The baby name consultant charges $700 to help you name your baby

Iain is from Scotland and I have Scandinavian heritage.

I wanted to choose something unique to the US and Iain wanted something that sounded traditional to his country. I came with Euan as a happy medium.

Two years later, we named our second son Fitz because he has special meaning to both sides of our family. Our daughter Orianna, now eight, was named in part after the main character in one of Iain’s favorite video games, ‘Ori and The Blind Forest’.

I established my consultancy name in 2020

After my third was born, I started posting videos on YouTube about topics like childbirth empowerment and how to talk to care providers. I would wear a fake pregnancy as a joke.

One day I talked about my passion for unusual baby names and made a video of my tips and research findings. It blew up and became a weekly thing with themes like flowers, names inspired by vintage fashion and names with different syllables.

It turned into a business in the fall of 2020 when people asked them for suggestions that would complete their last name, start with certain letters, and hopefully empower their children to be independent and unique.

I offer four levels of service that cost between $30 and $700. My clients fill out surveys so I can get a full picture of the type of names they’re looking for – or want to exclude entirely.

People are asking for Halloween-inspired name suggestions

The budget option lasts 24 hours and offers five name suggestions. The most expensive service lasts three months and covers three private video calls, unlimited name suggestions and a personalized name certificate.

I usually work 30 hours a week, adjusting my schedule around my children’s needs. I use data from the Social Security Administration to calculate popularity ratings. The most common question from parents is the likelihood that their children will have the same name as others in their peer group.

Another important part of the job is trend analysis. Many people still want names as first names. They will choose something like Miller, Monroe, Sawyer or Spencer.

Younger parents have recently been asking for names with a country and western vibe. Names like Hadley, Everly and Wyatt. There is something about them that feels warm and cozy.

Heading into the Halloween season, people are also starting to want dark or gothic-inspired names. I recently suggested Lilith, Jet, Lucian, Desdemona, and Bellatrix.

Choosing a name you love is more important than following tradition

I’m a big fan of gender neutral names. My clients love to give their daughters names like Teagan and Fallon.

I also think names don’t have “an age”. Parents will say, “I can’t imagine little baby Carl or little baby Ethel, only old Carl or old Ethel.”

I will encourage them to think again. All those adults named Otis, Stanley or Pearl were once babies. If you introduce a newborn like Walter, people will melt.

There are a lot of name regrets out there. To avoid this, I tell people that choosing a name you love is more important than following family tradition or choosing one that you think is “normal”.

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