Wait, what?
Settling on that magical moniker for your baby can be tricky enough.
Some people want a totally unique name, to try and make sure that their little one won’t be sharing a moniker with half the class when school time starts.
Other parents are searching for one that is meaningful – but still means that their child won’t be spelling out their name for the rest of their lives.
And there’s about a thousand and one different factors in between that could influence parents’ choice of moniker.
However, according to a new study, some millennial parents have started to pick baby names based on a fascinating factor.
According to the Independent, one in five millennial parents seriously considered changing their baby’s name (or went through with making the swap) based off what domain names were available at the time.
The study, conducted on behalf of GoDaddy, looked at millennial parents and Gen X parents – and found that there was a huge increase in the number of parents readying their children for a digital life before they were even born.
There were 1,000 millennial parents, aged 24 to 38, and 1,000 Gen X parents, aged 39 to 53, that took part in the research.
It also found that almost half of millennial parents (48 per cent) believed it was important for their kids to have an online presence early on in life – as opposed to 27 per cent Gen X ones.
Meanwhile, over half of the millennial respondents said that they got their first social media platform between the ages of 10 and 17 – whereas just 10 per cent of Gen X parents said the same.
38 per cent of millennial parents said that they had already created a website for their child – or were considering making one. The number was almost halved when it came to Gen X respondents (20 per cent).
As for the reasons why? 48 per cent of parents said that the website was created for future job searches, while 47 per cent said it was for college applications.
On the findings, Melissa Schneider, trends expert at GoDaddy, said:
“It’s no longer enough to make sure that your baby is enrolled at the top elementary school at birth – parents today are claiming their child’s name and online identity to make sure that they’re set up for success down the line.
“More than ever, it’s essential to own your own identity on the internet, and millennials know that better than anyone else.
“Today’s parents know that the internet is woven into the fabric of our daily lives, and teaching them how to show up well online is vital.”
