Elizabeth

Elizabeth, one of the premiere classic girls' names, is just inside the Top 10, even though there are actually fewer babies getting the name these days. Elizabeth has so much going for it -- rich history, broad appeal, and timeless style -- that no matter how many little girls there are named Lizzie, Eliza, and Beth out there, you can still make Elizabeth your own.

One important thing to keep in mind: If you do choose Elizabeth, don't make the mistake some parents do and give her sister a name that may sound different but is basically Elizabeth in disguise, such as Isabel.

Elizabeth nicknames on the table today include Libby, Bess, Tibby, and even the so-antiquated-it's-cool Betty. Also in play is the fashionable Eliza. There has been only one year throughout all of recorded baby-naming history, since 1880, that Elizabeth slipped one place below the Top 25, and that was in 1945--when Betty was Number 11.

In the Bible Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist, and two of England's most notable queens have been Elizabeth I and II. And another memorable bearer was Elizabeth Taylor--who hated to be called Liz.