Picking great baby names is a highly important task as well as a highly fun one. It is fun of course because you are picking a name for a tiny person that you have created and that you will love greatly. You will likely find that any name becomes instantly cute when given to a baby as it gives them an identity and a little personality of their own. At the same time it can also be particularly fun and cute because the baby is so small and you have given them a name that could just as easily be the name of an adult. A baby is a little person and you know that really, but when you give them a name this really hits home.

However choosing a good name is also highly important and a big responsibility. You've given birth to your child and in that sense you have 'created them', but giving them their name is the last part of that creation and will have an impact on how others see them and even on their personality. A bad name can be the cause for a lot of teasing and leave your child feeling insecure and unhappy, while a good name can be empowering and give them respect and attitude. At the same time you really want to avoid a name that is going to be very dated and 'uncool' as this will make them feel more outcast and old fashioned and may be another cause for teasing. Imagine if your parents had called you Ethel or Boris... they're quite dated and they just don't work as well in this day and age.

Thus you need to think long and hard when choosing cool names for 2011 and there are many sources you can turn to. One for instance is the media and if you have any celebrities or icons that you particularly relate to then this will always be a great way to get baby names. These are guaranteed to be very contemporary and many people will do the same thing ensuring your baby isn't the odd one out. Popular names then might be Robert, Johnny, Angelina, Katy or others that are currently in the spotlight. Of course if you go for something too contemporary in the press then you risk losing some individuality and also identifying too much with a very specific era which will mean that your child is 'out of date' once that name is no longer so popular. Better then is to use a name that is popular, but slightly more obscure, that you in particular relate to.

Another option is to look to friends and family that you admire. This will make the name more personal and more sentimental which hopefully will come across. At the same time, because you are getting the name from one of your own contemporaries then you know it won't be too dated.

More and more there is a fashion for obscure and unusual baby names, partly influenced by celebrities and their babies with names such as 'Apple' and 'Peaches'. For the first time ever then it is acceptable to name a baby after something that you find pleasant that doesn't necessarily have to be a name, so think a bit outside the box but make sure that you choose something that at least sounds like it could be a name - remember your child will have to live with your decision for the rest of their lives.