Bringing a new baby into the world requires lots of decisions. By far the most lasting choice a parent will make is the name they give their new bundle of joy. Names are a part of personal identity, and many believe a name can shape personality and life experiences, which is why so many parents give this decision a great deal of thought.

"Parents put weight on everything now," says Lonna Corder, a parenting coach and director of a Montessori preschool in San Francisco. "They chose the right college, chose the right career, chose the right mate, chose the right town, chose the right house and now the kids' names have to be right."

When it comes to choosing the perfect name, every family takes a different approach. Corder has noticed that naming children follows cultural trends. For example, names used to be very traditional – coming from family members and being passed through generations. But now more parents look to popular culture to name their children. For example, five years ago, Brittany was a popular name for girls. And today, Hannah and Miley are favorites.

Some parents look to family traditions, and others look to popular culture – while some go in completely different directions. Aimee and Nate Wells of San Francisco chose a unique name for their son because they liked how it sounded and the sporty image it conjured for them.

"My husband and I named our 1-year-old son Tavish," says Aimee Wells. "Not only was it a unique name, but we thought it sounded really cool with his last name and shortened, a lot like a name you might hear an announcer for a snowboarding, surfing or skateboarding contest call out, 'Tav Wells does it again,' or 'Tav hits the lip.' We're geeks and even though my husband surfs, our son might end up an indoor bookworm, but we definitely named him with other thoughts in mind."

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