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This is NPR's Life Kit.

What's in a name?

A name is one of the first gifts a parent gives to their child.

Names are important because they're one of the ways that we mark our place in the world.

They're the first symbols of our identity and one of the first things we lead with when we meet someone new,

like now. Hi, I'm Diana O'Pong. I'm a reporter and a mom to three kids. As a parent, I know that

the baby naming struggle is real. I mean, the possibilities seem endless. How do you even begin to

choose? My name is Madeline. My name is Eloise.

My name is Cecily.

My name is Simon.

My name is Daniel. My name is Marina.

Good job.

If you've been through the baby naming process or are going through it now, I'm sure I don't have to tell you just how overwhelming it can be. Here in the U.S., parents can pretty much name their

child whatever they want, which seems great until you have to pick one. I wanted to find a framework to help parents

everywhere through this process. The first thing I learned is that it's supposed to be fun.

So much of preparing for a baby is about anxieties. You're worried about money, about health,

about safety. Names should be your chance to just sit back and dream.

That's Laura Wattenberg, baby name expert.

And first she's going to walk us through some of the social influences at work when naming babies today.

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