It’s been nearly two years since I started writing Name of the Day posts.  When I started, I had one toddler and worked very part-time; I now have two kids and am back to having a 40-hour plus workweek.  At the same time, I’ve gone from a handful of readers to over 900 a day.  (Thank you, each and every one of you, for being here.)

Despite the increased demands, I have no intention of giving it up.

But the number of requests for featured names keeps going up, just as I’m particularly challenged to manage my work, so I wanted to make a few requests of my own:

• Please send all Name of the Day suggestions to appmtn (at) gmail (dot) com.  I find that I’m missing the ones that are left as comments.
• Send as long a list as you like, but I rarely can choose more than three from any list.
• You can always resubmit a name if I don’t choose it the first time.
• There are five slots each week, and I try to put in no more than one request per requester each week.
• I try to schedule no more than 60 days in advance.  If I took every suggestion, I think I’d be close to six months out!

If you want to game the system, here’s a tip – send only one name.  That way I’ll feel obligated to write about Lester or Malia or Destiny.

A few notes on how I choose names:

• I try for a mix.  When I started, I avoided the common and the classic, but they’re fascinating, too.
• If I decline an unusual name, it may be because I can’t come up with a satisfying backstory.  This often happens when a name was invented based on sound alone.
• If I can’t say something nice about a name, I tend to avoid it.  Happily, I find that I thoroughly like most names by the end of a post.

One last note: for some time, I’ve been aware that “Name of the Day” is not the best title from a search engine perspective.  Since most readers come here looking for baby name information, “Baby Name of the Day” is probably a better title.  I’ve never done anything in the name of Search Engine Optimization here, but after much debate, I’m going to make this one (tiny) change.

I truly love writing, and I’m grateful to be living in an era where an amateur can find an audience.  My posts are written before dawn – it’s actually 4:30 in the morning right now, though this post won’t go live until the afternoon.

Writing at Appellation Mountain is my way of waking up and running a few miles to start my day – but I run with my brain instead of my feet.  Thanks for keeping pace with me.  It’s a privilege!