You also have to think about the culture the child will grow up in, and it's ethnic make up. for instance on eof my favourite girl names is Niamh.. it is a strong Irish name and I think it honors part of my heritage perfectly.. but I am bi-racial, living in a predominately Black country in the Caribbean.. trust me no- one will call that child's name right if I name my daughter Niamh.
Also names like Rebecca, Jessica etc.. although i think are very pretty and classic names would be very out of place for children in my culture.

My favourite advice is share the name, get advice on how it looks and sounds etc. Constructive criticism goes a long way

I find a name I like, then do online research! I look up famous namesakes on IMDB.com to see if there are any famous people they would be associated with and if that would be a good or bad thing! Then I just type the name in on myspace and check out some everyday people (teens and young adults) with the same name to see what kind of person they may end up to be. Sounds crazy, but it's thorough!

If you love the name the child will to, exspecially if there is some meaning behind the name. I am not in love with my name Lindsay, I never felt like a Lindsay- i was sapose to be ashley but my brother could not say ashley he could only say ass. So my parents couldn't agree on a name and it came down to a new character on my moms soap opera she watched who happend to be named Lindsay.... I guess my name really never felt special. It was a last minute name pick.

Consider the initials when put together. Like the name Anna Sally Sampson or ASS. Also, i got this tip from a TV show, Johnny B. Goode.

Well, I know in some cultures we like our names to be distinctive. However, I would just say choose a name that you can imagine saying often, because you may have to, one that the child can spell as well and don't put extra letters in it to make it different (lol!!!) Shaniqua/Shahneequah or David/Dayvyd you get the picture. Choose a name that can be shortned as a nickname...if you like nicknames. For instance, Isabella (Bella), Michael (Mike) etc. My friends called me Dimples (thats obvious) mine are pretty deep. Also,this is most important to me. My son is Darik. Which in German means strong ruler of the people. Thats why I chose the name, but I wish I would've spelled it Derek. I can't find ANYTHING with his name printed on it. I always have to pay extra. :o(

Good luck!

Chanee'

My mama always said the best way to know you have the best name for you is to go to the back door and yell out the name u have picked... if it feels right when your yelling it.. you've got the right one! =]