How do I Make Up My Own Baby Names?

Naming a baby is a joy and a challenge.

Naming your baby sounds like an easy project, but it can be fraught with emotion. Perhaps you feel you owe it to your own mother or father to name the baby after them, or your husband would like a "junior" but you're having a girl. Making up a name for your baby satisfies family and gives the baby a name that is hers alone. Just remember that your child girl has to live with that name.

Instructions

1. Combine the first few syllables of the father's first name with the last few syllables of the mother's first name. For example: If the father's name is Brian and the mother's name is Elana, the baby's name would be Briana.

2. Use the initials of the mother and father and add vowels and consonants to the initials to transform them into a name for example J and C would become Jacy.

3. Feminize a male name by changing the spelling and adding "ie" or "ly" to the end. Bob, a boy's name, becomes a girl's name of Bobbie.

4. Use the name of the father and add "lynn" or "ette" to the end. An example would be Harrylynn.

Tips & Warnings

• Look at the baby's initials before making the final decision as to names. You wouldn't want the child to be teased because her initials form an uncomplimentary word like "fat."

• Add a gender-specific middle name if the first name is gender-neutral. That way the child has a choice of what she would like to be called later on in school.