Madison Burgess
The UK's leading baby name consultant has revealed a growing issue that Gen Z parents are facing when it comes to picking a moniker for their new addition.
SJ Strum has helped countless families, including celebrities, with the all-important decision of what to name their baby - and has even released a book on the topic.
Any parent-to-be will know it's a hugely important decision and will no doubt have spent time meticulously going through a list of potential options with their partner.
And nowadays, baby names are getting more and more unique, with the more classic choices falling down the popularity lists.
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While it may have got more mainstream with celebrities - for example Beyoncé and Jay-Z's daughter Blue Ivy, and Nara Smith and Lucky Blue Smith's daughter Fawnie Golden, to name a couple, the concept of giving your child a more unusual name has certainly rubbed off and become more mainstream, especially for Gen Z and Millennial parents.
However, not everyone is impressed and SJ told Tyla that an issue she's seeing more and more during consultations is actually nothing to do with the parents - it's that the grandparents are unhappy.
The expert explained: "Grandparents not liking the baby name has become a wider issue with the surge in unique names.
"Grandparents came from a generation where names were still passed on in families - something that's less popular now or reserved for the middle name) -and names were often biblical."
She reasoned: "Imagine you called your child Paul and now he’s naming his son Bodhi - it can cause a bit of negative backlash but I always reassure parents that they need to name in their style, not their parents."
The baby name consultant added that she would actually advise not telling anyone your chosen name until the little one comes along - you may even change your mind last minute in the delivery room.
SJ said: "I’m all for being secret squirrel when it comes to names, as there’s nothing people love more than to take your precious baby name list as a brainstorming request or telling you they hate the name and all the reasons why!"
She assured: "Once baby is here trust me, they will love the name as much as they adore your little one."
Another issue that SJ comes across frequently is couples not being able to agree on a baby name.
The expert revealed: "The most common dilemma is couples not agreeing - it’s surprisingly hard to agree on one ‘perfect’ baby name.
"In this situation we look at both parents' lists and encourage them to ‘spot the similarities’ and in doing so narrow down a criteria, do they like soft sounding names? Old fashioned or modern feel? Long or short? "
She affirmed: "It really helps, just like buying a new house, to set out your must haves. Most of us skip this part and delve right into suggesting names to each other and end up with lots of vetos.”
SJ explained that if a couple can't agree, she'll ask for both of their name lists, analyse them for similarities and suggest some names that meet in the middle.
The consultants top DOs and DON'Ts are: