| Speaking as a Michael (a Hebrew name, meaning | | | | names usually have connections with very positive |
| "Who is like God"), I'm really proud of my name. And I | | | | things such as truth, beauty, happiness, blessings, etc, |
| think that I - mostly - live up to the title! Of course, my | | | | or one of the Hindu gods. In the Sikh culture, girls |
| mother would probably disagree; I think the phrase "little | | | | traditionally have the middle or surname "Kaur", |
| devil" would probably pass her lips if she was | | | | meaning "Princess", whilst the boys have the middle or |
| describing me during many stages of my childhood. | | | | surname "Singh", meaning "Lion". |
| But then, my mother has her own issues; apparently | | | | An African friend of mine once mentioned that many |
| her name (Kathleen) is a Celtic name meaning "Little | | | | Africans are given a second name corresponding to |
| Darling". Hmmm, that isn't the way I used to think about | | | | the day of the week on which they were born. I think |
| her during those regular occasions when she was | | | | is a really nice tradition, but in my case, my middle |
| punishing me for my "not like God" behaviour…! | | | | name would be "Sondo" (born on Sunday)!! |
| And that's the fun of baby name meanings - parents | | | | Hmmmm… |
| make naming decisions based on many, many | | | | Whatever type of name you have chosen, or are |
| different reasons, including family traditions, religion, | | | | thinking about for your "bundle of joy", its worth doing a |
| culture, uniqueness and "it just sounds really nice." But - | | | | little research into the meaning. And it's never been |
| in the Western world - we rarely do any real research | | | | easier, with the wealth of Internet resources and |
| into the history or real meaning of names. So when the | | | | books available, including my own site at which is |
| poor/lucky child finally finds out the meaning of his/her | | | | jam-packed with resources, tips and information on |
| "really nice sounding" name, the results can be | | | | baby names, baby name meanings and baby products. |
| interesting, ironic, unfortunate or just sometimes | | | | Your search may yield some surprises; for example, |
| hilarious. | | | | the lovely-sounding name "Malory" is French and |
| You can have a lot of fun thinking up family/friends | | | | means "Bad luck". You could get round this by spelling |
| names, finding out the meanings and trying to make a | | | | it "Mallory", but this means "Without good fortune" in |
| connection between the two. For example, my eldest | | | | Old German! |
| brother Clive is apparently "a cliff dweller", which is | | | | Alternatively, you may end up a little confused by |
| coincidental, since he lives at the top of a very long | | | | different meanings of the same name; for example |
| steep hill! Or why not play the game with celebrities - | | | | "Leah" is a beautiful girl's name, but what does it |
| consider the following: | | | | mean? Well… |
| Badu (as in r n'b singer Erykah Badu): African name | | | | • In Hebrew it means "Cow" or "Weary one" |
| meaning "Tenth born child" | | | | - uugghhh! • In Greek it means "Glad tidings" |
| Winona (as in actress Winona Ryder): Sioux name | | | | • In Assyrian, it means "Mistress, ruler" |
| meaning "Firstborn daughter" | | | | And a final warning: if you are planning to go for a |
| Aaliyah (the late r n'b singer): Arabic name meaning | | | | funky, unusual-sounding name, be sure to avoid "Bacia," |
| "High, exalted" | | | | - its Ugandan meaning is "Family deaths ruined the |
| Hilary (as in actresses Duff/Swank): Latin name | | | | home!" |
| meaning "Cheerful" | | | | For more information and advice, check out the baby |
| Some cultures have very interesting traditions when it | | | | name meaning resources at |
| comes to baby name meanings. For example, Hindu | | | | Enjoy your search and happy baby naming! |