How to name a baby is one of the first and most important decisions parents-to-be face. How to choose a baby name is something that varies among parents, depending on personal preferences, family lineage, religion, culture, and much more.

Choosing a baby name gets more complicated when parents don’t agree on specific baby names or types of names. One parent might want to choose a baby name that they consider classic, while the other parent may want something a bit more on-trend.

Parents’ relationships with their own names can also play a part: If one parent grew up with a rare baby name and didn’t particularly like standing out in that way, they may avoid an unusual name. But what if their co-parent grew up with a common name, and wants to name their baby something truly unique?

It’s also important to keep in mind the popularity of a name in any given year and how naming your baby one of the most popular names might play out in their school-age years. (Olivia and Emma top the charts for girls these days, and Liam and Noah are most popular for boys.) Even if you love a name, will you be comfortable with your baby potentially having a few friends with the same name? It’s a matter of personal preference.

TODAY.com consulted four baby-name experts to get their top tips on how to choose a baby name.

How to choose a name, tip 1: Look to the stars

Maressa Brown, an astrologer and author of the book “Raising Baby by the Stars,” advises parents to look to the zodiac to choose a baby name that will be consistent with the personality traits she believes will match their birth sign.

“You might consider your baby’s natal astrology when choosing a name. Your due date can give you a sense of their sun sign, which can inform the tone of your child’s name,” she tells TODAY.com.

“For example, if you’re expecting a little Libra, you might look for names that are graceful and nod to the air sign’s priorities, such as peace, harmony, and connection.

“And if you’re not quite settled on a name before baby arrives, take a look at their full birth chart for more intel, which could lead you to the most fitting moniker. You might find that even though their sun is in an air sign, several planets were moving through water signs at the time of your child’s birth, so a sea-inspired name is actually the best bet.”

How to choose a name, tip 2: Trust your gut (and the one giving birth)

Colleen Slagan is a baby name consultant and the founder of Naming Bebe. She wrote in an email to TODAY.com:

“Go into the delivery room prepared (you don’t have to have the one picked out, but have it narrowed down to a few), trust your gut, and make sure your partner knows that the person birthing the baby has a 51% stake in the decision ;)”

How to choose a name, tip 3: Say it out loud

Sherri Suzanne is the founder of My Name for Life and a New York-based baby name consultant who provides hand-picked name recommendations for parents-to-be around the world. She tells TODAY.com parents should pick a name they can introduce with confidence.

Practice saying, “This is our son ___” or “This is our daughter_____,” she suggested.

“When parents introduce children with confidence, children learn to introduce themselves with confidence too — on the playground or in an office.

“Whether baby name candidates are very traditional or highly creative, parents should lift them off the page or screen and say them out loud in real-world circumstances,” Suzanne says. “I ask parents to imagine the name were theirs. Can you say, ‘Hi, I’m ____?’”

She also suggested parents ensure the name and surname pair does not form jokes, rhymes, puns, or phrases. Don’t forget the middle name, too.

“Parents might be enamored of long-lost vintage names or perhaps they prefer modern choices, like a word from nature or a meaningful place,” she says. “In either case, I recommend taking special care to ensure the final selection can be said out loud confidently, and comfortably. After all, they’ll be saying it a lot.”

How to choose a name, tip 4: Narrow up, not down

Laura Wattenberg, founder of Namerology and author of “The Baby Name Wizard,” tells TODAY.com her top tip for how to choose a baby name is the opposite of how most people approach the task.

“Instead of making a list of names and then finding reasons to eliminate them from the list, focus on what you love about each name.”

She added, “You can talk yourself out of anything. Instead of narrowing down, narrow up and you’ll see what name rises to the top.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com