What Does Your Baby's Name Mean?

If you're picking a name for your baby because it sounds nice, beware. Many names have turned up surprising meanings. But now a new British service is making it possible for parents to check the name's meanings in multiple languages before making a choice.

The New York Daily News reports that for $1,700, Today Translations will check to see what a baby's name means in 100 different languages. Besides checking to see that the baby's name isn't offensive, the company's CEO Jurga Zilinskiene said it will also ensure that the name stands out for the right reasons.

"It's so important to make sure what you call your child is the best possible name," Zilinskiene said. "The world is becoming really small."

Zilinskiene said Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may have benefitted from such a service before naming their daughter Suri.

"It sounds incredibly nice, but in Japanese, we found it means pickpocket," she said. Suri also means "turned sour" in French, "red" or "fire" in Farsi and "horse mackerels" in Italian.

On the flip side, Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani's son Zuma means "peace" in Arabic, "new day" in Mayan and "running horse" in Japanese.

Plenty of books and Web sites list names and their meanings. Some services also exist to help parents name their babies. For instance the Kabalarian Philosophy believes that baby name choice affects "the thinking, health, success and future happiness of your baby" and will help someone choose a "balanced" name for their child.