A woman who has spent her career studying baby names has revealed what parents-to-be need to consider if they want to set their children up for success in the real world.
Sophie Kihm, Editor-in-Chief of the leading baby name website Name of the berrywrote an essay for Business Insider in which he shared crucial information about names that could have a positive effect on a person’s career path later in life.
“When people hear that I run a website about baby names, they often ask me which names promise success for their unborn children,” she described.
Most parents will simply try to “imagine” a person with the name their baby wants to give in a position synonymous with extreme success in a prestigious field, from a CEO to a Supreme Court judge.
Sophie Kihm is the editor-in-chief of leading baby naming website Nameberry, and she shared baby naming tips to set them up for success.
However, Sophie argued that this exercise tends to produce a very limited set of names, especially those “associated with white Christian men.”
He also noted that “very popular names like John, William and Elizabeth are more likely to appear on any list, including one for CEOs or senators.”
Looking ahead, Sophie highlighted how a name with global appeal, one that “travels light,” in her words, is a good choice for aspiring international business moguls.
For girls, she suggested names including: Clara, meaning ‘clear, bright, or famous,’ Mila, meaning ‘favored’ or ‘miracle,’ Luna, meaning ‘moon,’ Leni, meaning ‘light,’ or Asha, meaning ‘one who lives well.’
For boys, she suggested options including: Felix, meaning ‘happy’ or ‘lucky’, Hugo, meaning ‘intellect’, Milo, meaning ‘merciful’, Kai, meaning ‘sea’, or Leo, meaning ‘lion heart’.
There are also many names that originally derive from words with meanings such as “victory”, “glory” or “fortune”.
For girls, some of these are: Florence, meaning ‘flourishing’, Odette, meaning ‘rich’, Gloria or Cleo, both meaning ‘glory’, Aisha, meaning ‘alive and well’, or Colette, meaning ‘victory’.
As for boy options imbued with such prosperous connotations, see: Otto, meaning ‘wealth’, Derrick, meaning ‘ruler of the people’, Edward, meaning ‘fortune’, or Rafferty, meaning ‘prosperous’.
Many parents have high hopes for their children, imagining that in the future they will be, for example, business executives or Supreme Court judges (file image)
Sophie also mentioned names that have historically been associated with born leaders.
“These are names of all kinds of traditions that have dignity and weight,” he wrote.
For girls, this includes names such as: Octavia, meaning ‘eighth’, Rose, a floral name, Eloise, meaning ‘famous warrior’, Naomi, meaning ‘pleasant’, Celeste, meaning ‘heavenly’, and Frances, meaning ‘free’.
And for young leaders, consider: Theodore, which means ‘gift,’ Atticus, which means ‘sturdy,’ George, which means ‘farmer,’ Asher, which means ‘happiness,’ Cyrus, which means ‘sun,’ or Langston, which means ‘long stone.’
DailyMail.com previously reported on the most popular names to win in 2023.
For girls born in 2023, top choices included Olivia, Emma, and Charlotte.
And among the boys born in the same year, the most popular names were Liam, Noah and Oliver.