Best Baby Namers

Posted Thursday, May 10, 2007 4:51 PM

Google "baby names," and you'll find almost as many baby naming sites as baby names themselves. Rather than add yet another namer to the list, we've tested and reviewed all the major ones for you. Here's a quick rundown of what we found out, including basic site info and pros and cons. Look for a *** by 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

# 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***

# 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.

BabyNames.com

# 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.

Babycenter Baby Name Finder

# of Names:  Over 5,000

Best for:  Finding a name to fit your requirements

Features:  Search by name, meaning, origin, first or last letter, or number of syllables. There's also articles on tips and trends, and short lists of top names by decade and country. And, if you're trying to pick between a few names, create a poll to send to your friends!

Cons:  The info for each name is very basic -- only origin and brief meaning.

***NameVoyager***

# 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.

Nymbler

# of Names:  ???

Best for:  Getting inspired

Features:  Type in up to six names, and the tool, using a genetic algorithm based on your taste and patterns, spits back tons of personalized suggestions. There's also basic info about origins and historical popularity for each name. The uncluttered site uses lots of pop ups, making it easy to navigate. Plus, it's incredibly addicting!

Cons:  There's only one way to browse the names (by giving other names you like), so it's functionality seems somewhat limited.

Oxygen Baby Namer

# 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

# 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, Comfy Names, 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

# 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***

# 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