What’s in a name? Disney Baby offers clever suggestions

When parents-to-be get the happy news that a little bundle of joy is on the way, picking out a name often is one of the first — and most fun — things to do.

But then reality sets in. The soon-to-be dad comes to realize that maybe the name of his favorite NFL quarterback isn’t a good match for his new daughter after all. And mom will, reluctantly, realize that naming her son after a character in her favorite book sounds good now, but “Edward Cullen” will bring taunts and ridicule as he grows up.

Thankfully, there is help for this subject.

The Disney Baby blog frequently offers suggestions for baby names based on themes. It’s clever, and for parents-to-be, it’s a fun alternative to poring through thick books of alphabatized monikers. In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are 30 names inspired by love, as suggested by Disney Baby:

** Aiko: The name Aiko means “little loved one” in Japanese.

** Amorette: This name is of French origin and means “little love.”

** Aziz: Arabic, meaning “powerful and beloved.”

** Brisa: If you’re looking for a name with Spanish roots, maybe this one would fit the bill. It means beloved.

** Carys: Carys is of Welch origin and means love. This one has quite a few spelling possibilities as well.

** Charity: An English word name meaning “benevolent goodwill and love.”

** Connelly: This name of Irish origin would make a cute alternative to the more often used “Connor” and means “love and friendship.”

** Darcy: A tribute to Mr. Dracy and Elizabeth Bennett’s love story in “Pride and Prejudice.”

** David: David is a Hebrew name with biblical roots that means “beloved.”

** Esme: This name of Persian decent means “emerald,” but can also mean “esteemed and beloved.”

** Ettie: A variant of the name Esther, which is a variant of the name Ishtar who was the Babylonian goddess of love.

** Femi: An African name that means “love me.”

** Freya: The name of the Norse goddess of love and fertility.

** Gerwyn: Welch name meaning “fair love.”

** Grianne: This Irish name means “charming love.”

** Imogen: This name is Greek and means “beloved child.”

** Juliet: Everyone knows that this name is associated with the famous and tragic lead character from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

** Kalila: Of Arabic origins, meaning “beloved.”

** Lennan: An Irish name meaning “sweetheart or lover.”

** Love: As straightforward as you can get.

** Maitea: Maitea is Spanish and means “love.”

** Milena: Of Czech origin and it means “love, warmth and grace.”

** Mina: A German girl’s name meaning “love.”

** Nayely: It means “I love you” and is of Native American descent.

** Neha: Neha is an Indian name meaning “cherished.”

** Romeo: The love match to Shakespeare’s Juliet.

** Shaida: Of Muslim descent and means “madly in love.”

** Thaddeus: Thaddeus has Aramaic origins and means “heart.”

** Valentine: A boy’s name inspired by Saint Valentine, the namesake of the holiday of love.

** Valentina: The female version of Valentine.

Looking for a more formal name? Check out Disney Baby’s list of names inspired by the saints (like St. Valentine). Or how about this creative list of names inspired by Disney’s “Peter Pan,” which was just released on DVD in a Diamond Edition.

Finally, how many shades of green can you name? Pantone says the color of the year for 2013 is Emerald, so it follows that trendy baby names may be the various hues, such as Hunter, Sage, Jade, Ivy and more.