When you think about names for your new baby, there are lots of things to consider. Do you want a unique baby name, one that not many other kids will have, or do you want a more traditional or more popular baby name?

Naming your baby is a very important piece of pregnancy and parenthood. The name you give your baby is the name that in most cases he or she will have until the day they die, the name they will have to live with whether it is popular and trendy, old fashioned and classy, or just different and odd. Your babies name is the first permanent decision that is made for your child, before he is old enough to make decisions on his own.

In terms of popular baby names, there are not many changes between 2004 and 2005 in a report recently released by the Social Security Administration. The top two names for girls and the top seven names for boys remained unchanged, which is not a big surprise.

Review this list of the 20 most popular baby names for 2005 to see if there is a name you just can’t live without, or a name you hadn’t thought of that jumps out at you.

RANK	MALE	FEMALE
1	Jacob	Emily
3	Joshua	Madison
5	Ethan	Olivia
7	Daniel	Hannah
9	Christopher	Ava
11	William	Sophia
13	Ryan	Alexis
15	Nicholas	Sarah
17	James	Mia
19	Jonathan	Chloe

For a completely list of the top 100 Baby Names for 2005, please see 100 Most Popular Baby Names for the year 2005.

There are no wrong or right baby names. Most of the time a parent will know the name for their baby when they hear it because it will make some sort of impact on them, or will make them feel happy and excited. A name is something that is chosen quickly, or it may take time. Ultimately it is a personal decision that should be made by the parents and not altered because of opinions from family and friends or society in general.

If you would like to see the lists of the most popular baby names as put out by the Social Security Administration from previous years, please see Most Popular Baby Names For The Past 100 Years

By Glennys Savage-Moore

Irish baby names, with their Gaelic spelling, are getting very popular.

Like others who immigrated to North America, the Irish gave their babies Americanized names. That way, their children blended into their new society and didn’t stand out among their peers.

But the third and fourth generation started to take interest in their Irish roots and chose Irish words to name their children. Even though some of those names (like Colleen, meaning “girl” in Irish) are not used as names in Ireland, folks of Irish descent honored their heritage by using Irish words

And today? Well, not only are Irish names becoming more common, but the Gaelic spelling of names is too. Spellings like Moira (Mary) and Aoife (Eva, pronounced “EE+fa”) for girls and Eoin (OH+n) for boys are more and more popular.

Why? A lot of people just like the sounds of Irish names or they want their child to have a name that isn’t too common, but just a bit different.

You have to remember though — if you name your child “Eva” and spell it “Aoife”, they’ll forever spell their name for other people, every day of their life! So, you’ll have to decide just how unique your child’s name should be.

A good website for pronunciation is Baby Names of Ireland. It’s great to know how to pronounce these names! They have hundreds of baby names, Gaelic spellings, and pronunciations — for us Irish-challenged folks.

Come to Perfect Baby Names for the top 25 most popular baby names in Ireland in 2003.

About the Author:
Glennys Savage-Moore is a Canadian writer who focuses on articles about babies, health, and needlework. She is the webmaster of Perfect Baby Names and publishes a monthly ezine called “Baby News” with up-to-date baby news, baby fun and learning, and links to resources about choosing baby names.

by Ian Byrd

When it comes to naming their baby, people tend to fall into two broad categories: those who want a unique name for their child and those who feel fine selecting a common name. Naturally, there are pros and cons to both choices. Let’s first look at unique names.

An uncommon baby name will give your child a unique stamp for the rest of his or her life. People will be certain to remember the moment they met your child. An unconventional name will make a wonderful conversation starter, especially if there is an interesting story behind it. Your child may even grow to take great pride in their unique and thoughtful name.

On the other hand, this unique name may be the cause of ridicule, especially as your baby goes through school. Not all people will appreciate the individuality of an uncommon name. Perhaps your child will rue the lifelong attention directed at them at every introduction. Your child may even chose to go by another name to blend in with their peers.

Now, a common name by no means results in a common child. Every John and Jane is a unique person and certainly very few would ever judge someone for having a conventional name. Think of your friends. Many of them have common first names, but have you ever considered them boring or average because of it? Of course not. We love people because of who they are, not because of their name.

Perhaps the best place for a fun, unique name is your child’s middle name. You can feel free to be as creative and meaningful as possible with a middle name, for your child only has to reveal it when they feel comfortable. They may love their middle name and tell everyone about it or they may hate it, in which case they never have to use it.

When selecting your child’s name, be sure to balance the desire for a creative name with the reality of actually living with the name. Feel free, however, to express your child’s uniqueness with a meaningful middle name. And above all, it’s just a name and people will quickly get used to it as they grow closer to your child’s wonderful personality.

About the Author
Ian Byrd has years of experience working with children and understands the immense impact a name has on their identity. For more from Ian on baby names, visit his website: Top 100 Baby Names.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com