice to your child than Michael or Emily."

This book of baby names also has a fun element to it.  The section called 'The Name Exchange' which lists celebrity names before and after would be great fun at a party.  For example "Who knows what Whoopi Goldberg's original name was?"  ..........  Actually it was Caryn Johnson ........ now that just leaves me curious as to where she got the name Whoopi from!

If you are after a book with good lists of baby names such as the top 100 baby boy names or things to consider when using traditional baby names then this is the book of baby names for you.  You may find another book of baby names book more useful for finding an exact and accurate meaning for your name, but you can definitely not go wrong with this book as a name book in general.  

Carmen
Editor Baby-Books-Guide.com

I know first hand that you need to refer to several baby names books before you feel really confident in your decision, even if you were like us and chose a name quickly.  So I have included two more baby names books below that you might also like to read.

What's In A Name?
By:  Osborn, Susan
Publisher:    Pocket Books

Baby Book Sale Price $5.99 (US $) List Price:    $16.00 You Save:    $10.01 (63% OFF) Buy Now limited stocks at this price

---

American Heirloom Baby Names
By:  Danforth, Charlotte
Publisher:    New American Library

Baby Book Sale Price $4.99 (US $) List Price:    $14.95 You Save:    $9.96 (67% OFF) Buy Now:Limited stocks at this price

---