Some parents pick a name purely for its sound. Others won't consider one without checking the etymology. Both groups are right, and both are wrong.
The case for meaning
A name is repeated more than any other word in a person's life. There's something quietly meaningful about that word translating to "light," "grace," or "strength" rather than "thorn" or "battle." Cultural traditions that center meaning, Hebrew, Sanskrit, many African traditions, aren't sentimental about this; they treat the meaning as part of the gift.
The case against weighting it heavily
Most adults don't think about their name's literal meaning day to day. "Claire" means "bright", when did you last consider that? A name does its work through sound, association, and use, not etymology. Choosing purely on meaning can also land you with a name you don't actually love.
Where most parents end up
Meaning as a tiebreaker, not the deciding factor. You shortlist names you love the sound of, then check the meanings, and lean toward the one whose meaning doesn't sit wrong. That's a healthy use of the information.
Our meaning browse lets you do the inverse, start from a theme, see the names.