TikTok user obsessed with baby names helps parents pick their child’s moniker
Colleen Slagen, 33, is a Boston-based mom of two who shares the top names she's seeing right now
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Picking a name for a child can be one of the most challenging decisions for expectant parents.
In 2021, the Social Security Administration predicted that the top baby names of 2022 would be Liam and Olivia — and that turned out to be correct, according to Babycenter.com
Given the tremendous interest in names, Colleen Slagen, a consultant and owner of Naming Bebe, a baby-naming consultation company based in Boston, Massachusetts, turned her hobby into a business.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}THESE BABY NAMES ARE ‘AT RISK’ OF GOING ‘EXTINCT’ IN 2023
Fox News Digital talked to the 33-year-old bout her love of names.
"I have been baby name-obsessed my entire life," she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Colleen Slagen said she used to write different baby names in her diary as a kid. (Sarah Jayne Photography)
Slagen used to read school phone books for fun, she said — going through yearbooks and writing names in her diary as a kid.
The baby name-obsessed mom of two said she always dreamed of naming people’s babies but didn’t think it could turn into a real job until recently.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In 2022, Slagen gave birth to her second child, a girl, and had an idea to start posting on a Facebook mom’s group offering baby name help.
"I actually started getting really good feedback — and consultations," she said.
Naming Bebe is a baby naming consultation company that Slagen began to help parents name their children. (Naming Bebe)
Slagen has since started a baby name consultation company, helping parents choose just the right moniker for their unborn child.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A couple of months ago, Slagen started posting videos on TikTok to try and gain momentum — some of which resulted in viral moments.
"I think if people truly love a name, they should go for it."
"Names that go with" is one type of video she makes that is meant to help parents pick a second child’s name — one that goes well with the firstborn child's name.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Another type of video she's made is called "I can’t use," which is meant to help expectant parents with a list of names they cannot use, either for family reasons or the popularity of the name, even though they might like its "vibe."
Most people who seek out Slagen for help are struggling with a name for a second or third baby, she said. (iStock)
Slagen believes that social media has added pressure to expectant parents to pick the "perfect" name, she said.
"Now you see the names of all the people you follow on social media, so it’s made it even harder to feel like you’re choosing a unique name," she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Getting that third-party opinion that you have a good name can just sort of add some ease."
She's most often asked to consult for parents who want advice on naming their second or third child, she said.
"It’s people who have 20 asks on their wish list, and want it to be a name that starts with this [specific] letter and has this many syllables and these sounds," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I think getting that third-party opinion that you have a good name can just sort of add some ease," she added.
The most popular boy name that Slagen is seeing right now is Miles, she noted, while the most popular girl name is Margo. She said a name's level of popularity shouldn’t play that much of a role in the decision if one likes the name.
"I think if people truly love a name, they should go for it," she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Colleen Slagen is a baby-naming consultant from Boston, Massachusetts, who has always had a passion for names. (Tiffany Benacquista Photography/iStock)
However, Slagen herself had quite a hard time picking her own children's names.
"I’ve had names [I like] my whole life … I came kind of prepared," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I had a hard time because I love names so much, so it’s hard to choose just one," she also said.
Anyone wanting more information on Slagen's services can visit namingbebe.com.