Parents today seem to be favoring unusual baby names. At one point in history, over half of the children born were given popular names. No more. Today's trend is to break with the traditional. Your picking a name because you love it, not because of what everybody else thinks of it.

A name is central to a child's earliest sense of identity. It's often the first word he or she learns to read and write. Naming trends of today are defined by celebrities, literary classics, and even name brands. Look no further than your favorite book, car, or brand for baby name ideas. Names like "Armani", "Del Monte", "Infiniti", "Celica", "Chevy", and "Lexus" are increasing in popularity.

So, how do you go about finding an unusual baby name? Believe it or not, celebrities are a great source of unusual baby names. There has recently been a major trend amongst celebrities choosing unusual names for their children. Julia Roberts named her twins Hazel and Phinnaeus. Demi Moore and Bruce Willis are the parents of Rumer Glenn, Scout LaRue and Tallulah Belle. Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay singer Chris Martin recently named their child Apple. Sylvester Stallone has given his children the names Sage Moonblood and Sistine Rose. Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette are the proud parents of Coco and John Travolta and Kelly Preston named their boy Jett.

While you may not want to be quite this unusual, a creative name gives your child a unique identity and distinguishes them from all the James, John's, and Jacob's.

You can also get some great baby naming ideas from other countries. In Ireland, some of the most popular baby names are Cian, Dylan, and Conor. Germany likes the names Felix and Lucas while Norway prefers Andrian, Sander, and Tobias.

You could even make up your own baby names! Here are some tips on how to come up with original names.

Create a name from two names. You can combine two names that you really like. If you really like Sarah and Beth, you could combine them to form Sarah-Beth. If you like David and Daniel, you could form Daviel.

You could also start spelling names backward to come up with some unique combinations.

Another common technique that is being used is giving a traditional name a different spelling. So David might turn into Dayvid or Sierra could be Cyera.

You might also want to consider naming your child after cities, street names, or landmarks. Montanna, Everest, Shea, Austin, and Dakota all make for great baby names.

Whether you choose a name that expresses family loyalty and tradition or your own flare and originality, it is sure to be an exciting milestone. Take some time to choose a name that your child will enjoy for a lifetime. A name is forever.

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