When it comes to choosing names for your baby, you want the perfect fit. But before you scour the globe, the internet, and the baby name books for the perfect thing to call your little tyke, why not start with the tree in your own backyard? Specifically, your family tree.

As a genealogist, I forcibly persuaded my husband to work with me in choosing names from our past. Some of the names we have chosen are recent. My first child was named for my mother and my grandmother. My second child was named for, well, my husband. My third child was named for my adopted grandfather and my grandfather.

But if these names are unacceptable – I am not willing to work with my husband’s grandparents names, Emeron and Stella (as if I could talk with a grandfather named Styrle Iretone) – you can search further into your past. Did you have a great aunt you were close to? Can your grandparents tell you stories about their grandparents that make you think these folks were after your own heart? Oftentimes, stories from your relatives will make you feel closer to the people you have descended from. My heart will always warm towards my great-grandfather, William Ellett, who wrote the most beautiful love letters to his wife-to-be while he was away. Perhaps you – like most Americans – have antecedents who showed great courage as they left their country and their family behind to follow dreams of a new life. You would not be who you are today without their vision – what better way to honor them than by connecting them to your child?

With only a few months to go, you may not have time to sift through information, trying to find out details about your family’s past. Check with your older relatives to see if there is another genealogist in the family, a book that has been printed. Look online to determine if any research has been placed there. If all else fails, you can pay to have your genealogy done. Many researchers can turn up details beyond names and date to give your relations more personality.

The birth of a new baby is a time to look to the future. But just like you don’t want your child to ever fully leave your family, your ancestors wanted to be connected to your generation, as well. Why not connect to them in a way that will keep them alive for years to come?