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