Choosing a baby name: survey results
We asked Mumsnet users to share their experiences of choosing a name for their baby.
The results show that most parents (70%) made the decision together and agreed on the chosen name, before or soon after the baby was born. However, the survey also revealed that a quarter (26%) of people had a name which they weren't brave enough to use.
See the full survey results below.
|
Who chose your baby's name (or who had the most influence on which name was picked!)?
|
| Answer options |
First child | Second child | Subsequent children |
You and your partner together
|
70% | 65% | 60% |
| You |
22% | 22% | 18% |
Partner
|
7% | 7% | 7% |
It was a name you felt obliged to use for family reasons
|
1% | 1% | 2% |
It was a name you felt obliged to use for religious or cultural reasons
|
0% | 0% | 1% |
Someone else
|
0% | 1% | 2% |
| Other | 0% | 3% | 11% |
|
And thinking about how you chose the eventual name: did any of the following apply?
|
| Answer options |
First child | Second child | Subsequent children |
Used baby name books
|
51% | 35% | 24% |
| Had a name in mind that you/your partner had always liked |
47% | 35% | 22% |
Used websites such as Mumsnet
|
33% | 30% | 24% |
Wanted to settle on a rare or unusual name
|
23% | 21% | 20% |
Wanted to name the baby after a particular friend or family member
|
20% | 18% | 12% |
Wanted to name the baby after a celebrity/notable person
|
0% | 3% | 3% |
| Wanted an unusual spelling | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| None of these | 7% | 9% | 9% |
| Other | 9% | 6% | 8% |
|
Did you and your baby's father find it easy to agree on a baby name?
|
| Answer options |
First child | Second child | Subsequent children |
Yes: you both had names to suggest and were able to agree
|
50% | 52% | 51% |
Yes: you were in complete agreement
|
34% | 28% | 27% |
No. You argued, but came to an agreement in the end
|
14% | 17% | 18% |
No, and one of you is still unhappy about the choice we made
|
2% | 3% | 2% |
No, and you're both still unhappy with the choice you made
|
0% | 0% | 2% |
|
Whom did you consult when choosing your baby’s name?
|
| Answer options |
First child | Second child | Subsequent children |
Your partner; you chose it together
|
72% | 70% | 49% |
No-one else. It was solely your decision
|
33% | 26% | 19% |
Your parents
|
10% | 9% | 4% |
Your friends
|
5% | 6% | 7% |
Your parents-in-law
|
5% | 3% | 3% |
Other relatives
|
3% | 4% | 4% |
| Work colleagues | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Other children | N/A | 7% | 13% |
|
When did you choose your baby’s name?
|
| Answer options |
First child | Second child | Subsequent children |
Before the baby was born
|
57% | 54% | 55% |
Shortlisted in advance and waited to see which one suited the baby after the birth
|
26% | 24% | 21% |
On the day of the birth
|
7% | 8% | 6% |
The day after the birth
|
3% | 4% | 4% |
| The week following the birth |
5% | 5% | 7% |
| More than a week after birth |
1% | 4% | 4% |
| Left it until very close to the registration deadline (42 days after the birth) | 1% | 1% | 4% |
|
If you told people about your name before the baby was born, did you change it because of negative reactions from others?
|
| Answer options |
First child | Second child | Subsequent children |
Yes
|
3% | 3% | 5% |
No
|
35% | 32% | 34% |
N/A (Didn't tell people or didn't have name before birth)
|
62% | 65% | 61% |
|
On reflection, are you happy with the name your child has?
|
| Answer options |
First child | Second child | Subsequent children |
| Yes, completely |
84% | 81% | 71% |
Yes, although I had some minor reservations
|
13% | 15% | 17% |
No; I have my doubts
|
2% | 2% | 3% |
No: a well-known figure or world event has affected the way the name is perceived
|
0% | 0% | 3% |
No: you made a mistake
|
0% | 0% | 0% |
No, and the name has been changed
|
0% | 0% | 0% |
| Don't know | 0% | 1% | 4% |
|
Did you worry about any of the following when you were pregnant and considering names?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| The name you picked appearing on a 'most popular' list |
40% |
A friend, family member or acquaintance using the name you’d picked before your baby was born
|
31% |
Your child being teased because of your choice of name
|
30% |
Your child being judged (for example by future employers) due to your choice of name
| 26% |
A celebrity using the name you'd picked
| 20% |
Offending a friend or family member with your choice of name
| 8% |
| Other | 6% |
No worries about names when pregnant
|
31% |
|
To what extent - if at all - do you agree or disagree with this statement: "As the mother of the baby does all the hard work in pregnancy and labour, she should have the final say on the baby’s name"?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| Agree |
29% |
| Neither agree nor disagree |
23% |
| Disagree | 47% |
| Don't know |
1% |
|
Do you have a name you weren't 'brave' enough to use?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| Yes |
26% |
No
|
72% |
|
If so, why weren't you 'brave' enough to use it?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| Too quirky |
45% |
Anxiety about your child being teased because of your choice
|
29% |
| Worry about your child being judged (for example by future employers) because of your choice | 18% |
| Worry that they wouldn't be taken seriously when older | 17% |
| Too unusual | 12% |
| Someone close to you had already used it for their child | 1% |
| Other | 48% |
|
Which of the following best describes how you feel about middle names?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
They're pointless - you don't know why people bother with them
|
5% |
They're useful - the middle initial(s) help distinguish between similar names
|
14% |
They're a good place to hide old family names you're obliged to use
|
6% |
They're a good place to mark tradition and keep a family surname or cultural name as a part of your child's identity
|
41% |
They're a useful back-up for people who don't like their first name
|
11% |
They're useful if you can't decide which first name you like
|
4% |
| Other | 11% |
None of these/don't know
|
7% |
Survey of Mumsnet users with at least one child.
Conducted in July 2015.
Last updated:
over 5 years
ago
