How Technology Is Changing Baby Names

Moms.com

Technology Is Changing How We Choose Our Baby's Name

By Jayme Kennedy

Published Dec 31, 2018

Now, we're beginning to see how technology has influenced baby name trends, from how we choose a name to the names we actually pick.

Credit: iStock / GeorgeRudy

It's no secret that choosing a name for your baby is one of the hardest parts about preparing for parenthood. This is their name, it will be with them forever! You want something special and unique, but maybe not too unique. You want your child to stand out from the pack, but still have a name that will work from birth until adulthood. Parents look for baby name inspiration everywhere, from nature to pop culture to their own family trees. And while picking a baby name is a very personal process and everyone has their own way of doing things, some factors can influence what we consider potential names or duds. Technology has spread to all facets of our lives, and has a huge impact on how we live day to day. Now, we're beginning to see how technology has influenced baby name trends, from how we choose a name to the names we actually pick.

Technology has opened up an entire world of baby names that we didn't have access to in previous generations. Baby name sites like Nameberry and pregnancy and parenting communities like BabyCenter have brought awareness to names from all over globe, and give us access to feedback and guidance from so many other parents. And it can be easier to float your potential baby names by a mostly-anonymous community than to seek input from close friends or family. Since these online communities aren't emotionally invested in your baby name, they're typically more objective with their feedback.

When it comes to specific names, we can look to technology once again to pinpoint the rise and fall in popularity of certain names. Fore example, in 2015, Alexa was number 32 on the list of baby names, according to the Social Security Administration. But as the popularity of the smart home hub Alexa has grown, the popularity of the name has fallen. In 2016, it was down to number 51. And in 2017, it was number 65, with just 3,883 newborn Alexas registered in the country.

Another way that technology has influenced baby names is a bit sillier, but still important to some parents. A lot of parents choose a baby name based on the availability of a matching domain name. In fact, a 2018 survey found that 20% of millennial parents would actually consider changing or did change their baby's name based on available domain names. That's pretty out there, but if tech rules your world, we guess it makes some sense!