Professional baby namer opens up about her unique career
A professional baby namer has opened up about her unique career, and how her clients pay up to $30,000 to find them the perfect baby names.
Taylor A. Humphrey, aged 33 from New York, is the founder of 'What's in a Baby Name,' a boutique consultancy that offers everything from name lists based on parents’ answers to a questionnaire to a full-service baby naming concierge.
Her services start at $1,500 for a bespoke list of options and can cost thousands more, depending on the job. For the price of $10,000, she will come up with a name that 'will be on-brand with a parent's business’.
Humphrey, who doesn't have children of her own but also works as a doula, is willing to go to great lengths to help parents find the ideal name, including a genealogical investigation to find old family names.
She has helped name more than 100 children last year, and part of her job is counselling parents through the process.
The consultant offered a glimpse into how she finds new names, saying she scans everything from film credits to street signs for inspiration. She also follows trends using the Social Security database and notes the names that are in a sharp decline due to negative associations to things like natural disasters and certain brands.
@whatsinababynamedoula Reply to @sastheobald 16 NYC-Inspired Baby Names! Comment Your Favorites below! #babynames #babynameconsultant #babynamer #professionalbabynamer #name ♬ New York New York (Instrumental) - Jack Ontario Soundorchestra
The baby naming expert, who graduated from New York University, had tried other careers, including screenwriting, before she found her calling.
'The most exciting part of that entire venture was picking out the names of the characters,' she recalled.
She fell into the baby naming business in 2015 when she launched her Instagram handle @whatsinababyname. She explained that she would share her favourite baby names and the numerology behind them.
'People were messaging me and asking me what they should name their babies,' she said. 'I think there was something about seeing the lists and people would see their names and they would think that I could help them find names for their children that could go with the ones of the other kids they had.'
Humphrey said she was 'so flattered' at the time that she was 'giving out the advice for free.' It wasn't until she started studying to be a doula in 2018 that she realized she could turn the demand for her naming services into a niche business.
She admitted there was some trial and error and 'a bit of ego involved' when she first started the business.
Humphrey's personal services don't come cheap, but she has more than 46,700 followers on TikTok, where she gives baby naming advice for free.
In one video, she responded to a follower who asked for a boy's name to go with Connor, suggesting Brady, Cooper, Foster, Greyson, and Lucas.
Humphrey also gets plenty of questions from viewers who can't believe she names babies for a living.
'Believe it or not, this is my full-time job,' she said.
Images: TikTok