Baby Name

One of the hardest parts of becoming a parent is choosing a name for your baby. If you have some Irish background, or are just a fan of Enya or Riverdance, Irish baby names for your little boy or girl can be very appealing, but how do you find a good one? Many popular Irish baby names are becoming popular in the U.S. and most parents want their baby to have a unique name. Here are some websites to help you find just the right name for your little Irish baby.


Fantasy-Ireland is a great website complete with traditional Irish baby naming customs. They will help you choose a creative Irish baby name, and they provide a quick overview on the evolution of Irish baby names. There is a list of popular Irish boy names and Irish girl names, and also a list of unique Irish baby names. This site also provides a bonus list of books and other resources to help you pick the perfect Irish baby name for your little boy or girl.

Baby Names of Ireland is a perfect site if you need to know how to pronounce any Irish baby names. Author Frank McCourt speaks each name and reads out the meaning and description. The meanings of most names are very detailed and some include links to the stories they come from. There are individual sections for Irish Girl Names and Irish Boy Names. There is also an area of legends and folktales, and even an Irish baby gift store with lovely gifts and baby clothes.

If you just want a list of Irish baby names, go to Behind the Name, where you'll find a comprehensive no frills list of Irish boy names and Irish girl names. The navigation on this site is fairly easy, and you can see how the Irish baby name is used in other countries, plus see names related to it, which might help you find the perfect unique Irish name for your baby.

The Baby Name Guide contains the longest list of nearly every form of nearly every Irish baby name. There are meanings, although they aren't very detailed, but the best part of this site is it has a "Favorite" column, where you can click on an Add button and it saves it to a list you can then go through and narrow your choices down to just the right Irish baby name.

Name Nerds has a wonderful list of traditional Irish baby names. Boy names and girl names are on the same list, which is a little confusing, but they provide pronunciation guides, other forms of the name, and meanings. They have many lovely Gaelic names as well.

Whichever site you use, make sure you have a notepad and pen at the ready to write down your list. You can use more than one site to cross reference your names, and find other spellings or meanings. Soon you'll have the perfect Irish baby name picked out for your little boy or girl.

Spanish baby names are making the move from purely traditional to trendy -- Isabella, a variation of the Spanish Isabel, ranked as the #1 most popular baby girl name in the US in 2009. The crossover appeal of Spanish baby names can be traced to the influence of popular culture, the modern aesthetic that favors names containing the letters "x," "v," and "z," and the trend of going back to more traditional baby names while simultaneously choosing names that are edgy and unusual. Here are some popular -- and not so popular -- Spanish baby names, and their meanings, via BabyName.com and Baby Name Network:

Spanish Boy Names

Adán: The Spanish boy name version of Adam, pronounced "ah-dahn," means "of the earth." Possible alternative to the popular Aiden.

Alejandro: A version of Alexander, pronounced "Ah-lay-handro," this Spanish boy name could get a boost from the pop song of the same name. Meaning: defender of the people.

Castel: Pronounced "cast-elle," means "to the castle."

Cid: Pronounced like the English Sid, and namesake of Spanish knight and Conquistador El Cid, this Spanish baby name means "lord."

Cruz: Modern-looking Spanish baby name, the traditional meaning of this Spanish boy name is "The Cross of Christ." Sounds like "cruise."

Devante: This Spanish boy name is similar to the American DeVonte in pronunciation ("dev-on-tay" or the Spanish pronunciation "debh-on-tay"). It means "fighter of wrong."

Iago: Best known as the name of a Shakespearean villain and a talking bird from Disney's Alladin, this cool-sounding Spanish boy name, pronounced "ee-ah-go" means supplanter, or usurper.

Tajo: The pronunciation of this Spanish baby name is "ta-ho," meaning day.

Tanix: This strong Spanish boy name means strength and glory, and is pronounced the way it looks ("tahn-icks").

Ximenes: Pronounced "zee-man-es," this unusual-looking Spanish baby name means "the listener" (Spanish form of Simon).


Spanish Girl Names

Amora: Meaning "love," this Latin baby name is aesthetically similar to the Scandinavian Nora or the English Moira.

Estela: This Spanish girl name has similarities to the popular baby names Stella, Ella and Bella, but is not yet trendy. Means "star." Alternate spelling: Estella.

Herminia: Pronounced "ayre-minia," this Spanish girl name lends itself to nicknames such as Minnie and Nia, and means lady of the earth.

Kesare: This Spanish baby name is the feminine derivative of Caesar, pronounced "keh-sar-ay." Meaning: long-haired.

Luz: Pronounced "luce," this one syllable Spanish baby name means "light."

Maribel: Derived from Maria and the popular Isabel, the Spanish girl name Maribel is a possible alternative to Isabella.

Nieve: Spanish for "snow," this name is sometimes mistakenly claimed as the root of the trendy American name Nevaeh. Though it isn't, Nieve is, in fact, a traditional Spanish girl name, pronounced "nee-ay-bhay."

Olalla: Pronounced "oh-lah-ya," this Spanish baby name means "well-spoken one." Alternate (non-Spanish) spelling: Olaya.

Paz: Meaning "peace," this simple and unusual Spanish girl name is traditionally pronounced "pas."

Solana: Pronounced "so-lah-na," this modern-sounding Spanish baby name means "the sun."

Veta: Pronounced "bhet-ah" or "vet-ah" this Spanish girl name means "intelligent."

These days, people use the Internet socially for everything from party invitations to informing friends and family what they had for breakfast. Is it acceptable, though, for really major life events such as birth announcements?

Not so long ago, e-announcements of any kind were considered the height of tackiness. As the advantages of replacing paper cards with virtual cards has become more apparent and increasingly accepted, they've lost the faux pas stigma in most cases. It all depends on how you do it. Posting your good news to your 875 Facebook friends is one thing; sending out an actual email birth announcement to your entire email address book, including people you've only corresponded with once or twice, can diminish the specialness of the birth announcement. The basic rules of birth announcement etiquette stay the same, whether they are paper or virtual: choose your recipient list with care and send them within about six months of the birth, if possible.

There are several sites that offer charming email birth announcements, either for free or for a fee. If you're thinking about going the virtual route and are concerned with birth announcement etiquette, consider these pros and cons:

When I was in grade school, my friend Emily told us that her mother had chosen her name because it was unique -- Emily hadn't been a popular baby name in quite some time, and she liked it because it was different without being weird. Or so she thought. This Emily was one of six that sat at our lunch table. Using middle names was out -- all the Emilys had the middle name Elizabeth, and there were plenty of those in our group of friends, too. All of the Emilys' parents thought they were choosing unique baby names, but they all ended up picking the same one! On the other end of the spectrum, I had a friend with a very unusual Russian name who got tired of mispronunciations, misspellings, and teasing, and eventually changed her name to Jane.

There's no better way for a family to pay honor to their faith than by naming their children something that reflects it. When it comes to the Muslim faith, however, selecting baby names with meaning is a must. Muslim baby names are very important -- the Muslim faith requires parents to choose a baby name that has a righteous meaning and will bestow blessings upon the child throughout his or her life. Muslim children should be named immediately after birth; the Prophet placed emphasis on beautiful, meaningful names.

Having the right name is important because, according to the Prophet, "On the day of resurrection, you will be called by your names and by your fathers names, so give yourselves good names." In Islam, one of a father's main duties is to give his child a righteous name. Given the importance of this task, finding just the right name is imperative for new parents. Looking for the best places online to find Muslim baby names? The following sites are filled with beautiful and interesting Islamic baby names.