A new study reveals parents are finding baby-name inspiration in some of the most unusual places - designer labels. But would you name your child after a fashion brand?
Counting down to your due date, and amongst all the excitement of buying cute outfits, nappies and nursery equipment in preparation for your little one’s arrival is the daunting task of choosing their name.
While some play it safe, opting for more traditional names or one that’s been in the family for generations, others seem keen to try something different, on the hunt for a more unusual name, or even one they’ve never heard before. More and more, parents are looking in different places for inspiration, such as Disney characters, flower names and even names from Harry Potter.
Now, it seems, expectant parents are being insired by fashion brands and labels. A recent study, carried out by online retailers jewellerybox.co.uk, looked at figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) between 2000 and 2018, and found more and more babies are being named after famous fashion and beauty brands.
Top of the list for fashion-inspired girls’ names in the UK is Chanel, after the iconic Coco, with 1,349 entries. Here is the full list:
- Chanel - 1,349
- Armani - 336
- Dior - 196
- Dolce - 105
- Estee - 53
- Omega - 10
- Yves - 7
- Cartier - 3
- Nivea - 3
And leading the boys’ names chart, with 573 is Valentino, while some names prove to be popular across the board.
- Valentino - 573
- Kenzo - 443
- Armani - 368
- Salvatore - 149
- Cavalli - 105
- Dior - 55
- Yves - 50
- Klein - 10
- Hermes - 8
- Cartier - 6
READ MORE: Visit our baby names section for hundreds of ideas
More than 700 babies – both girls and boys – were named after designer Armani, and overall 251 babies took the name of another big fashion house, Dior. A total of 57 little ones were given the name Yves, after Yves Saint Laurent, and Cartier even made both lists, with nine baby girls and boys named after the luxury jewellery brand. Others that made the cut include Estee, Cartier and even Nivea for girls, and Cavalli, Klein and Hermes for boys. We reckon Dolce and Gabbana could make the perfect twin names for parents that are fashion focused too?
In comparison, the more traditional names still remain the most popular, with the most recent ONS figures showed Olivia is the most popular girls’ name in England and Wales, for the third year in a row, while Oliver has held the top spot for boys for the last six years.
Mums over 35 are more likely to go for established names, while mums under 25 are usually more daring, picking shortened, hyphenated and unusual monikers for their munchkins, and less than half the number of babies born are given a name within the top 100 list.
If you love unusual baby names, take a look at our suggestions for retro baby names, baby names that have been banned, as well as double barrel baby names.
There's just so many to choose from...
