The 'strange' reason influencers are giving their babies bizarre names

Comments called some of the names “insane” and wondered what would happen when the kids needed to interview for jobs.

Mainstream baby names are child’s play for an elite sect of influencers who are instead opting for non-traditional monikers for their infants.

On TikTok, expecting mothers have taken to sharing potential baby names or the ones they loved but decided not to use, divulging their unique ideas to their vast online audience — despite some harsh criticism.

Reality star and internet personality Francesca Fargo, who is pregnant with twins, asked her followers for suggestions when sharing the names she was fond of but had ultimately nixed from her list, such as Heart, Stone, Afternoon, Lovely and Lyrics.

In response, viewers slammed the creator, 30, for using regular words as baby names, while others wished the video was “satire.”

Model Nara Smith — a mother-of-three to Rumble Honey, Slim Easy and newborn Whimsy Lou — elicited the same response when she shared her brainstorming process, as users in the comments called her children’s names “insane” and wondered what would happen when her kids need to interview for jobs.

But baby naming experts say that the little ones may not need monikers fit for a shiny name tag or a corporate office, telling The Independent that influencers are attempting to create a “brand” for their children right out of the womb.

“In this new age of baby names, people are trying to set their kids up for a brand, to create their own personal brand,” said Jessie, who consults with expecting parents on baby names and boasts a following of 100,000 on TikTok.

“They give them names that will stand out in an Instagram handle, creating this individuality for them as they go into perhaps the same industry their parents are in.”

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.

RELATED: Mum laughs about the Millennial names that kids think are ‘old people’ names

It's no longer for the nepobabies 

Once reserved for A-list newborns — like Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter Apple or Kim Kardashian’s children, Saint, North, Psalm and Chicago — the eccentric, and occasionally absurd, monikers are no longer merely assigned to the nepo-babies of celebrities or internet starlets.

A growing category of content creators, like Jessie, are gaining an online following for their baby naming services or ability to predict the names of favourite influencers or celebrities.

Emily Kim, 33, is one of the app's many baby name predictors and brainstormers, boasting an impressive following of over 328,000. The Minnesota native believes that social media is partly to blame for the so-called boom in odd baby names.

“A reason we see certain names becoming popular in very niche communities is social media,” said Kim. “Before the internet, you were surrounded by the names in your local community, but now we’re surrounded by everyone, everywhere, all at once.”

Content creators, she continued, are often more likely to choose unique monikers because of their chosen careers. Being chronically online, she added, almost makes it feel “like every unique name has already been used when in reality they just have so many internet acquaintances.”

Em baby name tok and model, Nara Smith. Source: TikTok

RELATED: My husband wants to name our baby after my childhood bully

"I can’t use this name because so-and-so already did"

“There’s a feeling of: ‘I can’t use this name because so-and-so already did…’ even though so-and-so is a person you follow on Instagram and met once at a sponsored deodorant event,” she said.

However, the supposed rise in influencer-named children doesn’t mean kindergarten classrooms are about to be flooded with Lovelys or Whimsys — although some Gen Alpha kids may think mainstream monikers like Samantha or Ashley sound “old.”

“There’s this crazy attitude towards trendiness right now. Everyone named their kid Jennifer in the ‘80s, and that was a trend, but just because ours look different now, it’s vilified,” Jessie explained.

“People are so anti-trendy names, but no matter how much we try to be different, then ‘the being different of it all’ becomes the trend.”

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

According to data from the Social Security Administration, Liam and Olivia are still the reigning champs for baby names in the US. However, the agency said trendy names are rising, partly due to fan-favourite television shows, movies and other media.

“I like to believe, in my truest of heart, that these are the names that resonate with influencers for their kids. I would love to hope that, but there is always the concern with the influencer community that it’s done for the shock of it all,” Jessie added.

“Choose names that you truly love and, most of all, that resonate with your child. Your child’s a person. At the end of the day, you’re naming a human being who will go through their life with this name. Step away from the social media noise of it all.”

This story was initially published in the NY Post and republished here with permission. 

Originally published as The 'strange' reason influencers are giving their babies bizarre names