Tips5 min read
Telling Family Your Name Choice Without the Drama
The reveal conversation is the one that sets the tone. Here is how to share the name in a way that closes the question rather than opening it.
15 March 2026
Blog
Page 7 of 9
Meaning6 min read
Water Names with Deep Meaning: Rivers, Oceans, and Rain
Parents drawn to nature names often land on water. Here is a guide to names that carry rivers, seas, and rain in their roots.
15 March 2026
Tips5 min read
The Nickname Stress Test Every Name Should Pass
Your child will not be called their full name most of the time. Here is how to stress-test a name for the nicknames you want and the ones you do not.
14 March 2026
Tips6 min read
Handling Unsolicited Name Opinions from Family
Relatives will have opinions. Some are helpful, some are hostile. Here is a calm way to field them without burning the bridge.
14 March 2026
Tips6 min read
When the Perfect Name Is Already Taken (By Someone You Know)
Your best friend just named their baby the name you had picked out. Here is how to think about whether to still use it.
14 March 2026
Tips5 min read
Keeping Your Baby Name Shortlist Private Until Birth
Telling people your shortlist almost guarantees unsolicited opinions. Here is how to stay private without seeming weird about it.
14 March 2026
Psychology6 min read
How Your Own Name Shaped You
Your relationship with your own name carries more weight in the choices you make for your child than most parents realise.
13 March 2026
Psychology7 min read
The Psychology of Name Regret
Post-birth name regret is more common than parents admit. Here is what it looks like, why it happens, and what to do about it.
13 March 2026
Tips6 min read
How to Shortlist Baby Names Without Arguing: A Calm Method
A structured way to go from hundreds of possibilities to a shortlist you both actually agree on, without the evening descending into silence.
13 March 2026
Tips5 min read
Say It Out Loud: The Speech Test Every Name Should Pass
A name that looks perfect on paper can fall apart in your mouth. Here is how to test it before you commit, and what to listen for.
13 March 2026
Psychology6 min read
The Name Letter Effect: Why We Are Drawn to Our Own Initials
Research shows we quietly favour the letters of our own name. It affects where we live, who we marry, and, yes, what we name our children.
11 March 2026
Psychology7 min read
Are Unusual Names a Burden or a Gift?
Parents worry that an unusual name will make their child stand out in the wrong way. The evidence is more nuanced than the headlines suggest.
11 March 2026
Psychology6 min read
Sound Symbolism in Baby Names
The K in Kate, the L in Lily, the hard consonants in Victor. There is real linguistics behind why names land the way they do.
10 March 2026
Psychology6 min read
Do Sibling Names Matter? What Research Says
Your children will share a surname, a home, and a name association that lasts their whole lives. Here is what the research says about sibling name fit.
9 March 2026
Psychology7 min read
When Partners Disagree on a Baby Name
You love the name. They hate it. Here is a step-by-step way through the deadlock, drawn from couples counsellors and naming research.
9 March 2026
Culture7 min read
Why Some Names Go Extinct: The Rise and Fall of a Name
Why names disappear, overassociation, sound shift, stigma, generational churn, and why some revive. Real examples across three centuries.
4 March 2026
Psychology6 min read
The Halo Effect: How a Name Shapes First Impressions
Psychologists have studied name bias for decades. Here is what the research actually says, and how much it should influence your shortlist.
4 March 2026
Culture8 min read
How Biblical Names Travelled the World
The journey of Biblical names through Greek, Latin, and vernacular translation, why John has 50 forms, what the original meanings are, and which names never left Hebrew.
2 March 2026
Culture9 min read
A Short History of American Given Names
How American naming evolved, Puritan virtues, presidential fashions, immigration waves, 20th-century invention, and the modern cross-cultural era.
1 March 2026
Culture8 min read
A Short History of Irish Gaelic Names
How Irish names evolved, pre-Christian sagas, monastic saint names, centuries of suppression, 20th-century revival, global spread.
1 March 2026
Culture9 min read
A Short History of English Given Names
How English naming traditions formed, Germanic roots, Norman overlay, Biblical revival, Victorian romance, and the modern open market.
28 February 2026
Tips8 min read
US Baby Naming Laws
A plain-English guide to US baby naming laws, state-by-state limits, character restrictions, name-change rules, and what actually gets refused.
27 February 2026
Tips6 min read
Registering a Baby's Name in the US
The full process for registering a newborn's name in the US, hospital paperwork, Social Security, deadlines, late registration, and name-change options.
27 February 2026
Culture7 min read
Banned Baby Names in Europe
A tour of European naming laws, from strict approval lists in Iceland and Denmark to permissive rules in the UK and Ireland. What is banned, and why.
27 February 2026