What not to name your baby.

Don't pick something popular... especially something that you think seems unusual, but actually is terribly popular -- like Isabella. And don't fancy up a plain-seeming name and bumble into a more common name. For example, you might think "Ann" is a ridiculously plain name, but it's much less common than fancier variations, listed below with their rank among names given to baby girls in the U.S. in 2009:

Ana    182
Anahi    458
Anaya    471
Ann    926
Anna    29
Anne    544
Annie    382
Anya    363

"Ann" is by far the least popular. Way behind even Anahi, a name I can't recall ever seeing. Basically, "Anna" has become the Ann-name of choice.

"Annette" is 869. "Annabelle" is 156! Annabelle! When I was a kid, it was considered a patently absurd name that I had a friend who called me "Annabelle" when she wanted to annoy me: