This year, the hottest suggestions for infant naming are a bit unusual . From biblical names with a twist to foreign names, 2008 puts a whole new pattern for naming children. Name meanings and history are important to think about when naming a baby, since that name will be something that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Although name definitions are the primary things one regularly looks at when deciding on the perfect name for a baby, following name trends has become very familiar in today’s world. Year 2008 keeps a little bit of the traditional element in posh infant names, but also mixes modern style, a retro factor, and an unusual touch. These same trends are being followed when it comes to the baby gift industry where more and more baby gift stores are offering baby personalized gifts.

As it has been created for the past few years, biblical traditionalnames are some of the most popular . Jacob, Joshua, Abigail, Daniel, and Gabriel are some names that have been predominant in modern times. A few unusual additions to these familiar biblical names are those such as Caleb, Ethan, Zachary, and Elijah. The name “Elijah” is actually one of the most posh names this year. Many individuals hold true to biblical names because they are elegant, and they usually have a attractive, deep meaning that recognizes famous meanings for your baby’s life. In fact, baby keepsakes are oftentimes created with the puchase of personalized baby clothes.

An interesting conceptthis year is for Western Mom’s and Dad’s to provide their children foreign names. Spanish, Asian, Italian, Irish, and Arab names have become quite popular amongst North Americans and the English. Carlos, a Spanish name meaning “free man,” Connor, an Irish name that stands for “much wanted,” and Lian, a Chinese name whose meaning is a “lotus flower,” are some of the most extensive foreign names that have gone worldwide .

Another cool and chic practicein 2008 is giving your name a classic, traditional name with a twist in the spelling. For example, instead of naming your baby girl “Natalie,” come up with a various and clever means to spell the name, such as “Natelly.” Alterations to familiar names should be well plannedand thought out. Place an emphasis on the part of the name, or a sound in the name that you like the most. This is a wonderful means to make your infant stick out from the rest. exceptionally spelled names are ranked at the top this year.

A lifelong pattern that commenced last year and has sustained throughout this year is to provide your infant the name of a place. Australia, Athena, London, Ireland, and Paris are familiar place names that have become posh infant names this year. Some believe that this concept is a result of the popularity of Paris Hilton, a well-known heiress and fashion symbol. Naming children after a location on the map is probably the best concept for 2008.

Last of all, giving children bizarre and unusual names is a familiar concept today among celebrities. From “Apple” to “Shiloh,” these names are sure to stick out from the crowd. When selecting the correct name for your kid, remember all of the characteristics of the name, from sound and spelling to meaning. After all, this name will be a part of the child’s life, following them around everywhere they go - from personalized toys, like their very own instep pink pedal car to what they will be called by their employers when they become adults.

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I recently had the opportunity to conduct a short but fascinating print interview with Judith Tropea, author of the recently-published book, “Classic Biblical Baby Names - Timeless Names for Modern Parents.”

At the outset, I was struck by a quotation from the book’s introduction — a quotation from Proverbs, 22:1, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.” Rather a bold statement, I thought, especially when many of us hold “great riches” in such high esteem!

What is there to say about a biblical name, or any name for that matter, that could make it so important? After all, isn’t a name just a name? As Shakespeare said, “what’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

But would it?

In her book, Judith Tropea notes that “Names are an integral part of our identity. A child’s name affects his or her self-perception and reflects the parents’ beliefs and cultures. A name pays tribute to the individual spirit and is one of the first wonderful gifts you can offer your child.” When I asked her about this during our conversation, she said “A biblical name gives a baby a connection to spirituality that may be a springboard to finding spirituality later in life.”

I think that’s a pretty good reason for prospective parents to consider the names in the bible. and see what a treasure trove of names might be between the covers.

At my urging, Judith Tropea came up with 3 suggestions each for boy’s and girl’s names from the bible that are a little out of the ordinary, and that carry a positive spiritual message. For girls, the names were Dannah, Ivah, and Zaccai. For boys, Asher, Barak, and Jakim. I grabbed my copy of her book to see what the meanings and spiritual significance of these names might be.

The name Dannah literally means “judging.” It signifies a woman who stands for justice and fair play. Ivah means “overturning,” and it is a reminder that faith can move mountains. Zaccai means “just,” or “seeker of justice.” I was beginning to understand what the author meant about names affecting our self-perception.

The boy’s name Asher means “happy” or “blessed.” Barak, a name currently very prominent because of the senator from Illinois, means’ “flash of lightning,” and the spiritual connotation is “powered by God.” Jakim means “God lifts up,” and it symbolizes a man who lives his life as an example to other people.

Quite a remarkable group of names. “Classic Biblical Baby Names” is filled with examples of names like these, spelling out their literal and spiritual meanings, and how the names crop up in different biblical stories. Some of the names are quite well known, such as Adam, Paul, or Elizabeth; others, like Darius or Calah, are much more obscure. After my conversation with Judith Tropea, I found myself wanting to dig into her book more, to see what other little-known names and meanings are lurking in there.

I also found myself in the odd position of having to disagree with Shakespeare. Much as the great Bard knew his stuff, on this point I think he was mistaken — a rose, by any other name, sometimes may not smell as sweet.

Naming your baby is often a very tough decision and most parents spend days (and nights) talking about different names that they like (or don’t like). All in all it has a lot to do with feelings and associations. What does that exact name mean to you? Did you know a great person that you would want to name your child after while your partner thinks or a hated childhood classmate?

In the year 2005 the top names in the United States by gender were: GIRLS - (1) Emma, (2) Emily, (3) Madison, (4) Kaitlyn, (5) Sophia, (6) Isabella, (7) Olivia, (8) Hannah, (9) Makayla and (10) Ava. For the BOYS it was (1) Aidan, (2) Jacob, (3) Ethan, (4) Nicholas, (5) Matthew, (6) Ryan, (7) Tyler, (8) Jack, (9) Joshua and (10) Andrew.

Most if not all of these names sound familiar and you might even know several people with one of the names. They are extremely popular and have been so for quite a while. But event though they are so familiar my guess is that you have never though of the origin of the name and the meaning that was once associated with the particular name.

After reading this article you can impress your family and friend with some background on the name they have carried for years. If you would like to know the meaning of your own name or the name of someone you know I suggest that you go to Google and type “name”+meaning.

Emma - Female name originating from the old German (European) language. It means “Universal” and “All Embracing”. The name has been in the top 1000 popular names in the US ever since 1880. Emma is pronounced EM-ah. Besides being a popular first name is is also a very popular surname.

Emily - Female name originating from the old German and Latin language. It means “Industrious” and “Eager”. The name has been very popular ever since names were recorded (1880) and have really soared ever since 1960 and are currently peaking. The name is pronounced EM-i-lee. Emily comes in 5 other variant forms: Amelia, Emelia, Emilee, Emilia and Emilie.

Madison - Unisex name originating from old German and English language. It means “Son of a mighty warrior” and “Son of Maud”. From this we can see that this name has not always been unisex but now girls have taken the name by storm ranking it third in 2005. It is pronounced MAD-a-son. The five most popular variants are: Maddison, Madisen, Madisson, Madisyn and Madyson.

Aidan - A unisex name that is pronounced AY-den. It is of Irish origin and means “Fiery”. The name is an anglicized form of the ancient Gaelic name Aedan, a pet form of Aed. Name of a bishop of Ferns (seventh century) who was noted for his kindness and generosity. Saint Aidan (Ireland, seventh century) established the monastery of Lindisfarne, one of the great centers of learning of its time.

Jacob - A boys name taken from Hebrew with the meaning “Held by the Heel” and “Supplants”. The name is pronounced JAY-kub. According to the biblical story he was the son of Isaac and Rebekah and the twin brother of Esau. Jacob had 12 sons and one daughter and it is said that they became the ancestors of the nation of Israel.

If you’re interested in looking up some of the other names I strongly recommend using Google as described earlier. For the most popular names you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for within the first 3-4 search results. Happy searching.

Choosing a name for your baby is a very important task. Your child will have to live with that name for the rest of their lives, and they’re not going to thank you if it’s totally out there or they have to spend countless hours spelling it for people. So it’s important to choose well.

You probably need to start by working out if you want to give your child a common name or an unusual name. This can be influenced by your surname. If you have a very common surname, you may want to go with a name that’s not so common. That doesn’t mean you have to make one up yourself; there are plenty of really nice names that people know, but don’t appear on the Top 100 Baby Names lists every year.

You also need to decide who you want to share your potential baby names with. It’s likely that all your friends and family will have opinions about the name you choose, and you may prefer to avoid listening to those opinions. Once the baby is born and named, hopefully they’ll be too busy gooing and clucking over the baby to fuss about the name!

The spelling of a name is important. Pick a name that is easy to spell, so that your child isn’t doomed to repeating it over and over again throughout their life. There was a fad a while ago to take common names and spell them in unusual ways. All I can say is - DON’T. Your child will never thank you for it. Also, think seriously about choosing a name that is usually reserved for the opposite sex. It may sound innovative to call your daughter Brandon, for example, but she will very rapidly get fed up with being addressed as Mr. when she grows up.

Remember, too, that your child has two parents, and it’s important that you’re both involved in choosing a name. Some couples find it works well for the father to brainstorm for a boy’s name, and the mother a girl’s name, and then they share ideas. If one parent doesn’t like a name, it’s off the list. That’s final. Keep swapping ideas until you end up with a shortlist of names, then get serious about which ones you prefer.

Once you have a shortlist, it might be worth checking out the meanings of those names. Sometimes you like a name only to find out it has a really awful meaning. I always liked the name Darcy, for example, until I found out it meant dark and brooding. It just didn’t feel right after that.

Choosing baby names doesn’t have to be a huge drama, as long as you remember to respect your partner’s feelings. And the funny part is that quite often you’ll think you’ve made a decision, and then you’ll gaze down on your newborn’s face and discover that you’re calling him or her by a totally different name. It might just be the right one for your baby, too!

We often see “top lists” of baby names — top ten names of 2005, the trendiest, the coolest, the most popular names of the decade — and so on. Readers find these lists endlessly fascinating, often using such lists to help them choose a name for their own offspring. But now, in what is most likely the first appearance of this set of data, comes the mother of all names lists: The Top Ten Baby Names Of The 20th Century (USA). For parents who want to know what the really enduring names are, at least in the United States, this is the list to beat all lists.

This definitive compilation of data, spanning the years from 1900 to 1999, is based on my original analysis of birth data. This “best of the century” list, based on Social Security Card applications for births in the United States, determines and ranks the top 10 boys’ names and the top 10 girls’ names spanning the entire 20th century. It was compiled using the same methodology as used by the Social Security Administration in compiling their most popular names of the decade lists, i.e. by totaling the raw numbers. But in this case, the time period studied is the entire 20th Century.

There are plenty of surprises: Donald in the # 13 all time spot; Dorothy in the # 9 spot for girls, followed by Betty at # 10, to name a few. It may surprise people to see Patricia at the # 2 all-time girl’s spot. Plus, there are some fascinating trends revealed by the data, such as the top 10 boys’ names accounting for nearly 35 million names over the century, while the top 10 girls’ account for only about 15 million names, clearly demonstrating the huge variety of girls’ names versus boys’ names, going back to 1900.

Just as they do today, Biblical names make a strong showing on the list. On the boy’s side, no fewer than six biblical names appear in the all-time top ten; on the girl’s side, two names have biblical roots. This discrepancy between boys’ and girls’ biblical names, with boys’ always being more popular, holds true today.

Given the greater volatility over time of girls’ names, it is not surprising to see that some superstars of the 20th Century, such as Linda, which ranks # 3 in the century, has fallen precipitously — all the way to # 416 by 2005. Poor Betty, # 10 in the 20th Century, has fared even worse — the name has not ranked in the top 1000 since squeaking onto the list at # 918 in 1996.

What names are still hot? Amazingly, five boys’ names from the top dozen of the 20th Century - Michael, Daniel, Christopher, Joseph and William - are still in the top twelve today. For girls, only Elizabeth (#12 in 2005) shows that kind of endurance. For more than 100 years, parents have been very traditional in picking boys’ names but ready to take a chance on something new when it comes to girls’ names.

So what were the Top Baby Names of 20th Century? Here are the top ten for each gender:

Boys:
1 James
2 John
3 Robert
4 Michael
5 William
6 David
7 Richard
8 Joseph
9 Charles
10 Thomas

Girls:
1 Mary
2 Patricia
3 Linda
4 Barbara
5 Jennifer
6 Elizabeth
7 Margaret
8 Susan
9 Dorothy
10 Betty

How are the superstars of the 20th Century, James and Mary, performing today? True to form, the boy’s name, James, is still not far from the top. It ranked # 17 in 2005. Mary, while not slumping like some of her sister names, is not doing so well. In 2005, she was # 73. More ominous for Mary, she has been trending downward since she last held the # 1 spot back in 1961. But even if Mary falls out of the top 100, it may only be temporary. Consider the name Emily, the hottest girl’s name for the last ten years. 45 years ago, when Mary was # 1, Emily was # 265. Names, like most fashions, ebb and flow with the tastes of the day.