Speaking as a Michael (a Hebrew name, meaning Who is like God), Im really proud of my name. And I think that I mostly - live up to the title! Of course, my mother would probably disagree; I think the phrase little devil would probably pass her lips if she was describing me during many stages of my childhood.

But then, my mother has her own issues; apparently her name (Kathleen) is a Celtic name meaning Little Darling. Hmmm, that isnt the way I used to think about her during those regular occasions when she was punishing me for my not like God behaviour!

And thats the fun of baby name meanings parents make naming decisions based on many, many different reasons, including family traditions, religion, culture, uniqueness and it just sounds really nice. But in the Western world we rarely do any real research into the history or real meaning of names. So when the poor/lucky child finally finds out the meaning of his/her really nice sounding name, the results can be interesting, ironic, unfortunate or just sometimes hilarious.

You can have a lot of fun thinking up family/friends names, finding out the meanings and trying to make a connection between the two. For example, my eldest brother Clive is apparently a cliff dweller, which is coincidental, since he lives at the top of a very long steep hill! Or why not play the game with celebrities consider the following:

Badu (as in r nb singer Erykah Badu): African name meaning Tenth born child

Winona (as in actress Winona Ryder): Sioux name meaning Firstborn daughter

Aaliyah (the late r nb singer): Arabic name meaning High, exalted

Hilary (as in actresses Duff/Swank): Latin name meaning Cheerful

Some cultures have very interesting traditions when it comes to baby name meanings. For example, Hindu names usually have connections with very positive things such as truth, beauty, happiness, blessings, etc, or one of the Hindu gods. In the Sikh culture, girls traditionally have the middle or surname Kaur, meaning Princess, whilst the boys have the middle or surname Singh, meaning Lion.

An African friend of mine once mentioned that many Africans are given a second name corresponding to the day of the week on which they were born. I think is a really nice tradition, but in my case, my middle name would be Sondo (born on Sunday)!! Hmmmm

Whatever type of name you have chosen, or are thinking about for your bundle of joy, its worth doing a little research into the meaning. And its never been easier, with the wealth of Internet resources and books available, including my own site at www.all-about-baby-names.com, which is jam-packed with resources, tips and information on baby names, baby name meanings and baby products.

Your search may yield some surprises; for example, the lovely-sounding name Malory is French and means Bad luck. You could get round this by spelling it Mallory, but this means Without good fortune in Old German!

Alternatively, you may end up a little confused by different meanings of the same name; for example Leah is a beautiful girls name, but what does it mean? Well

In Hebrew it means Cow or Weary one uugghhh!

In Greek it means Glad tidings

In Assyrian, it means Mistress, ruler

And a final warning: if you are planning to go for a funky, unusual-sounding name, be sure to avoid Bacia, its Ugandan meaning is Family deaths ruined the home!

For more information and advice, check out the baby name meaning resources at www.all-about-baby-names.com.

Enjoy your search and happy baby naming!