Thanks, Guspiv.
You know, I was expecting a lot more grief from my fellow Americans, but it hasn't happened. As soon as I repeat the pronounciation so people can really hear it, their eyes kind of widen, and they say how pretty it is. of course, they could just be placating me
if you want a couple of good websites to help you look, as a former name nerd i can recommend the following and a google search should turn them all up. the first two sites are definitely a cut above what else is out there on the web and you can get info about the name, as well as feedback (sometimes brutally honest
about your choice. the people who post on the message boards of the first two sites are pretty anti-popular names.
name nerds (info about how to choose a name to make it be melodic, info about chosing a unique middle name as well, info about popularity rankings, and a message board that doesn't get much traffic but is peopled by those with a true love of names)
behind the names (great resource for learing the etymology of the names, active message board - these people are a less 'name nerdy' than those at the name nerd site. for example, just about no one at name nerds would give positive feedback for payton, people here might)
and finally, an invaluable resource - the social security administration ranks the top 1000 names for males and females. you can track the growth in popularity for the past 12 years, see what names were in the top 10 for the past 100 years, and see how many babies in the past 12 years were given a particular name.