Choosing baby’s name is one of the first child rearing dilemmas you and your partner will have to work out. Landing on a name you absolutely love is definitely cause for a happy dance—unless your husband absolutely loves another name. A baby can’t have two different names and we all know that getting to choose a child’s middle name isn’t the same. You could take the “you name this baby, and I’ll take the next one” route, but that assumes you’ll have more than one child and requires one partner to have a heck of a lot of faith (and patience!). If you have twins, then the solution may be a double problem. Now you have to come up with two names that you both like.

Then you have to deal with parents and in-laws who want to have the baby named for a family member either dead or alive. If you hate Irwin, but that’s your husband’s Father’s name, it is going to be quite a battle to find another name that will satisfy everyone. Sometimes, family members will be happy if you use the letter or use the name as a middle name. Sometimes, you may have to give in and bestow a name you hate on your baby , but nickname him something fun.

“It’s tempting to think, ‘I’m giving birth to him, so I should get the final say,’ but remember that the name is a powerful bridge to bonding with your baby,” Wattenberg says. “No one should have to cringe or feel angry when saying their baby’s name. A name shouldn’t represent a loss.”

A better alternative: Combine your favorites! “I liked Lilliana and he liked Ella, so we put them together as Elliana,” says Krystle Bailey, of Atlantic City, New Jersey, who has a 1-year-old. Elliana is an example of what Wattenberg calls the Renesmee effect (referring to the Twilight character whose name merges Rene and Esme). “It started with celeb mash-ups like TomKat and Brangelina, but parents are applying it to baby names.” Look for names with lots of vowels—they tend to work best as a hybrid.

His? Hers? Ours?

Last names may be a hot topic for wedding-planning couples, but many parents-to-be find themselves revisiting it when discussing what to name baby. Even if you and your partner decided to keep your own last names, you may reconsider the surname for the product of the two of you.

For some families, deciding on a last name for baby is as difficult as coming up with a first. Many parents strive to have their child’s name maintain connections to family history; others choose accordingly to sever those ties. Some families look at surnames more practically — they feel adamantly about a first name (“Ilene”) but it doesn’t work with the last (“Dover”).

Many people bestow hypenated names on the new baby so that the poor child is saddled with a twenty character last name. Others compromise, and use the Mother’s family name as the middle name. Some families even use the Mother’s family name as the first name. My cousin used our family name Baker as the baby’s first name and everyone was happy .

Giving  Babies ununusal names has always been the perogative of the stars.  When Cher and Sunny Bono named their first baby Blue thirty years ago., it made headlines.  Now it is common place for the stars to name their babies with unconventional names. Gweneth Paltrow was one of the first stars to bestow an unusual name on her new baby. She named her Apple. Of course the brood in Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s household comes to mind also, with boldly unusual names Maddox, Zahara, Pax and Shiloh.

For the well-heeled and the well-known, creating a splashy and inventive baby name is not just a birthright but a tradition. Witness the recent crop of baby names to adorn celebrity offspring: Pirate (Korn frontman Jonathan Davis’ son), Moxie Crimefighter (the daughter of Penn and Teller magician Penn Jillette) and Lola (Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards’ newborn). They’re in good company: Chris Rock, Madonna, Carnie Wilson, and Jennie Garth also call their little girls Lola, whether it’s on the birth certificate or not (in Madonna’s case, Lola is a nickname for Lourdes).

Even veteran Live 8 musician-activist Bob Geldof has a full house, flowering with daughters Fifi Trixibelle, Peaches Honeyblossom, and Pixie, and their half-sister Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily.

Note to Britney Spears and Kevin Federline: There’s a method to the madness, and plenty of room to grow. Just check out the playful and friendly categories below.

So Traditional and Retro, They’re Hip Again

If you don’t fancy calling your tyke Orlando or Bloom, don’t despair. This trend toward sensible names is actually quite popular. Yes, Julia Roberts hit the mother lode with twins Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeas Walter, but she’s not alone. Many celebrities have stuck to sensible, even normal names, fit for a regular Joe. Look at what Jon Stewart named his little guy: Nathan. Former teen heartthrob and NYPD Blue star Mark-Paul Gosselaar welcomed a boy, Michael Charles. Jennifer Connelly named her little girl Agnes.

Who’s Done It: Plenty of people have, including Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick and their son, James Wilkie, Mary-Louise Parker and Billy Crudup and their son, William Atticus.

The Latest Twist: Use a nickname properly; ideally the shorter and friendlier the better. That’s what worked for Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards’ daughter, Sam J., and one of news anchor Soledad O’Brien’s twins, Charlie