What's in a Name?

Picking a name for your baby can be a bit difficult to do especially when so many names are popping in your head. There's a lot of things to consider like the length, the meaning, "will it suit the baby?" and "will the name be a punchline in a joke?" I mean, I don't want to burden our little one with a name that will make him the laughing stock of his class. I remember an episode in How I Met Your Mother where a student in Ted's class was named Cook Poo. Poor kid.

My boss once told me to pick a name after the baby's born so that I'll know if the name fits. I'm a tad concerned with this because I might give out a name that's hard to understand or worst, can't be spelled correctly by the nurse (which will be a problem for my kid when his birth certificate is issued. I DON'T WANT that to happen).

Anyway, there are a lot of baby names books out in the market (I've checked Powerbooks and National Bookstore) but I didn't buy them because I have Google (and yes, everything in the book is on the Internet!). Just use your money in the essentials like the baby's clothes, nappies, milk, etc.

I suggest that you and your husband decide on what to name your baby a month before you give birth. I have several names in mind ever since my third month. I have both girl and boy names (that's how prepared I am). I chose my baby names based on our initials (A for Althea / L for Lois and E for Etan) and of course, their meanings. Also, two of the names below are actually my favorite names ever since I was child that's why it can't be changed (we're using it as a second name and that's where we're getting the nickname from).

Here's my baby names list and their meanings:

GIRL NAMES

Audrey - origin is English, means "noble strength" and yes, I like this name because of my favorite old movies actress, Audrey Hepburn

Ava - origin is Latin, means "like a bird"

Lorraine - origin is French, means "from Lorraine, a province in France where Joan of Arc is born"

Lorelei - origin is German, means "alluring enchantress"

Elizabeth - (this is my favorite of the bunch) origin is Hebrew, means "God is my Oath"

If my baby's a girl, her name could be Audrey Elizabeth or Ava Elizabeth or Lorraine Elizabeth or Lorelei Elizabeth. Cute right? I'm opting for two names because my husband and I have two names as well.

BOY NAMES

Andrew - origin is Greek, means "manly or a warrior"

Alec - origin is English, means "defender of the people"

Lee - origin is Old English, means "pasture or meadow"

Levi - origin is Hebrew, means "joined in harmony"

Ezekiel - this is the one, I can feel it (ever since I was a kid!). We even have a nickname ready for our baby. Whenever we call him by his nickname, he would move energetically and yes, even gives me a gentle kick (sometimes, not too gentle). Origin is Hebrew, means "God will strengthen or strength of God".

Since I'm having a baby boy, his name would either be Andrew Ezekiel or Alec Ezekiel or Lee Ezekiel or Levi Ezekiel. My husband insisted on not naming our baby after him (the II or "Jr.") because it's too common. I agree and uhm, I kind-of like the whole bible name theme I have going on because it makes our baby sound like a caring soul, like an angel (oh I do hope he grows up to be good!). I haven't decided on a first name yet but I'll let you know what we've decided on as soon as our little one is born. I'm really excited!