The choosing of names

With a baby on the way, a constant thought in ones mind is the name. Here in Japan, it is common to think of names, and then consult a monk who specializes in analyzing the number of strokes in the chracters that make up that name. He determines whether the chosen name and the family name are well balanced and if it will bear good fortune. We haven't reached that stage yet, but we will be doing so soon. Also, with more and more people marrying non-Japanese, people try to find names that sound Western but can be written in Japanese kanji. For example, "Jay" is very popular. A British/Japanese couple I know chose "Isamu", so that if need be, the "I" and "U" could fade into the background to produce "Sam". It certainly adds further complexity to choosing names, as there are more factors to consider. How it sounds in both languages, is the meaning of the sounds funnny or strange, how will people shorten the name chosen, what could be alternative readings of the kanji, what does it rhyme with in other languages????? Considering all these things, it brings to the fore the importance of the name choosing. Of course, the child could change name, but that's still not usual (although very easy to do, actually). I must ponder further...