Name Game

Everyone seems to be interested in whether or not we've picked out a name, and what names we're considering. And nearly everyone has suggestions (from "name him after me!" to the just plain silly "Busta Augusta." Luckily we have eliminated the names of friend's pets from the list of possibilities and Busta is a kitty we know in Ohio.) Like most couples, I imagine, Sam and I have had the challenge finding names that we both like. I'm inclined to slightly more "unique" names but we don't want anything too wacky. It's got to have a good flow, no bad nicknames, and ring well "on the field" for whatever sports or activities he's into. One thing we easily agreed on was that he'll have the Augusta surname.

After the initial brainstorming and visiting lots of name sites on the web, I checked out the bookstore. There are a million books out there and each seems to flaunt an even larger number of names than the last. The book I settled on - and love - is The Baby Name Wizard by Laura Wattenberg. This book is clever. It doesn't have the most extensive list, but it's fun to read and use. Rather than just pages and pages of names to read through, you can look up names you like and there will be lots of ways to find similar names. Names are sorted into "families" (each name lists "sister" and "brother" names based on popularity, style, uniqueness, length, etc.) and there are shorter lists of names by style. Every name includes a chart showing it's popularity over the course of time (1900 to today) and it's "rank" at it's peak of popularity. The descriptions are the most fun I've seen anywhere - clearly there was a lot of thought put into them.

http://www.babynamewizard.com/sampleentries.html

Here's a few examples (these are not names we are considering):
Peyton - virtually unheard of until recently, sharp rise in popularity to a rank of #180 in 2001
Style: Androgynous, Last Name First, Nickname-Proof
Sisters: Kennedy, Riley, Cameron, Ashlyn, Skyler
Brothers: Jaden, Parker, Bryson, Cooper, Carson
Desc: Cross melodrama Peyton Place with quarterback Peyton Manning and what do you get? How about a formerly preppy, delicate name that's gained some jock cred.

Claude - steady decrease from peak popularity (#71) in 1900 to today
Style: French, Ladies and Gentlemen
Sisters: Cecile, Marion, Louise, Leora, Estelle
Brothers: Jules, Clement, Horace, Luther, Edmund
Desc: The perfect French gentleman, Claude has been dragged down a bit the clodlike English pronunciation of the name. It's still a distinguished choice, but not a popular one.

Ruby (so you have a girl example) - peaked in 1910 at #24, sharp and steady decrease then slight increase in recent years (currently #197 in popularity)
Style: Charms and Graces, Guys and Dolls
Sisters: Sadie, Mae, Hazel, Rosie, Lillie
Brothers: Mose, Harry, Leo, Max, Roy
Desc: While Violet and Pearl were blushing in the parlor, Ruby was kicking up her heels at the music hall. She's the spitfire of this old-fashioned name family.

One downside of the book, though, is that not all of the names referenced in the "brothers and sisters" categories have entries themselves, so sometimes you are lead to a dead end.

There's also a website that is similarly fun for brainstorming, it's using a limited list of names in it's database, but it's a lot of fun -
http://www.nymbler.com/nymbler/
This site lets you select names for inspiration (up to five, I think) and it will provide lists of similar names based on what you select. You can block names you don't like, and track favorites. It's definitely worth a few minutes of play, even if you don't have anyone to name right now!