Top 9 Baby Naming Tools
Google “baby names,” and you’ll find almost as many baby naming sites as baby names themselves. If you’re looking for a little inspiration, check out our very own Bump Baby Namer and browse through tons of baby name options either alphabetically or by origin. Then watch as our namer makes personalized suggestions based on your tastes!
Want to see what else is out there? We’ve tested and reviewed all the other major baby namers for you. Here’s a quick rundown of what we found out, including basic site info and pros and cons. Look for three stars next to our favorites, and click the screen shots to go to the site. Also, help us out by leaving a comment with your _own _favorite site or thoughts on the ones we have listed!
[
Baby Name Guide](http://www.babynameguide.com/)
Number of Names: 18,000
Best for: Big lists of names with simple meanings
Features: The database here is divided into categories(German, floral, biblical, etc.) and give straightforward results,including meanings and origins. It also has a function where you can sift out results based on the phonetics of mom and dad’s names… kind of addicting!
Cons: Kind of dry, nothing all that special
***** Baby Names World*****
Number of Names: Over 16,000
Best for: Browsing, searching and basic info
Features: Super easy to navigate, and tons of ways to sort and browse names. It’s simple to filter out names based on your preferences, and the chart format will help you look through names faster. And, there’s a cool e-book with lots of good advice. A great place to find all the basics.
Cons: Not as much info for each name as some sites, and little commentary.
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Number of Names:??
Best for: Finding out what other people think
Features: For every name, see a user ranking, as well as the number of “favorite” lists it’s on. Songs the name appears in are also listed, which isn’t found on many other sites. Search by gender, origin and first or last letters. You can also browse alphabetically or by popularity or categories like Shakespeare, celebrities and soap operas.
Cons: The info for each name is pretty basic, with meaning,origin and famous namesakes. And, since you can’t search or compare names by the user ratings, it’s tough to tell what those ranking really mean.
******* NameVoyager *******
Number of Names: Top 1,000 in US from 1880 on
Best for: Visualizing name popularity over time
Features: A colorful, interactive graph that charts the popularity of names from 1880 to present, including every name that broke the top 1,000 in that time. Type in a name to see its progress,or simply click around to find popular names.
Cons: Fun to play with, but not so helpful for coming up with ideas or getting details (meaning, origin, variations, etc.) about names.
Number of Names: 23,000
Best for: Analyzing every aspect of a name.
Features: All the basic stuff — meaning, popularity,origin, similar names, variations — as well as a detailed list of famous namesakes and a narrative of the name’s history. Cool extra:List of drawbacks (aka, potential teasing nicknames).
Cons: No categories to search by, so you can’t really browse through a list. Nowhere to give your own feedback about a name, or contribute to the existing info.
[
Parenting Baby Namer](http://www.parenting.com/parenting/pregnancy/tools/babynamer/0,20172,,00.html)
Number of Names:??
Best for: In-depth info and lots of commentary
Features: Detailed, editorialized entries for each name,including variations, history, famous people, and a popularity chart.Names are listed in creative categories like Fashion Limbo, ComfyNames, Fitting in/Standing out, and tons more… these are fun to click through, though you may disagree with some of the lists!
Cons: Only one way to search (by specific names), and —despite all the special categories — no basic alphabetical list with every name. There’s so much info on each name that it’s almost overwhelming — if you want to quickly get the basic info, this site’s not for you. And, surprisingly, name meaning is nowhere to be found.
[
Social Security Administration](http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/)
Number of Names: Top 1,000 US names, from 1880 on
Best for: Straightforward stats on name popularity
Features: Easy-to-read popularity rankings from 1880 on.Browse by state, year, decade, and top twin names. Or, search by specific name to find its popularity over time. Good way to look through tons of names quickly and come up with some new ideas.
Cons: No details whatsoever on name meaning, origin, etc.
******* Think Baby Names *******
Number of Names: Over 7,500
Best for: Easy browsing and detailed info
Features: Browse alphabetically; search by name, starting or ending letters, meaning or description; or look through US and international popularity lists. For each name, there’s info on popularity and other forms, along with addictive charts that compare to popular and international variations. And, save all your favorite names to your personal list.
Cons: Not much in the way of tips or commentary
