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Baby Names As Creative As You Are

Unique Ways to Pick Baby's Name

By Shannon McKelden

• Pick names from one or more family members and build from there. For example: David and Mary: Damarie; Allen and David: Allenda.
• Choose mythic names: Venus, Penelope, Phoenix.
• Pick a place name and add a unique twist: Devony or Dakota.
• Pick a place name that has special meaning: Montana.
• Pick a name based on a hobby. Especially if into things like Renaissance fairs or medieval jousting, names could have an old English or Renaissance twist: Juliet or Griffun.
• Use character names from books or movies: Ripley (Alien), Emma (Emma), Noah (from the Bible).
• Use a last name (often mother's maiden name) for a first name: Taylor or Grayson, for example. Or use the name of someone famous. Norman's nephew names his children after past presidents. "So far they have Kennedy and Jackson," Norman says. "I've told them that the next one had better not be Taft."
• "Religion has also been a popular source of names," Turner says.

Linda Dupie of Fredericksburg, Va., used the character name technique. "My husband and I chose our 14-year-old daughter's name from a John Jakes book series called North and South," she says. "We chose Madeline because the character was strong, intelligent and beautiful." Dupie knows they made the right choice. "She's everything the character in the book was and more," she says. 

Kimberly Ben used religion as a source for her children's names. "In Islam, the birth of a child is truly a celebratory event," says the mother of four from Atlanta, Ga. "The aqiqah (naming ceremony) is held normally on the seventh or eighth day (sometimes later) following the birth. Names are very important in Islam [and] the best names are those connected to God, His attributes, the prophets and other pious people."

Eac of Ben's four children have names that are unique and meaningful:

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
• From Romeo to Juliet: The Power of the Name
• "You're Naming Her What?" 9 Rules for Discussing Names
• Pride vs. Prejudice: Baby Names and the African-American Experience
• Talk about it!