The Very Best Baby Name Book

Since the news has been revealed that we are having a boy, I think 80 percent of the people I have told have asked what the name is going to be.  Never mind that we have had less than two weeks to think about it. 

The answer to that is...No, we don't have a name picked out yet.  Even before we knew the gender I would aimlessly browse online baby name sites for ideas and it was overwhelming.  I did not want to spend $20 or more on one of the many books from a bookstore when I could find all of the same information many times over on the Internet.  I kind of feel the same about books like "What to Expect When You're Expecting", although I received a similar book from the doctor that i have referenced a few times. 

After the big gender reveal, however, I was feeling like this was a bit more serious.  Being on the computer all day at work makes it hard to stare at a screen after hours so I decided to stop at a thrift store after work last week and, sure enough, they had three different baby name books that were like new!  This one was the biggest so I handed over the $2.00 price and headed back to the couch for the night!

60,000 names, I thought!  There must be something in here that will catch my eye!  Well, holy crap, this book is overwhelming.  There are some fun lists at the beginning, including lists of popular names in various countries from 2005 and popular American names by decade dating back to 1900.  But once you turn to the boy and girl alphabetical sections the selection is so diverse that it is hard to find one "normal" name per page!  Here is an example of a page from the boy section:

Baal

Babang

Babao

Babaona

Baboata

Babela

Babeldaob

Babul

Bacar

Bach

Baco

Bada

Badahur

Baden

Baek

Bahadur

Bahir

Bahram

Baiei

Bailee

Bailey

Bain

Bainbridge

Baird

Bakar

Bakari

Baker

Bakin

Baklai

Bal

Balasi

Balbino

Balbo

Baldemar

Balder

Baldesar

Ummmm...OK...see what I mean?  Of course, the name Baiei is adorable and all, (it is of Palauan origin, and means "guest house".  Who would name their child Guest House?) and I think Baco might be fitting (it is Greek for "he who creates disturbances") for a baby.  I will add that the name Balder refers to a god in Skandinavian mythology and I met a Norwegian student when I was there in 2006 who had named her dog that which was cute.  I think the only name that I would even consider in that list would be Bailey and I am not considering it.  Maybe 60,000 names is too many to read through...

Here are a few recent and not so serious suggestions from family members...

Marcus Williams after the Bison player who has been a real stud lately and played a big part in their victory over the University of Minnesota a few weeks ago.  He is from the Minneapolis area and was shunned by the U during recruiting time.  Then he owned their a$$es when he got the chance. 

Jacob Allan after some of the family pets.  How sweet.

Ford Escort after...you don't want to know.

Chico-Ocho Francisco Allan, which Justin made up. 

So anyway, we haven't really committed to any names!