The Buzz...About Books

Check out Patrick Cain's Baby File which recently appeared in the Toronto Star – you can see which baby names are most popular in the GTA by postal code. Solid data now shows that Ethan and Oliva are confirmed suburbinites while Benjamin and Sarah prefer the downtown scene. Markham is overun with Chloes. Tenzin is a name of choice in the West end. Lots of little Daniels and Emmas live near the North York Central Library.  

Choosing a name for your baby can become an obsessive pursuit. These are just some of the books available: 

• The Baby Name Almanac 2011 by Emily Larson
• Babies' Names by Patrick Hanks
• Hey Baby! What's Your Name? : A Canadian Guide to Naming Your Baby by Shandley McMurray
• Perfect Baby Names: A Paren'ts Guide to the Most Important Gift You Will Give by Rose Cole
• The Perfect Baby Name: a Proven Plan for Choosing a Name You'll Love by Jeanine Cox

 Note the emphasis on "perfect." And perish the thought that your kids' names don't match: 

• Baby Names That Go Together: From Lily, Rose, and Violet to Finn and Fay – Sibling Names That Mix and Match in a Perfect Way by Eric Groves

• Baby Names Made Easy: The Complete Reverse Dictionary of Baby Names by Amanda Elizabeth Barden
• Zodiac Baby Names : the Complete Book of Baby Names Defined by Star Sign by Russell Grant 
• Cool Names for Babies by Pamela Redmond Satran
• Beyond Ava & Aiden: the Enlightened Guide to Naming Your Baby by Linda Rosenkrantz 

Whatever your choice, make sure your child's name does not show up in books like these:

• Bertha Venation: and Hundreds of Other Funny Names of Real People by Larry Ashmead
• What Not To Name Your Baby by Joe Borgenicht

"Fanny Whiffer," "Stud Duck," "Ghoul Nipple" and "Emma Royd" are all real names that thoughtful paren'ts assigned to their bundles of joy.