Choosing a name for your baby used to be straightforward: you simply picked a religious one, chose a family name or were inspired by royalty.

But with so many sources of inspiration now, from celebrities and their babies to countless baby name books (and of course, Baby Names at Bounty.com), here are a few dos and don’ts to help you decide...

Do….

• bear in mind that pregnancy hormones can affect your choices. Have some back-up names in case you decide that Geranium or Gulliver may not be the best choice once your baby is born.
• take a look at the Bounty Baby Names section for the most popular baby names.
• pick a name that you like when you say it out loud.
• choose a name that goes with your surname. You’d want to avoid calling your daughter Tess if your surname’s Tickell.
• be wary of names that start with the same letter as your surname or that sound similar as these can at best sound twee and at worst like you’re a in pantomime or burlesque – Bradley Radley, Millie Miller.
• consider keeping it in the family. Do you like a great aunt or second cousin’s name? Maybe a grandparent had a name you admire? Ask family members for names of relatives you may not know – they may not all be old-fashioned and unappealing. Anyway, traditional names are increasingly popular and have staying power over trendier ones.

Don’t…

• forget that you have six weeks after your baby is born to register the birth and decide on their name.
• choose names that are tricky to spell or pronounce. You may know how, but what about friends and relatives, teachers, classmates… it all adds to the embarrassment factor for your child.
• go for cute and quirky names. Leave the Fifis, Zowies, Satchels and Apples to the celebs and instead pick a name that will work for a schoolkid and an adult, not just a baby.  
• pick a trendy name as it will date faster than a Christmas number one. All those babies named Kylie and Keanu in the 1980s have probably changed their names by deed poll.
• forget to choose a second name. Your child can then decide between that and their first name if they want to when they’re older.
• dismiss royal names, as they never date and can be shortened if they sound too grown up for a baby: Victoria, Anne, Elizabeth, Edward, Henry and William are all classics.