In the midst of all those baby name trends and lists of the most popular baby names of the year, it feels impossible to give your child a name that a load of other kids in their school class won’t share.
While some parents look to the past for names that have fallen out of fashion, others are getting creative and coming up with entirely new ones.
A survey of 1,772 parents by ChannelMum.com found that 7% had already chosen a unique name for their child, while 65% would consider a made-up moniker.
94% of those surveyed agreed that making up individual names is set to become a popular trend, with Faelina, Evabeth, Brigham, and Tovin all predicted to climb up the baby name charts (which, yes, would defeat the purpose of making up a name to be unique).
Alongside avoiding confusion in the classroom, parents hope coming up with original names will help their kids when they grow up and create social media profiles.
The survey found that 72% of parents believe a unique name will help their child stand out, one in 50 choosing made-up names so their child will have a decent chance of getting a social media handle, and a third thinking one-off names will make their child feel special.
Official figures from the Office of National Statistics show around 60,000 different names registered each year, but the number of choices is growing rapidly as more parents select one-off monikers.
ChannelMum.com baby name expert SJ Strum said: ‘Shakespeare invented many names that have stood the test of time like Imogen and Jessica.
‘Now the social media boom means we are all writers and publishers, so parents are making up baby names that gives their child a unique start in life.’
The study found that a desire for a gender-neutral name is leading the phenomenon, with a third of parents making up something which isn’t traditionally male or female.
Also popular is taking a name each parent likes and blending it to create a new name, with 10% of couples trying this to prevent arguments over the final name choice. A further 9% mix names of relatives to honour family members.
The unique names becoming more popular:
Top ‘made-up’ names for girls:
- Maevery
- Faelina
- Idalia
- Evabeth
- Tessadora
- Anaveah
- Jessalie
- Sylvalie
- Sophiel
- Elisobelle
Top ‘made-up’ names for boys:
- Jaspin
- Charleston
- Brigham
- Ranger
- Wrenlow
- Eastley
- Graylen
- Albion
- Tovin
- Cedar
SJ Strum added: ‘In the online world, being ‘discoverable’ by your name is increasingly important and we’re seeing more names registered than ever before.
‘Maevery, with its strong V and AE sound, is bang on trend with the top two girl names Olivia and Amelia so I think it will become popular.
‘Ranger is a great outdoorsy occupational name and with Hunter being a top riser of last year, hipsters will be looking to Ranger as the new cool name – but with a more plant based ethic.’
Just be warned, parents, if you’re desperate to make your child stand out just thanks to their name.
No matter how unique your name choice may be, it could easily become popular and end up being the name of a load of other kiddos – especially if you go bragging about your genius before your sprog is born.
Keep schtum, be creative, and don’t get too worked up about your baby being the only person in the world with a certain name. It’s not the end of the world if they meet another Zavia, and the more shared names there are, the less likely your child will be staring wistfully at row after row of glittery keyrings with ‘Emma’ and ‘Laura’ on, unable to get their own.
Have you decided to give your child an unconventional name? Or do you have one of your own? We’d love to hear your story, so do get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/07/parents-making-creative-new-baby-names-like-sophiel-jaspin-help-kids-unique-12199519/
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