SIKESTON - Naming a baby these days isn't as easy as it sounds. There's a lot to consider.
There's the sound and compatibility factor. It needs to work with the last name. Most parents shy away from rhymes or puns such as Ali Gator or Reyn Coate.
And uniqueness. An unusual name helps someone stand out from the crowd. Yet at the same time some parents are adamant about not sticking their child with a name that is always being mispronounced or misspelled.
Many parents choose to honor a friend or relative when they name their baby.
Initials and nicknames should also be considered in the selection process. People, especially children, can be cruel when it comes to nicknames and what a child's initials spell. Take Donald Ulysses Horning or Doris Inez Pemberton for instance.
What the baby's name means is also something to think about.
It didn't take Jeff and Tara Nunn long to pick a first name for their third child. Mrs. Nunn had wanted to name their second son Isaiah but her husband wasn't too sold on the idea. Still, she never forgot about that name and knew that the baby born Tuesday would be Isaiah.
"It just kind of stuck with me," she said from her hospital bed. "It was biblical and I loved it. The tough part was the middle name. But I flipped open the Bible and saw the name Jaevon. I loved it and Jeff loved it so that's what it is, Isaiah Jaevon. He doesn't really look like an Isaiah, but he'll grow into nicely."
Parents don't have to have a name picked out before their baby leaves Missouri Delta Medical Center, said Felecia Blanton, public relations director. But it's necessary to begin the process of creating a birth certificate since it is a service the hospital staff provides.
Missouri Delta Medical Center reports of the 301 girls born at Missouri Delta Medical Center in 2001, the most popular name was Hannah. The year before Hannah, Madeline and Madison seemed to be the favorite pick for girls.
Of the babies born at the hospital last year, Jayden and Savannah seemed to be the most unique, as was the spelling of Mashell.
Of the 309 baby boys born there last year the most popular was Michael.
Some of the unique names and spellings currently listed on Missouri Delta's Web page include Garielle, Caden, Kie Ara, Breauna and Dariek.
"We're seeing a trend toward biblical names for infants as well, such as Isaac, Isaiah, Mark, Joshua and Jacob," Blanton noted.
Although they may have some trouble deciding on a name, Blanton says close to 90 percent of the parents have one picked out ahead of time. "Ten percent of the parents pick out the name later because they want to see what the baby looks like first."
She added that not knowing the baby's sex ahead of time is rare these days. Although, there are still a few parents who want it to be a surprise. And even if they plan for one sex and the baby ends up being another, she said most often they have both a boy and a girl name selected.
So far, Blanton reported there have been no duplicate names of babies born at MDMC for 2002.
Jim and Dana Copeland thought about various names for their first child. They liked Ethan but already knew someone with that name.
Then there was the name Logan. It was a nice, trendy name, yet they just didn't know. "We liked it but we felt like there were too many kids with that name. And, we pictured a Logan being blond haired with a fair complexion and with our hair color and complexions, we just couldn't see our baby being a Logan," said Mrs. Copeland.
So, when the baby arrives in March his identification bracelet will read Seth Daniel Copeland.
"We wanted a name that was not very common but not off the wall, either. I thought about Seth, I had seen it in a fictional book. At first Jim didn't like it but then after awhile when he thought about the baby he thought of the name Seth. It just grew on him. I like it because it's different and it is a biblical name. Seth was Adam's son - his good son."