The ABC of Baby Names

More than 350 names.

With grandchildren popping left and right in our household, the challenge of finding names is, well, a challenge. There’s Uncle Max, a wonderful soul who tipped the scales at 200 pounds – as wide as he was tall, which he wasn’t. Would a grandson named for Max come into the world smoking an El Stinko cigar? Aunt Esther should have someone named for her. Would she be born with a Mahjong tile in her little hand? I think I’ll leave it up to my kids to find names. But that doesn’t mean I won’t give them a CD for Windows called “The ABC of Baby Names.” The colorful main menu leads to well over 350 names in several languages, including those with biblical connotations, along with popular names, and ones that show integrity, intellect and charisma. Most parents don’t need this kind of program. They either have a favorite relative (see the cautionary first paragraph), or they just like the sound of a name. But if it’s true that a baby ultimately emulates his name, you might as well choose Barack over John, Michelle over Hillary, if you want your grandchild to grow up to be president. “The ABC of Baby Names” will run on Windows XP, 2000, Me and 98. It will not run in Vista.