How did you choose your baby’s name?

We always liked the name Matthew, and Matt’s middle name, Benjamin, came from Benjamin Rush, a great, great, great (great?) grandfather on my husband’s mom’s side who was George Washington’s personal physician.

When we watched “John Adams” on HBO, Matt was so jazzed to see Dr. Rush featured in the show! Alas, I had no such family history on my side to contribute.

I love hearing how parents came up with the name for their baby. And did you share the name choices with friends and family before the baby was born — or keep it a surprise?

What a difference 12 years can make. When my son, Matthew, was born in December 1995, his name was one of the top 10 baby names for the year.

Now that he’s in middle school, it’s number 29. (And you moms my age will remember that every classroom back in the 70s had at least a few Kathys, Lisas and Debbies…)

According to BabyNames.com, the most popular boys’ names for 2007 were:

1.    Aidan
2.    Braden
3.    Kaden
(Gosh, is there a trend here?)

4.    Ethan
5.    Caleb
6.    Noah
7.    Jaden
8.    Connor
9.    Landon
10.  Jacob

And for girls:

1.    Ava
2.    Abigail
3.    Cailyn
4.    Madeline
5.    Isabella
6.    Emma
7.    Caitlyn
8.    Olivia
9.    Chloe
10.  Brianna

And then there’s little Mathilda Plum Doucette, who turns three this week. She’s the daughter of writer and musician Moon Zappa (who obviously has had a fuss made over her name her entire life) and guitarist Paul Doucette of Matchbox Twenty. There’s something about Mathilda Plum’s name that makes me picture an adorable little girl with very squeezable cheeks.

Speaking of Moon Zappa and motherhood, check out the wonderful book Blindsided by a Diaper (2007; Three Rivers Press). It’s a collection of essays about how how parenthood changes a relationship. Zappa is really funny — and amazingly candid (yikes!) — about how her sex life with her husband changed in the days following little Mathilda Plum’s arrival. The whole book, in fact, is filled with essays that will make any new (or not-so-new) parent relate. (Another fave in the book: "Who Is That Guy?" by Beth Levine, one of the funniest writers I know.)

Happy birthday, Matthew — and Mathilda Plum!