Sometimes, the right baby name hits you like a bolt of lightning. You’ll find it on your family tree, or hear it in a movie. “That’s my child’s name,” you think. And your partner agrees without hesitation.
More often, it’s a search. Even a slog. As one mom told me, “We came to the end of the internet.”
All the while, everyone is asking. “Have you found a name yet?”
When baby naming overwhelm hits, or you’ve stumbled into a naming conflict that feels unresolvable, a little bit of process, combined with rich expertise and neutral guidance can make all the difference.
You don’t need your sister’s list of Top Ten favorites. After all, she’s only sharing them so you know they’re off-limits.
Appellation Mountain baby naming services will take you from a blank space on the birth certificate to a name chosen with confidence and care.
No two families reach the same answer. I’ve helped parents identify names that are truly unique, and I’ve encouraged others to use their favorite, even though it was more popular than they’d initially hoped.
Want to know more about me? Here I am talking with Today’s Dylan Dreyer and Savannah Guthrie about the baby naming process.
There are three tiers of service currently available:
Quick Call Baby Naming Assistance
Stuck on a difficult question? Trying to narrow down your top two or three choices? Do you feel like you know what you’re looking for, but just want a neutral person to listen?
Quick Call Baby Naming Assistance can help.
The cost is $75 for 45 minutes. You can schedule an available time here.
Private #namehelp Post
Love the #namehelp posts, but don’t want to share your naming challenges with the world?
Request a private #namehelp post instead.
You’ll receive a PDF that resembles a typical #namehelp post in terms of length. That means I can answer a question or two, and suggest around 8 to 12 names, depending on the nature of your inquiry. If a favorite stands out to me, I’ll share that, too.
The cost is $125. I’ll send you an email within 24 hours of receiving your payment. After we’ve confirmed the questions we’ll work through, it typically takes about a week to finish a private #namehelp post.
Private Baby Name Consulting
We’ll begin with a phone call or, if you prefer, you can send me your detailed questions in writing.
I’ll prepare a report, typically around eight pages, summarizing your name style, criteria to consider when choosing a name, and in-depth research about possible names.
This can be especially useful if you’re looking for a name that:
- Satisfies specific criteria. Maybe your child’s name has to work in American English and Polish and Spanish.
- Fulfills a very specific meaning. Maybe you’re hoping for a name that is richly spiritual, or speaks to an area of interest in your life.
- Creatively reinvents your family names. Let’s say you’d love to honor grandpa John, but don’t want to use John, Jonathan, or Jack.
- Bridges half-siblings’ naming styles. If your new child will join siblings from previous relationships, it can be helpful to start with a list that finds overlaps in their names.
- Just plain meets your rules. iIf you’re looking for the naming equivalent of a needed in a haystack, I can help. Tell me you’d like a name not in the US Top 1000 that is familiar, easy to pronounce and spell, and rarely used for children of the opposite gender, and I’ll do the searching for you.
The time required to produce the report depends on the nature of the question, and the amount of research required. Two or three weeks is typical. After sending the initial report, I’ll provide follow-up, including up to two additional written responses.
Due to high demand, I’m only accepting a very limited number of these consultations. If you’re interested, please send an email to appmtn (at) gmail (dot) com, and we can discuss your question, timeline, and whether my expertise is a good fit for your naming challenges.
