The Baby Name Wizard, Revised 4th Edition: A Magical Method for Finding the Perfect Name for Your Baby

I bought one that was probably the first edition years back when I was expecting my first or second kiddo. And now I gift this to basically everyone that I know who is expecting > mother or father. I've also gifted it to friends and loved ones who are authors and struggling to name characters. Perfect for that too. Any time I have gifted this it has been well received. I love how this author has put in so much effort that they've included spelling variations, name meaning, the origin of the name, the popularity of it, common sibling pairings and just SO much. And somehow still kept each entry rather condensed. This book (and website) have some of the widest range of names I've found too. Definitely one of the absolute best name books I've ever found. And golly, I think I've gone through a minimum of twenty name books cover to cover. And the endless websites and apps I've tried in past years too when I was pregnant with my kiddos.

I have loved Swistle's baby name blog for years, and she's always raving about the baby name wizard. Now that I'm expecting, I decided to buy my own copy and see what all the praise is about. The first night I got it, my husband and I ended up on the couch for hours flipping around the book. I absolutely love the regional maps, the sibling recommendations, the categories, everything about it!! It's just such a terrific, scientific, unique way to look at baby naming. The author is absolutely right in the beginning when she explains that the usual baby name books telling you how to pronounce a name and it's "meaning" isn't really helpful. The way she breaks it down to show rankings, categories, and notable people really changes the way you start to view names. I have had possible names on my list for years and would know right away after reading more about them if I wanted to omit them or not. We went from having virtually no names picked out together, no previous discussions about names, and no plans to even decide a name for months to being settled on a girl name and 2 possible boy names within a few hours. And it was painless, fun, and both of us love all the options we've settled on!

I wouldn’t use this as your only source because it seems to be about a decade outdated (for example, it says Graham is ranked #255 but it was #155 in 2022), but I’ve still found the descriptions and style lists interesting. This book will help you narrow down which styles you like and sibling names that fit. Also note that you’ll need to look up name meanings separately, but I think the descriptions are more useful (you can find the meaning anywhere).

The best baby naming book out there.

I do love the names in this book and was able to find a name I want to use if I end up having a girl. I like how the names are put into categories based on the kind of names you are looking for. However, I've only flipped through the book with my boyfriend maybe 2 or 3 times and many many pages are already falling out. I wanted to return and replace with a hardback version since I really did love the book but Amazon doesn't seem to have one available. So guess I'll keep it and just have to be careful with it. But definitely look out for that and use as gently as possible.

My husband and I are expecting our first child and really didn't know where to begin as far as names go. While we haven't finalized our name choices, this guide has been a lifeline! There are two main sections. The first lists names with detailed information. Here is an example: Jacqueline (JA-ke-lin) Popularity [current]: #200 (also has a graph showing popularity from 1880 to today and peak popularity year and rank) Styles: Timeless, French Nicknames: Jackie, Jacqui Variants: Jaclyn, Jacquelyn Sisters: Marianne, Diana, Valerie, Cynthia, Adrienne, Julianne Brothers: Terrence, Vincent, Philip, Christopher, Jerome, Anthony - This French classic bears the lasting stamp of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Luckily, hers is a versatile image: elegant, honorable, pretty, and strong. All of those qualities apply to her name too. In the World: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; actress Jacqueline Bisset and Jaclyn Smith The second section has lists of names by style/category (for example, Antique Charm, Celtic, Last Names First). There are more names listed here than in the first section, but there is not detailed information on each name. So we were able to take a look at lists, but were able to focus just on categories we liked after going through the first section. Ms. Wattenberg is a great author and wordsmith! She keeps the reading fun and interesting (be sure to look up the boy's name Gax in the first section and the Long Gone category in the second). I never thought I'd have such fun reading a baby name guide, but I have laughed out loud on more than one occasion. This is truly a one-stop resource for naming a baby! I will definitely be passing along the name of this guide to other expectant parents that I know.

Let's accept it, finding the perfect name for your baby is not easy. Specially if you're a 1st time mom like me. There's just too much pressure in picking the right name, after all, the name you choose will stay with your child forever! There's a myriad of websites and books out there that claim to help you search for that perfect name. But after hours of searching, you just get lost and confused with so many options. Enough is enough. This book helped me narrow down that search and informed me about the following: -rules of thumb when choosing a name - popular styles pertaining to each state in the United States -current name popularity in the United States -name variants -nicknames -origin -compatible names for a brother and sister Overall, this book is great! It's easy to understand and very informative. My favorite aspects were the popularity graphs and the suggestions for names that are compatible or would be great for a brother/sister.

Its a good book don’t get me wrong but not as amazing as some reviewers have said It’s still just a list of names and some descriptions/meanings seem like they had no thought I do however like the different lists of names in the back sorted by region / country and style Still a good book don’t regret buying but also just a book filled with names

Lots of names. Interesting and not the trendy kind of book.

The best baby name book out there. It was recommended to me by a friend. I've since bought 5 copies for friends and family during their pregnancies!

It's a good book, but the names are very American-sounding.

I likes this book but did not feel it was much different from other baby name books. I feel that the author gave her opinions of names as opposed to general opinions.