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Choosing the perfect baby name for your unborn child can be a time-consuming and difficult task, after all it's a name your child will carry with it throughout their life. With so many hundreds of thousands of baby names to pick from it's hard to know where to begin. But with some research and a little inspiration, deciding on the perfect baby name can be an interesting, informative and most of all fun part of your pregnancy.

A good place to start is to write a list of names you already know of and like. Go online to one of the many baby name sites and find out what they mean (there are some names out there with less than favourable meanings such as 'bitter', 'weak & sick' or 'ill will'). If you're stuck for ideas why not search for a meaning your like and browse the lists of names with that meaning.

Family tradition - is there a name in your family or your partners that has been passed down throughout the generations? You could continue the family tradition and give the name to your baby. You don't even have to use the name as the baby's first name - consider carrying on the tradition by giving it to your child as their middle name.

Unique and unusual names can be a good choice for your child but the important thing to remember before choosing one (or even making it up) is that it's your child's name for life so make sure that however unusual and unique the name is, it's something your child will want to be called.

Take into account the spelling of the child's name - for instance a lot of Gaelic names are pronounced differently to how they appear in English - it's all very well giving your child a beautiful Gaelic name such as Aoife (pronounced eff-a) or Saoirse (sheer-sha) but they may have problems with people pronouncing their name and spelling it incorrectly.

And remember to take into account the baby's surname - after all kids can be cruel and you don't want your little one having a name that means something different when taken together with their surname.

Once you've found that perfect baby name why not visit www.framemyname.co.uk and order one of our personalised name print baby gifts, which as well as having your child's first name beautifully illustrated includes the name meaning and origin.

Serving dual interests is my interest this month. Here's a list I hope will appeal to both prospective parents and writers who are stumped for some good character names. The focus is on names used between the Norman Conquest and the year 1300 in England, names that have in some cases been out of circulation for many years, but might now safely be revived.

Finding appropriate period names can be a real challenge for a writer. While medieval England is not the most common story timeframe, medieval names certainly hold more surprises than a later period might offer. In trying to serve the dual interests of writer and parent, I've selected those names I think are most appealing to the modern ear. There are some names, like Nest, for a girl, or Godelot, for a boy, which probably just don't stand the test of time.

For a wider selection of medieval names, visit The Medieval Naming Guide, which has a vast selection of names and the dates in which they were used.

Masculine Names Adémar Aimery (uncertain) Perhaps a form of Emery Amaury (French form of a Germanic name) "powerful labor" Anselm (Germanic) ans, "god", and selm, "protection, helmet" Benedict (Latin) "blessed" Berenger Bertran (Germanic) "bright raven" Clement (Latin) "gentle, merciful" Etienne (French) French form of Stephen, "crown" Everard (Germanic) "brave boar" Frederick (Germanic) "peaceful ruler" Geoffrey (Germanic) The first element, geof is of uncertain meaning, but the second, frey, comes from frid, meaning "peace" Gervase (English) the English form of a Latinized form of a Germanic name meaning "spear" Gregory (Latin) "watchful, alert" Guillaume (French) French form of William, "resolute protector" Guy (Norman) the Norman form of Germanic names beginning with the element witu or wit Hélie (French) Maybe a form of Helios, the Greek word for "sun"? Henry (Germanic) "home ruler" Hugh (Germanic) "heart, mind, or spirit" Jordain (English) Anglicized form of the French form of Jordan, "to flow down" Joscelin (Norman) the Norman French variant of a Germanic name, Gautelen, which was derived from the name of a Germanic tribe, the Gauts Odo (Germanic) a short form of any name beginning with od, "wealth, fortune" Osgood (Germanic) "god is good" Otto (German) late form of Odo, "wealth, fortune" Peter (Greek) "stone" Philippe (French) French form of the Greek Philippos, which means "lover of horses" Ranulf (Old Norse) Scottish variant of the Old Norse Randulfr, "rim of a shield" Robert (Germanic) "bright fame" Rocelin (uncertain) possibly a male variant of Rosalyn, "soft horse"? Roger (Germanic) "famous spear" Roland (Germanic) "famous land" Stephen (Greek) "crown" Thibault (French) French form of the Germanic Theobald, "bold people"

Thomas (Greek) Greek form of the Aramaic name Te'oma, "twin" Toly Turstin (Old Norse) "Thor stone" Walter (Germanic) "ruler of an army" Warin (Germanic) "enclosure" William (Germanic) "resolute protector" Wymon

Feminine Names Adelaide (Germanic) "noble sort" Ailith (uncertain) possibly an Anglicized form of Ailís, the Irish form of Alice, a short form of Adelaide Alice (Old French) a short form of Adelaide, "noble sort" Amaria (Latin?) Possibly from the Latin amarus, "bitter" Avelina (Old French) pet form of Avila, the medieval Latinized form of Avis, a Germanic name of unknown meaning. During medieval times, the name became associated with the Latin word avis, meaning "bird". Beatrix (Late Latin) from the Latin Latin Viatrix, meaning "traveler". The spelling was altered to include bea, part of the Latin element beatus, meaning "blessed" Betta (uncertain) Possibly a pet form of Elizabeth, "God is my oath" Brigit (Irish) "exhalted one" Catin (uncertain) probably a contracted form of Catarina, a variant of Catherine, "pure" Christiana (Latin) Feminine form of Christian, meaning obvious Eleanor (French) from the Provençal name Alienor, possibly a form of Helen, meaning uncertain Emeline (French) French form of the Latin Aemilius, "rival" Florencia (Roman) from the masculine name Florentius, "flourishing, prosperous" Gemma (Italian) "precious stone" Giliana (uncertain) feminine form of the Latin Julian, "youth" Helena (Latin) Latinate form of Helen, meaning uncertain Héloïse (Old French) uncertain meaning; possibly derived from the Greek helios, meaning "sun" Ilaria (Italian) Feminine form of Hilarius, "cheerful" Isabelle (Spanish) English spelling of the Spanish variant of Elizabeth, "God is my oath" Isemay Jolicia Joya (English) "joy" Juliana (Latin) feminine form of Julian, "youth" Lia (English) short form of names ending in lia Luciana feminine form of Lucian, "light" Margaret (Greek) "pearl" Margery (English) medieval English form of Margaret, "pearl" Matilda (Germanic) "strength in battle" Melisende (Norman French) derived from the Germanic name Amalaswinth. "strength in work or labor". This was the name of Charlemagne's daughter. Mirabell (Latin) "wonderful" Osanna (French) a form of Hosanna, a Hebrew word meaning "deliver us" Pavia (Scandanavian) "day" Philippa (Greek) feminine form of Philip, "lover of horses" Reyna (Spanish) a variant spelling of Reina, "queen" Roana (Scottish?) possibly a variant on the Scottish isle of Rona Rose (English) "rose" Sabeline (Galican) pet form of Sabella, a Galican form of Isabel, "God is my oath" Sibylle (Germanic) Germanic form of the Greek Sibylla, "prophetess" Theda (Greek) pet form of Theodora, "gift of God" Ysolt (French) an English spelling of the French Yseult, a form of Isolde, possibly a Welsh name meaning "beautiful". In the legend of Tristan, the hero is in love with a married woman bearing this name, and also married to a woman who bears the name.