However, what about the first initial coupled with the surname? Last week I discussed whether surnames need to be considered when choosing your baby name. So once you’ve decided that the names go well together and roll off the tongue, make sure you haven’t named them something which sounds ridiculous when using their initial with their surname. For example, if your surname is ‘Pod,’ I wouldn’t name your child ‘Ida’ otherwise they will end up with lots of post addressed to I.Pod. The same could be said with surname ‘Yousad’ and any names beginning with ‘R’… And have you met any T. Bags recently? OK, OK, they’re probably getting a bit silly now, but it’s something worth considering when you name your child.

On a more serious note, it is useful to think about all the different ways in which the name you choose for your baby could influence their life. Trying out all the different initial combinations as well as titles, (for example, Miss Terri Ouse and Mr Reese Solved,) might help you rule out names and also help you to narrow it down to the ones you really love.

I wonder whether we should just go with our heart and ignore the surname when choosing a baby name. After all, when your child introduces him or herself they’ll mainly be making an impression with their first name. The problem, in my opinion, arises when you love a name which rhymes with, or is too similar to, the surname, for example: Paige Page, Luca Lucas, William Welder. These either sound like joke names or rock stars (which might not be a bad thing depending on who you are and how much teasing you think your child can take.)

Some people advise that a person’s name should roll off the tongue and that the first name should sound right with the second, but what about middle names? For example, if you really loved the name Alexandria but your surname has lots of syllables in it already, would popping a simple ‘Jane’ as a middle name break it up a bit? I think that you could get away with it when your child is still a baby by introducing them with their full name, but you’ll have to accept people rarely use their middle names when they get older.

I would advise to go with your heart and choose the name you really love. If it sounds absolutely ridiculous, maybe try to re-work it or give it to your child as a middle name so you’re both happy. You don’t want your child resenting you when they’re older because they get teased but you also shouldn’t give up on the name you like just because of your surname. Feel free to try our name generator to play around with some names and see how they fit with your surname!

Finally, if you have a truly awful surname, then don’t despair. Your child can always take on their partner’s name when they settle down!

If you’re expecting, you might find inspiration for your little one’s names from looking into your family tree. Did your great grandpa fight in WWII? Is your long lost Aunty famous for inventing something? Giving your child a name of someone related to you is a nice way of strengthening family bonds and when they are old enough to ask that lovely question of ‘Mummy, why am I called this?’ you’ll have a nice story to tell. It could also help to re-establish their place within the family.

Funnily enough, in Chinese culture it is frowned upon to name a baby after a family member or somebody famous as it can be presumptuous. In other cultures it is seen as bad luck to name a baby after somebody living. But you have to do what feels right to you and your culture.

But before you decide to call your baby Nana Ethel, you might want to consider starting up your own legacy. Giving your baby a strong name you can see carrying through the generations might mean that you can introduce your favourite name to your family circle, and that hundreds of years down the line your great, great grandniece will have inherited their name from the baby you’re carrying right now!

Boy or girl, there are choices out there for you.  If you give birth to a boy then think about the baby names that are out there which reflect on Christmas.  Maybe you could name him Jesus?  Or perhaps that is going a bit too far!  There are still plenty of other names though, how about Joseph, or even Noel?  These names give you the perfect way to show that your child was born at Christmas.  Claus might be a step too far, but your boy could always take Nick as his name!

If you are looking for a girl’s baby name then there are some wonderful options to go through.  Christmas wouldn’t be complete without some Holly and Ivy.  To continue the Christmas theme you could even think about calling your baby Eve, or return to the Biblical story with Mary.

Christmas is a magical time of the year, and whilst having your baby during the period can be difficult, choosing a baby name can be really exciting.  With the options that are open to you during the festive period you could really have fun with choosing the baby name that you want.  Obviously there are another world of options open to you, but Christmas brings us all together, and choosing a baby name to match could be really fun!

Whilst this may not be too much a shock for you, remember that Pippa wasn’t even a major part of this wedding, well, she was the brides’ sister, but she wasn’t getting married!  This shows to us the influence of the press and how their feelings over the other Middleton sister has really influenced the public, so much so that Pippa is going to be one of the most popular baby names in 2011!

In a year when such names are going to be popular, perhaps it is also interesting that the wedding of the year might have influenced another choice in names.  That is the popularity of the bible and it’s influence on names.  Recently Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow named their baby Moses.  In a world where religion is taking a backseat and people tend to find marriage as a less attractive option, it is really interesting that baby names have been influenced by such events this year.  So who’s to say that they don’t play important roles in our lives anymore!

How about naming your baby after everyone’s favourite Jane Austen character Mr. Darcy?  Or what about that beautiful Christmas film ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ and the daughter Zuzu?  The choices that you can gain from choosing a baby name from one of your favourite stories is wide ranging and exciting, and this is definitely why people have started to flock towards these options.  Getting to choose your baby name from your favourite novel is a great opportunity, and there is no doubt that the chances of someone else you know copying the name is pretty unlikely!

So perhaps we have seen the reinvention of the unique name?  We may see that celebrity baby names are ditched, a trend that has definitely been increasing, and instead people choosing a name that whilst unique, actually means something to you!  If you decide to name your baby after your favourite book, then the trend will continue, and we all think choosing a name which means something to you is something just that little bit more special.  So join the new trend, it’s more exciting than copying a celebrity, isn’t it?

So are Apple, Suri’s and Cruz’s parents thinking they perhaps should have chosen Sharon, Jane and Steve?  Probably not, but a recent survey has claimed that around eight per cent of parents regretted the name that they had given their child.  In fact around half of the respondents claimed that they had been influenced by fashion trends around the time of the birth.  So no wonder they have regrets about the baby name that they gave to their child.  I’m sure we all can’t think of anything much worse than two years after the birth of our child, sitting down and thinking ‘why on earth did I give them this silly name?’

Making the judgement between what is acceptable, unique and fun, and a baby name that you will regret within a couple of years is extremely hard.  The most important thing is to name your child something that you like, but it’s important for us all to remember, don’t have any regrets!

Dan Biddle was caught up in the 7/7 terror attacks on London, and was at Edgware Road station when a bomb went off.  He was one of the worst injured people, and ended up losing his legs and an eye.  Obviously this could set some people back, but Dan managed to get on with his life, and has just had the pleasure of becoming a father.  After being saved from Edgware Road by ex-soldier Adrian Heili, Biddle believed it would only be right to remember the man who saved his life.  So his new-born son has been named Nathan Adrian in remembrance of the man who helped Biddle to safety.

In the age of celebrity baby names and their influence, it is great to see such a story reaching the surface.  Naming your baby should be a fun experience, and there is always the chance to remember someone else in a special way.  Such stories show the kind of things that we can all do to help each other, and how people who have an impact on our life can play an important role when we decide on baby names!

Baby names such as Pippa have suddenly become extremely popular, and there is no doubt that since the birth of Harper Beckham there has been a rise in the popularity of that name.  Whilst the most popular baby names are still the classics like Oliver and Olivia, it may not be long until the latest celebrity baby name creates a surge to naming babies similarly!

The news excitement surrounding a celebrity birth means that it is no wonder celebrity baby names are becoming so popular, with people left guessing until the last minute the popularity of the name once it is released sky rockets.  That being said, it might all change if celebrities followed classic trends, but this is unlikely to happen!  Seeing the most popular baby names in a few years time could really show a difference in trend, and whilst the majority of us like to really think about our baby’s name, we are definitely being influenced by celebrities.  That being said, the most important thing of all is that we choose a baby name we love, and one that our baby will grow up to love too, and there are so many choices out there!

Most importantly we have seen a generation grow up with a lot of freedom around their choices, and ultimately that has been reflected in baby names.  Whereas in the past remembering ‘old Uncle George’ might have led to naming your baby after him was a common theme, today, especially with the culture of celebrity, we see people trying to be as unique as possible.  They want their baby name to stand out, whether that is a good thing or not is up for debate though!

So if you have chosen a baby name that is unique, you’re not on your own in that boat.  It would be hard for someone to come out and claim your baby’s name is weird when all over the world more strange and random baby names are being given each and every day.  And who’s to say it wont give your baby a boost that no one else has, I mean who can honestly say their name stood out from the crowd?  Giving your baby that unique name could be just as much a benefit as a hindrance, so why not jump on board and move away from that attitude of ‘weird names’ and embrace the change!