Dear Jennifer,
You might get this question all the time, but why do celebrities choose such crazy baby names? Is it just to get publicity? If so, what a horrible thing to do to your child!
I’m interested in hearing your insights, as a baby namer!
Sincerely,
Jennifer L.
Dear Jennifer (great name!),
Yes, I do get this question a lot. I think it’s a combination of things. As you suggested, it is a call for attention–the public’s attention and the press’s attention. But I also think it’s a product of the type of personalities that go into creative arts such as acting and singing. Creative people tend to be more creative in all aspects of their lives, including naming.
So, for artists/celebrities, it would be a combination of traits: they want attention, they want to stand out, be unique, and they’re creative.
I agree that sometimes it can be cruel to the child. One of our major baby naming tips is to not make your child’s name a joke. I would consider puns or name combinations that reference something else–a la North West or Tu Morrow–as making light of your child’s identity. The person who bears the name has to live with it their entire life, that is, unless they choose to change it when they come of age.
We’d also advise against diminutive names like Buddy Bear, Birdie, or Pixie (especially for girls), expectation names like Honor, Saint, Justice, or Chastity, and false titles like Princess, Jermajesty, or Royal Reign.
I’d like to put forth that we do private name consulting for any celebs currently thinking about naming a child! 🙂
Sincerely,
Jennifer Moss
Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.
Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.
