Guest Posting- Celebrity Baby Names

Baby names and celebrity trends 

If you’re wondering what to name your baby, you might look to your favourite celebrities for inspiration. The rich and famous are, err, famous for giving their children unusual, and in some cases, downright bizarre names. In fact, it’s harder to find celebrities who haven’t given their children unusual names. Luckily for non-celeb offspring, this trend hasn’t caught on with the general population.  

Surname Trends

However, a celebrity name trend that is giving many parents-to-be food for thought is to give your baby a surname for a first name. Mariah Carey demonstrated how well it can work by naming her baby girl Monroe, after the legendary singing heroine. David and Victoria Beckham choose the name Harper for their little girl, a name more commonly used as a surname. Many people want to steer clear of the most popular baby names, which may be why giving your child a surname as a first name is set to be a big trend in 2012. It’s also a great way of honouring a celebrity you admire, and paying tribute to their talent.

However, think carefully before jumping on this celebrity trend bandwagon. Not all names work as well as Monroe. Your favourite singer might be Bjork, but her surname of ‘Gudmundsdottir’, doesn’t have the same carry the same sultry, lyrical quality. If you like the idea of giving your child a surname as a first name, perhaps because the name will be more unique, but don’t want to name your baby after a celebrity, you could look at your families surnames for inspiration. Naming your baby after your mother’s maiden name for example, is a great way to honour your family name, and give your child a custom made name at the same time. You could also draw inspiration from your favourite TV shows, or characters from books.

 Interestingly, although this seems like a modern trend, it has actually been a tradition in the northeast for years to give a first-born son a family surname as a first name (actor/singer Robson Green got his unique name this way). If you’re thinking about naming your child after a surname however, be sensible, there are some names that work particularly well, but many will sound ridiculous!

 Celeb Babies

Another baby naming trend of 2011/12 is to name your baby after celebrity babies. The name Harper, rarely heard of before Victoria and David Beckham choose it for their baby girl, is becoming increasingly popular, as is Poppy (the name of Jamie Oliver’s daughter). However, whether you look to celebrity babies for inspiration is very dependant on whether you want an unusual name, as they so often are with celeb offspring. Bob Geldolf and Richard Gere might be your favourite celebs, but after each naming their kids Fifi Trixabelle and Homer, their talent for choosing names is questionable. Celebrity baby names can also put you off certain names. A friend of mine was all set to name her baby boy Max, until Christina Aguilera choose it for her son and she couldn’t feel the same way about it after that!

If naming your child after a surname is a bit too wacky for you, you could go for the tried and tested method of naming your baby after the first name of celebrities you like. Names such as Isla, Kiera, Kate, Scarlett and Sienna are experiencing a huge surge in popularity. For the boys, Rufus, Orlando, Jude, Ashton and Liam are celebrity inspired names that are rising through the ranks. Whatever name you choose for your baby, just choose a name you like the sound of, and you can’t go far wrong!

This article is written by Maria who loves to share her feelings about pregnancy and babies in general.  She found the challenge of naming babies extremely interesting and full of opinions from the family.  Hopefully she know understands that choosing a baby name can be one of the most difficult things.  EVER!