Would You Let the Internet Name Your Baby?
While most parents spend nine months trying to choose the best name for their baby, Stephen McLaughlin has decided not to deal with the pressure and instead, hand the task over to the Internet.
McLaughlin, a Canadian Web developer, created NameMyDaughter.com. The site asks users to submit possible first and middle names and then the options are voted on. The results have been, well, interesting. Some of the first names currently at the top of the list include Pancake, Streetlamp, Megatron and Cthulhu (how do you even say that?). But thankfully, Amelia holds the No. 1 spot. Other human-sounding monikers in the top 15 include Elliott, Camille, Leslie, Charlotte, and Luna. All-Spark, Le-Dash-A, Pond, Doge and Dolan are among some of the stranger middle names, while Mae, Rose, Renee, Sage, and Amelia (again) also top the middle-name category.
While Zelda All-Spark would certainly give baby girl McLaughlin some insta-street cred upon birth, the name in the lead right now is Amelia Mae. Shocked? So is McLaughlin, writing on reddit that he’s actually “surprised by how respectful people have been.”
Unfortunately, McLaughlin knows better than to trust the Internet — and there’s no way his wife would completely agree to handing over naming rights — so the ultimate decision will belong to the parents-to-be. But, if the couple happens to actually listen to the world’s suggestions, they can find my personal favorite possible name combinations inspired by celebrities and their crazy baby names.
Amelia Amelia (just like Lauren Bush Lauren — two first names is so trendy right now)
Laquisha Le-Dash-A (If Halle Berry and Kristin Cavallari think alliteration is cool then you know it's en-vogue)
Luna Pond (Kate Winslet and Alicia Silverstone both recently named their babies Bear. Earthly elements will be a thing for 2014)
Pancake Salad (a food name à la Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple — yum!)
Streetlamp Titanium (tough as metal — just like Pilot Inspektor — Jason Lee's son)
OK, chances are slim that any of these will be a go, but I'll check back in April just in case they introduce baby Ixtley (these are just random letters, right?) to the world ...