Speaking as an Adele (a German / French name meaning "Noble") it is something that we research when we are younger. Or comes up for discussion at the most random of times.
My mum is Angela, a Greek Origin meaning "Heavenly Messenger" and Dad Colin, which is Greek for Victor - I'm quite astonded that I didn't end up with some kind of Greek Name!
And that's the fun of baby name meanings - parents make naming decisions based on many, many different reasons, including family traditions, religion, culture, uniqueness and "it just sounds really nice." But - in the Western world - we rarely do any real research into the history or real meaning of baby names. So when the poor/lucky child finally finds out the meaning of his/her "really nice sounding" name, the results can be interesting, ironic, unfortunate or just sometimes hilarious.
You can have a lot of fun thinking up family/friends names, finding out the meanings and trying to make a connection between the two.
Some cultures have very interesting traditions when it comes to baby name meanings. For example, Hindu names usually have connections with very positive things such as truth, beauty, happiness, blessings, etc, or one of the Hindu gods. In the Sikh culture, girls traditionally have the middle or surname "Kaur", meaning "Princess", whilst the boys have the middle or surname "Singh", meaning "Lion".
Whatever type of name you have chosen, or are thinking about for your "bundle of joy", its worth doing a little research into the meaning. And it's never been easier, with the wealth of Internet resources and books available, including my own site at www.all-about-baby-names.com, which is jam-packed with resources, tips and information on baby names, baby name meanings and baby products.
Your search may yield some surprises; for example, the lovely-sounding name "Malory" is French and means "Bad luck". You could get round this by spelling it "Mallory", but this means "Without good fortune" in Old German!
Happy naming!
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