Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Naming Your Baby

1. Not testing your baby's name in the real world. You may want to keep it a secret, but your child will carry this around forever! Use it, say it out loud, make sure it's easy to pronounce and look out for tongue twisters and rhymes.
2. Using bizarre or nonsensical spellings just to be different. People love to spell things with an uncommon twist, but this almost guarantees errors. Your best bet for being original is choosing an uncommon name, rather than Emily with an a and two-e's.
   3. Not learning what's popular today (to avoid surprises tomorrow). Think choosing Ava or Jack is avant-garde? Think again! Picking a popular name isn't wrong, but don't expect to your little one to have a one-of-a-kind moniker if you haven't done your homework.
4. Forgetting the technological world we live in. Write or type out the initials, as well as the first letter with the last name for email purposes. A girl named Stacy Cary could have a work email that's truly "Scary!"
5. Not checking for infamous namesakes. Just to be on the safe side, Google your pick to make sure the mother of an axe murderer didn't have the same idea.
   6. Succumbing to last-minute pressure. A few well-meaning relatives may talk about how the newborn looks just like Aunt Eleanor or Uncle Claude post-delivery, but picking something on a whim is almost guaranteed to be a choice you'll regret.
   7. Polling others for baby name input. You may not appreciate your best buddy's love of Birkenstocks or your dad's Hawaiian shirt collection because everyone is different. Don't get your feelings hurt if someone in your inner circle can't see the beauty in Tiger Lily or Jagger Jade. (Lee)