Can you handle this baby name trend?
A professional baby namer says parents are now selecting monikers that sound “cool” as a TikTok or Instagram handle.
“Communication and technology are so huge right now and it helps individualize the child and gives them their own unique identity,” Steph Coffield, 40, explained to SWNS.
“People want their kids to have that unique identity — they want their kids to have a cool name handle for Instagram or TikTok in the future,” added Coffield, who charges up to $500 to help expecting parents choose the perfect name for their child.
The Minneapolis stay-at-home mom of three says uncommon baby names are growing more popular — which is great because she’s “so over” John and Mary.
Examples of unique names that also double as interesting social media handles include Ferris, Keaton, and Townsend for boys, Coffield said.
For girls, Coffield suggests Birdena, Doretta, and Velma.
Another trend for 2024 is names with an “ie” ending.
“I think we’re going to see a lot more Sonnys and a lot more Lennies — Lennie and Lenny — because people are loving that ‘ie’ ending for both boys and girls,” Coffield reasoned.
Also popular is using surnames as first names and giving girls masculine names.
“People are going with Barrett for boys,” Coffield explained. “For girls, I’m seeing a lot more masculine names, not just Logan and James anymore, but Denver and Murphy.”
Coffield says she hasn’t seen as many feminine names on boys.
“Often you want to name your boy after something traditional — maybe it’s a family name or he’s the third of a generation,” Coffield said. “For girls, we have traditionally placed less focus on them in society and so they end up getting all the possibilities — so for girls, you can pick anything.”
Coffield is an advocate for gender-neutral names and even published a book in 2022 titled “Names Don’t Have a Gender.”
Her services range from $25 for five name suggestions to $500 for an “interactive experience,” which includes unlimited name suggestions, three video calls, and a personalized certificate.
She gained recognition by talking about birth empowerment on TikTok — her Names With Steph page now boasts over 267,700 followers.
“I was getting so many requests I had to start charging for it,” she recalled.
But her love for uncommon names such as Rogue, Rebel, and Story has been met with resistance, as social media users wonder how these unique monikers will age.
“People say, ‘Well, what about when they grow up?’ and to that point — look at Dolly Parton. Her name is Dolly, and she is an icon. She owned that name,” Coffield declared.
“I don’t care if you are 4 or 95,” she continued. “I think that name works. Just like names don’t have a gender, names don’t have an age.”
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