Baby name consultant urges parents to use 'birthday test' when naming child

21 February 2024 , 16:56

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A naming expert has laid out a guide for choosing your baby's name (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Parents should be very careful when naming their baby and consider three rules when running through those that they find most appealing, according to a naming guru. The most popular baby boy name in the UK is Noah, followed by Oliver and then George while Olivia remains the most popular baby girl name, with Amelia and Isla following in second and third position.

But baby name consultant Kayla Naab says there are three factors parents should consider if they want their child to stand out with a unique name – usability, integration, and connotation. Say the prospective names out loud in a variety of tones, use them in a sentence, and write them down alongside the names of their family members.

Naab Writing in a Business Insider essay, Naab says: "Write the full name with your surname, write it in a sentence or a list, and address a message to this name. Assess whether it felt cool, easy, weird, or normal to use the name in a basic way. What is really important is that parents should stop and think long and hard about whether the name has the potential for jokes or insults.

For example, Amy Schumer and her husband Chris Fischer changed the name of their four-year-old son from Gene Attell Fischer to Gene David Fischer after he was born and Schumer, 42, admitted in 2020: "We realised that we, by accident, named our son 'Genital'." Naab explains that a name should instill confidence in children and build their character – and it has to age well as they age.

She added: "I encourage parents to consider every context, from school papers and roll calls to job interviews and the workplace. How would this name look on a social profile, a wedding invitation, an announcement for a promotion, or on the banner for a birthday party? Plug the name into real life."

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And she warned that parents should consider if the name could trigger any negative feelings, imagery, or pop culture references or any unfortunate nicknames and acronyms. And while she understands that a unique name could help them stand out and even give them a certain amount of confidence: "It’s really important to consider the lives your child might live and anticipate how your chosen name will impact their experience." Other popular boys' names in the UK, in order of preference are Arthur, Muhammad, Leo and Harry, while with girls, it's Ava, then Ivy, Freya and then Lily.

Paul Donald