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Parents are splashing out up to $350 AN HOUR for professional baby name consultants to research potential monikers for their newborns
Gone are the days of flicking through a baby-naming book, with some parents now paying for the privilege of having someone talk you through it.
Parents-to-be are paying for the ease of having a curated list of names given to them ahead of welcoming their newborns.
After filling out questionnaires, baby name consultants will supply pages of possible names - all for a pretty penny.
Moniker lover Colleen Slagen, 34, charges expectant parents hundreds of dollars to help them choose the prefect name after launching her business, Naming Bebe, in January 2022.
Colleen says she's always had a deep love of names, spending her childhood pouring over phone and baby name books.
Moniker lover Colleen Slagen, 34, charges expectant parents hundreds of dollars to help them choose the prefect name after launching her business Naming Bebe, in January 2022
Now, the savvy name-enthusiast has turned her passion into a profitable business, charging $350 an hour and earning a whopping $63,000 a year.
The Boston native said the business started of as a 'fun hobby' alongside her full time role as a nurse practitioner, when she first returned to work after being on maternity leave after the birth of her daughter.
However, her inventive business blew up after the mom and name enthusiast started sharing her baby name thoughts on TikTok, with a huge response to her services.
'I think a lot of people have a pretty good feeling about what they want, but want a third-party opinion,' the mom-of-three, who keeps her own children's names private, told The New York Post.
Colleen takes on 15 clients a week, with a six-week turnaround for the list of potential baby names, where she gives them a six-page long PDF.
While choosing a baby name sounds like an easy buck, Colleen's clients can be demanding and often have very specific requirements.
She told The Post some of the requests she's received in the past are that the name was only used 25 times the previous year or have specific sounds.
Colleen also offers a $75 service, in which she will answer a name question and post it on social media.
Midwesterner Morgan Timm, who doesn't have a child, also makes around $37,500 a year from her name consultations
She listed example questions on her website, which include asking her to list names of a certain number of syllables, monikers that will pair well with a sibling's name, or similar alternatives for a name they can't use.
The expert uses baby name forums, books, Social Security Administration data and other sources to come up with options that perfectly fit the criteria.
But she is not the only one who is making money from naming babies.
Midwesterner Morgan Timm, 29, also makes around $37,500 a year from her name consultations.
Morgan, who doesn't have a child, has around 25 customers a month, charging $125 per customer.
She gives parents 15 pages of potential names, listing which monikers she recommends and why.
'There's wide interest,' she told the outlet. 'A lot of people are looking for that unique, one-of-a-kind, but still not weird or strange name.'
Colleen uses baby name forums, books, Social Security Administration data and other sources to come up with names that fit the perfect list (stock image)
In May, the most popular baby names in the US over the last decade were released - with social media propelling a number of new entries to the top of the list.
Liam and Olivia remained the top boys' and girls' names in 2023, marking the seventh and sixth year each has held the top spot.
Last year, Emma and Charlotte took up the second and third slot for girls' names while Noah and Oliver were the number two and three top-picked boys' names.
Only one new name appeared in the top 10 list for 2023, with Mateo joining the top boy's list for the first time, coming in at number six.
Although some names have withstood the test of time, the Social Security Administration (SSA) reported that social media stars have influenced new parents' name choices more than ever.