How to choose a baby name

Many eyebrows were raised when Kim Kardashian and Kayne West named their newborn daughter North West. Similarly, Mariah Carey was ridiculed for the names of her twins, Monroe and Moroccan. Closer to home, Sam Worthington and Lara Bingle named their son Rocket Zot. And who could forget Apple Martin, progeny of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin?

In the USA in 2016, there were 370 baby girls named Khaleesi after the popular Game of Thrones character. Not surprisingly, before 2011, when the series premiered, there were none. In the UK, the arrival of royal babies sees a spike in popularity of their names. George has been in the top 10 boys’ names in the UK every year since he was born. There’s also been in a bump in the number of Charlottes.

Choosing a name for your new baby is a huge decision. Do you choose a name that no one else will have? One that is meaningful? A family name? A name that sits well with your surname? Your friends and family will not doubt continue to debate the options throughout your pregnancy – even if you you don’t – and proffer bumper books of names they’ve already poured over. And there’s nothing worse than naming your beautiful new baby and someone immediately voicing their disapproval or spelling their name wrong.

Every generation has names that are more common than others. In playgrounds today there are any number of Rubys, Avas and Jacks. You won’t hear nearly as many Kylies, Craigs or Scotts as there were in the late 80s when Neighbours was huge, and while Shirley and Dorothy were popular names in the 1930s you’d be lucky to meet a young woman now who answers to that handle.

Who knows? Perhaps these new celebrity names will catch on, and in 2030 there will be five Norths and three Rockets in every classroom.

If you want some ideas for baby names, to check out what your favourite name means or find out what’s popular in Australia, check out the Baby Names website.