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A baby naming expert just revealed her top five “icks” she wished parents wouldn’t follow.
Colleen Slagan took to TikTok on November 12, begging soon-to-be mothers and fathers not to use certain practices when picking baby names.
While Slagan – who’s both an official name consultant and a fellow mom – admitted she adores several monikers, she shared the few that really irk her. The first baby naming trend on her list was matching names.
Slagan said she despises when parents give their children “overly matchy names, like ‘Lila’ and ‘Layla.’”
“I’m not really talking about when they have the same starting first letter,” she explained. “More like when they just overall sound too similar.”
Moving onto her second “ick,” Slagan pointed to a common issue that arises between two sets of parents, oftentimes before one couple even has a baby. “When you shamelessly take someone else’s baby name,” she said.
“I’m not saying everyone can just stick their claim on a name,” Slagan said. “But if your partner’s sister says she loves the name Mila but she’s not having kids yet; if you get pregnant with a girl and name her Mila, an idea you got from her, with no acknowledgement.”
Slagan’s next annoyance was specific to spelling, as she claimed there’s no need to implement “crazy” spellings in your child’s name unless it’s a Gaelic moniker.
“Changing the spelling of a super common name is not the way to be original,” she proclaimed.
Ironically, her follow-up “ick” was when people express their distaste for someone’s baby name, even when no one asked for their input or opinion.
Slagan’s final baby name complaint was specific to family names. Speaking to Today, she said: “Sometimes I see people saying that using your dad or mom or grandpa’s name is like not giving your child their own original identity.”
However, Slagan doesn’t think this belief is entirely valid. In fact, the expert thought there were several ways to utilize a family name while still ensuring your baby has their own unique version. She suggested using nicknames rather than the full name.
“If you’re a John, you could be Jay, you could be Jack, you could be Johnny, you could be Tripp if you’re the third, you could be Penn if you’re the fifth,” Slagan offered, before adding: “I’m a big fan of going through the family tree for inspiration, and I love the idea of carrying on that legacy.”
With more than 100,000 views on TikTok, Slagan’s video has since prompted widespread discussion about personal baby name “icks.” Under her video, one person complained about rare and obscure names that parents come up with.
“My ick is when people forget they’re naming future adults. I saw a video on here where the girls names were Trendy and Truly. Like, imagine applying for a job and your name is TRENDY,” they wrote.
A second person commented: “The overuse of the letter ‘y’ to be ‘original.’”
“Honestly, naming your kid something from the top 10 list lol,” another viewer added.
