Today’s parents are rejecting traditional baby names and instead making more unusual choices for their children.

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Researchers at San Diego State University looked at names given to more 325 million babies born between 1880 and 2007.

“The trend for parents to give their child a unique, unusual name is huge,” says San Diego State University Psychology Professor Jean Twenge. “You don’t have to be a celebrity’s child to get a unique name.”

Traditionally, parents tended to avoid giving their child a different type of name to reduce the chances of them getting teased or picked on in the playground. But things are very different today.

“That is all shifted now,” explains Professor Twenge. “Parents want their kids to stand out, not fit in.”

For many years, celebrities have given their children bizarre names, such as Luna (Frank Lampard) and Sage Moonblood (Sylvester Stallone) and unusual names, such as Suri (Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes) and Harlow (Nicole Richie).

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Want to choose an unusual or traditional name for your child. See our baby namer for thousands of choices.

Authors

Susie Boone, Editorial Director MadeForMums
Susie BooneEditorial Director, MadeForMums
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