Parents have begun devise new names in a bid to make their babies unique, a new report has shown
This new trend by parents comes in the midst of all those baby name trends and lists of the most popular baby names of the year.
Metro UK reports that a survey of 1,772 parents by ChannelMum.com found that 7% had already chosen a unique name for their child, while 65% would consider a made-up moniker.
94% of those surveyed agreed that making up individual names is set to become a popular trend, with Faelina, Evabeth, Brigham, and Tovin all predicted to climb up the baby name charts (which, yes, would defeat the purpose of making up a name to be unique).
The survey found that 72% of parents believe a unique name will help their child stand out, one in 50 choosing made-up names so their child will have a decent chance of getting a social media handle, and a third thinking one-off names will make their child feel special.
Official figures from the Office of National Statistics show around 60,000 different names registered each year, but the number of choices is growing rapidly as more parents select one-off monikers.
ChannelMum.com baby name expert SJ Strum said: ‘Shakespeare invented many names that have stood the test of time like Imogen and Jessica.
‘Now the social media boom means we are all writers and publishers, so parents are making up baby names that gives their child a unique start in life.’
The study found that a desire for a gender-neutral name is leading the phenomenon, with a third of parents making up something which isn’t traditionally male or female.
