The World Wide Web is an excellent resource for checking out baby names and discovering the inside scoop on your top choices. Use your favorite Internet search engine and plug in the individual names you're considering (in all their spelling variants). Try various combinations as phrases by putting them in quotation marks (for example, "first + last," "first + middle + last"). Here's what such a search can reveal about your choice:

• Some well-known (or notorious) person may share the same full name that you're considering for your child.
• The number of "hits" a search finds can tell you how popular the name is, or if some bearer is particularly famous. (If you find a large number of people with the same full name you're planning to give your child, consider the possibilities for confusion of identity.)
• Some search engines will suggest a different spelling for the name if you're using a spelling that it doesn't consider standard. (This can be a clue that you've picked a spelling that people may consider a typo.)
• Your search may discover brand names, companies, or ordinary words identical to the names you're considering. Consider what sorts of associations they have.