I've always used the graduation test - how would the name sound as the child was announced at graduation?

That's actually a smart thing to do, and to also think long and hard about whether or not their kid could be taken seriously as a professional ("paging Doctor Alize!"). But, I don't think the people who'd name their kid Alize would think about their becoming doctors, judges, or anything out of the ordinary.

That's kind of a deeper issue, but I think you're right - even then though, can't we use some smaller version of the test (like, "how would it sound over the loudspeaker at Wal-Mart?")?

You don't have to shoot for the stars, but you also don't have to use the first liquor bottle you see lying around the house.

It's terrible... my bf's grandfather was a ob/gyn. When he was in his residency, he worked at a poor, rural hospital deep in the south. He and a buddy of his were frequently asked for suggestions for baby names. They gave names based off of STDs. Syphilia (which was actually used!), Gonorrheaty. One of my favorite stories from him was a lady with twins asked him to help her with names and he offered up Orangelo and Lemongelo, written of course as LEMONJELLO and ORANGEJELLO. Probably a tall tale on his part, but funny nonetheless.

A tragic example of a bad name was a girl I went to hs with. Her name was Kizzie Butts. And she was on the extremely short side, so you can imagine the ribbing she endured.

One of my fellow teacher friends had a boy in his class last year named PENIS, but it was pronounced Pene'. :D We all got a kick out of that one!