When I wrote the first edition of The Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World (Meadowbrook Press, 1996) back in 1978, there were about 10,000 names on 120 pages. In a couple of hours you could read the introductory material about what to consider when naming your baby, and then browse all the main listings (pausing to read the derivations, meanings and variations only for names that appealed to you).

The new edition of The Very Best Baby Name Book (Meadowbrook Press, 2004) has 50,000 names on 383 pages. I'd like to propose another way to look for names using this book. The method I suggest involves generating a list of names you love, and then narrowing down the list based on how well the names might work for your baby. Instead of reading this book from cover to cover, you can use it to create a list of names based on your preferences. Of course, there's no reason you can't browse all the main listings too.

Make a list of names to consider by writing down your answers to the following questions.

What country are your parents or grandparents from?
What holidays, rituals and traditions are most important to you?
What might your baby's personality be like?
What might your baby be like physically?
What will be your baby's astrological sign?
Where did you conceive?
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Where do you like to vacation?
Where will your baby be born?
Who are your heroes?
Who are your favorite artists?
Who are your favorite athletes?
Who are your favorite authors?
Who are your favorite biblical characters?
Who are your favorite celebrities?
What are the names of your favorite celebrities' babies?
What are your favorite flowers?
What are your favorite gender-neutral names?
What are your favorite places to visit?
Who are your favorite military leaders?
Who are your favorite mythological characters?
What are your favorite boys' and girls' names from the list of most popular names over the past 100 years?
What are your favorite boys' and girls' names from the most recent list of popular names?
Who are your favorite opera composers and stars?
Who are your favorite relatives?
What are your favorite rocks, gems and minerals?
Who are your favorite singers?
Who are your favorite presidents?

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