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Baby bumps are Hollywood moms’ must-have fashion accessory, but even parents of the hoi polloi are bumped to the A-list if their child sports a star-quality moniker. Consider the dozens of baby-naming books that have been published in the past few years, the gigabytes of advice suspended in cyberspace and the newest way to dub babies with auspicious names – baby-name consultants.

Whether you think the hubbub over finding the perfect name is silly or not, there’s no denying parents’ current preoccupation with baby nomenclature. I’m reminded of the scene in “Dead Poets Society,” when Robin Williams’ character calls attention to a couple of his students’ “unfortunate names.” Parents don’t want to be responsible for branding their babies with the kind of name that’s going to provoke a lifetime of snickers and sneers.  Yet it seems parents are even more fearful of bestowing on their children names that are, well, ordinary.

Gone are the days when expectant moms and dads were content with the same-old-same-old Toms, Dicks and Marys. According to Social Security Administration data, the 10 most popular names for boys and girls in 1950 were good enough for 1/4 of the baby population. Today, less than 1/10 of all babies come home from the hospital with a Top 10 name. Parents want their baby’s name to reflect that je ne sais quoi that captures the individuality of their child. If this means steering clear of the status quo, stressing over symbolism or bringing in the experts, so be it.

Baby-name consultants: The “in” thing
California couple Whitney Walker and Eric Reyes, authors of “The Perfect Baby Name: Finding a Name that Sounds Just Right,” offer a baby-name consultation service for parents who want extra help choosing the best-sounding name.

“We will consult with you about your family history and other personal naming criteria to offer name suggestions specifically tailored to you. And we can act as an objective third party to help you bounce around ideas and settle any spousal disagreements,” reassure the Reyes at theperfectbabyname.com.

Their naming method, developed while dubbing their 2 children – Gabriel Rush Walker Reyes and Jasper James Walker Reyes – relies on phonetics to match a surname with complimentary sounds in suggested baby names.

In spite of all that parents do to ensure that their offspring have distinctive names, they are unwittingly influenced by current naming conventions. If there’s no such thing as an original idea, there may be no such thing as an original name. “Like hairstyles and hemlines, names have fashions that change with each generation. Name fashions, though, are deeper and more expressive, writes Laura Wattenberg in her book “The Baby Name Wizard: A Magic Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby.”


What the naming trends reveal
So what are the trends influencing today’s baby-name game? There’s definitely a quest for the obscure, unusual and downright wacky. With celebrities opting for titles like Apple and Ace, Zander and Zeppelin, it’s OK for the rest of us to let our creative juices flow. Biblical baby names Jacob and Hannah have topped the charts in the 2000s, and names from Greek and Roman mythology, such as Achilles and Juno, are up-and-comers. Unisex names, such as Bailey and Jordan, remain popular, as do surnames standing in for first names. Evidence that marketing really does work is the proclivity of parents for luxe brand names like Gucci, Armani and Lexus.

With all of this hype over hip baby names, there is a kind of backlash from parents who are looking to yesteryear for sensible names that evoke dignity and charm. Consider the example of Julia Roberts, whose old-fashioned choices of Hazel and Phineas for her twins once raised eyebrows.  What was old is definitely new again. Parents need not look any further than their own family trees for classic, cool names, such as Henry and Abigail. If you’re at a loss for ideas, search the Social Security Administration’s top names from the 19th and early 20th centuries. You’ll want to rule out the occasional moldy moniker, but Oliver and Warren, Josephine and Amelia, sound suddenly apropos.

You have the final word
Choosing a baby name that strikes the perfect note is a tough decision. Whether we, ourselves, are the victims of unfortunate naming, or we witnessed the ridicule endured by the Bartholomew down the street, there’s plenty of angst involved in getting it right. We want our children to be perceived as clever, capable and cute, and we don’t want a yawner of a name holding them back.

A fan of family heritage and long-dead authors, I looked to the past when naming my son and daughter. I was influenced by the meanings of names, by how they sounded, and by how much patience my husband had for my originality. In the end, I feel satisfied that Dylan Thomas and Kathyrn Rose are just right – and regardless of how many Dylans and Kates there are out there – these 2 are perfectly mine.



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