How to Give Your Baby a Popular American Name

The following are some of the most popular names for children in the United States for 1998, in order of popularity, and with meanings.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baby Names
• Genealogy Books
• Internet Access
• Computers
• Genealogy Software

1. Choose one of the top five names for girls: Emily (flatterer), Hannah (gracious), Samantha (listener), Ashley (ash tree meadow), or Sarah (princess).

2. Choose one of the top five names for boys: Michael (who is like God), Jacob (substitute), Matthew (gift of God), Joshua (God is my salvation) and Christopher (Christ bearer).

3. Select a girl's name from numbers 6 through 10: Alexis (defender of mankind), Taylor (tailor), Jessica (wealthy), Madison (good) and Elizabeth (consecrated to God).

4. Select a boy's name from numbers 6 through 10: Nicholas (victorious people), Brandon (beacon hill), Tyler (tile maker), Andrew (strong) and Austin (majestic - a short form of Augustine).

5. Opt for a girl's name from numbers 11 through 15: Alyssa (rational), Megan (pearl, or great), Kayla (crown), Lauren (crowned with laurel) and Rachel (female sheep).

6. Opt for a boy's name from numbers 11 through 15: Daniel (God is my judge), Joseph (God will increase), William (determined guardian), Zachary (God remembered) and John (God is gracious).

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind that these names come from various parts of the country and can be derived from different cultures. The spellings and meaning may vary slightly from region to region - check with your family or other resources if this is important in naming your child.

on 11/22/2005 Browsing through the Census figures gives you more scope for names. For example the ever-popular names like - "John", "Mary", "George", and "Tom". Most traditional American names are from the Bible, classic literature, or from Great Britain (though some, like Derek, Honoria, and Perpetua, didn't make it over). Browsing through anthologies can give you ideas beyond "Jason", "Jennifer", and "Tiffany".

Try for names that aren't diminutives or nicknames for some other name. While Jerry, Sherri, Vinnie, or Lilibet might sound cute while you're cuddling your pink bud of flesh, it's going to wear awfully thin when they have to look or sound professional. Spell the name out - Jerome, Cheryl, Vincent, Elizabeth. Remember their names are to be theirs for a lifetime.

Clever idea names, like - Miqqi, Reignbeaux, or Theoline don't work in actual use. It doesn't matter if some entertainer or celebrity decides to name their child Rebop, Lourdes or Dweezil (or for that matter Paris or Pierre, both girls, for the location of their conception), in ordinary America. It's more of a hassle than a distinction to bear forever a relic of someone's bad judgment (and a lot of these cleverly named kids tend to change their names to something else as soon as they can). My acid test is this: Would the name look good engraved?

on 11/22/2005 Athena (Greek goddess).