I Love Baby Names

There are so many wonderful names out there these days. I especially love the trend of using surnames as first names: Anderson, Garrison, Carson, McClain, McKinnley. The list goes on and on. If you were lucky enough to have a palatable maiden name, you can use that as a middle name, or a first name, for that matter. A friend of mine was able to give her third son the lovely middle name "Miles." Nice, right? My maiden name, on the other hand, is Mashek. That doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

Judging by my own kids' names -- Brogan and Brynna -- I'm an obvious fan of the slightly off-beat options. Some of my admiration of quirky monikers no doubt originates with having shared my name with countless Jennifer's in every class from kindergarten through college. I have developed an appreciation for one-of-a-kind names. While I'm not willing to go so far as some in Hollywood have (c'mon...Moxie Crimefighter Jillette, really?), I do admire those that go out on a limb for a name that they love. For instance, Jessica Alba named her daughter "Honor," Halle Berry has a little girl named "Nala," and Gwen Stefani named her first son "Kingston." They aren't names that I would go with, but they aren't off-the-charts looney, either. No comment about Gwen's name selection for son number two: Zuma Nesta Rock. Sigh. I guess she veered too close to "normal" the first time around and had to set the record straight.

Here are a few of my favorites right now. (Note: If you plan to have kids in say, the next five years...or ever, really...start thinking about baby names now. If you pick a name and still love it by the time your offspring arrives, you know you have a keeper.)

For Boys

Porter

Micah

Pierce

Fischer

Colton

Carter

For Girls

Kylen

Juliet

McKenna (runner-up for Brynna's name)

Tessa (would have been Brynna's name if not for a Daddy veto)

Ava

I also love many of the classic and more traditional names. At the top of the list: Luke. It's such a strong name. Other favs are Ethan, Andrew (Brogan's middle name), Noah, Brooke and, any way you choose to spell it, Katelyn (Brynna's middle name).

The lists are constantly changing and growing. If you like where I'm going with these name ideas -- which are perfectly acceptable and usable for pets, too! -- you may want to bookmark this post as I will update it as new names strike my fancy.

Feel free to take, use, or share any of these names that you like. We will most definitely not be using them. Two and through for us.

Happy baby (or puppy) naming, Folks!