Baby Name Meanings

Speaking as a Michael (a Hebrew name, meaning Who is like God), I'm really proud of my name. And I think that I - mostly - live up to the title! Of course, my mother would probably disagree; I think the phrase little devil would probably pass her lips if she was describing me during many stages of my childhood.

But then, my mother has her own issues; apparently her name (Kathleen) is a Celtic name meaning Little Darling. Hmmm, that isn't the way I used to think about her during those regular occasions when she was punishing me for my ot like God behaviour?!

And that's the fun of baby name meanings - parents make naming decisions based on many, many different reasons, including family traditions, religion, culture, uniqueness and it just sounds really nice. But - in the Western world - we rarely do any real research into the history or real meaning of baby names. So when the poor/lucky child finally finds out the meaning of his/her eally nice sounding name, the results can be interesting, ironic, unfortunate or just sometimes hilarious.

You can have a lot of fun thinking up family/friends names, finding out the meanings and trying to make a connection between the two. For example, my eldest brother Clive is apparently a cliff dweller, which is coincidental, since he lives at the top of a very long steep hill! Or why not play the game with celebrities - consider the following:

Badu (as in r n'b singer Erykah Badu): African name meaning Tenth born child

Winona (as in actress Winona Ryder): Sioux name meaning Firstborn daughter

Aaliyah (the late r n'b singer): Arabic name meaning High, exalted

Hilary (as in actresses Duff/Swank): Latin name meaning Cheerful

Some cultures have very interesting traditions when it comes to baby name meanings. For example, Hindu names usually have connections with very positive things such as truth, beauty, happiness, blessings, etc, or one of the Hindu gods. In the Sikh culture, girls traditionally have the middle or surname Kaur, meaning Princess, whilst the boys have the middle or surname Singh, meaning Lion.

An African friend of mine once mentioned that many Africans are given a second name corresponding to the day of the week on which they were born. I think is a really nice tradition, but in my case, my middle name would be Sondo (born on Sunday)!! Hmmmm?

Whatever type of name you have chosen, or are thinking about for your undle of joy, its worth doing a little research into the meaning. And it's never been easier, with the wealth of Internet resources and books available, including my own site at www.all-about-baby-names.com, which is jam-packed with resources, tips and information on baby names, baby name meanings and baby products.

Your search may yield some surprises; for example, the lovely-sounding name Malory is French and means Bad luck. You could get round this by spelling it Mallory, but this means Without good fortune in Old German!

Alternatively, you may end up a little confused by different meanings of the same name; for example Leah is a beautiful girl's name, but what does it mean? Well?

In Hebrew it means Cow or Weary one - uugghhh!
In Greek it means Glad tidings
In Assyrian, it means Mistress, ruler

And a final warning: if you are planning to go for a funky, unusual-sounding name, be sure to avoid Bacia, - its Ugandan meaning is Family deaths ruined the home!

About the Author: Michael Barrows' website has great advice for choosing baby names and lots of great baby resources. Get your free ebook packed with baby tips for new parents, visit http://www.all-about-baby-names.com