Talk about a 180-degree shift. A month ago, I wrote about a company that was bypassing their agency and instead, holding a contest so consumers could compete to name their new product. But apparently, those same Average Joes and Janes who are more than qualified to create the name for the over-the-counter supplement are not capable of naming their own children.


Apparently, I'm simple-minded. When we were trying to come up with baby names, I had one steadfast rule. You had to be able to find it on a kid's bike license plate.
But have no fear my friends; you don't have to rely on family tradition, a religious book, your ancestry or country of origin any longer.
You can hire a nameologist. (Even my spell check didn't know that profession existed.) For a mere $475, you can buy three 30-minute phone consultations and get a custom list of names sure to please both your ear and your in-laws.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal story, parents are paralyzed with all the choices out there and the push seems to be for the unique names. Mary, the good old stand-by that occupied the #1 position for many years, has fallen to #84. Nevaeh (heaven spelled backwards) is #43 and on the rise.
I don't know about where you went to grade school, but a kid named Nevaeh wouldn't have stood a chance on our playground.
The story goes on to tell of a pregnant woman who googled her intended name choice only to discover it already belonged to a British porn star. (Avoid Zoe Rose, for those of you who didn't already guess what she had googled.)
The baby naming consultants seem to be popping up all over and the demand is on the rise.
So what do you think? What lengths would you go to, to ensure that your little progeny's name jumped off the resume pile or flowed well with PhD.? Should we brand our kids within the first 10 minutes of their birth? Is this a job for consultants or would you prefer to do it the old-fashioned way?
What next? Baby logos and color palettes?