Choosing a baby name is often one of the most exciting and stressful tasks for new parents. While many turn to books or online lists for inspiration, some are now paying tens of thousands of dollars to a consultant to do the job for them.
According to a report by Karanama Ruru of Stuff, Taylor Humphrey, a 30-year-old from San Francisco, has turned her unusual passion into a lucrative career as a professional baby name consultant.
With nearly 70,000 followers on TikTok and 30,000 on Instagram, she advises parents on finding the “perfect” name for their child, a service that can cost up to US$50,000 (about NZ$85,000).
What began as a hobby, Humphrey says, quickly evolved into a profession after a desperate mother once contacted her for urgent help. The woman told Humphrey she was unable to leave the hospital until she named her newborn. “That was a turning point,” Humphrey recalled, Stuff reported.
Her clientele now ranges from celebrities to wealthy but private families. Services start with a US$200 (NZ$345) personalised baby-name email, but her top-tier packages can last several months. The high-end consultations, which cost US$30,000 (NZ$51,000) or more, may involve support from genealogists, branding experts, and multiple video calls.
Although her work has been mocked online, Humphrey says she understands the criticism. “It is silly, I come up with baby names for a living,” she admitted to the San Francisco Chronicle. “But at the same time, I’m helping parents overcome barriers and find a name that feels right for them,” as quoted by Stuff.
For Humphrey’s clients, the search for a name is more than just picking words from a list – it’s about identity, heritage, and sometimes even status. And for some, it’s a service worth paying thousands of dollars for, Stuff reported.