Baby naming expert reveals the sibling naming trends for 2025 and how to match names
Deciding on a baby’s name is an important decision for many parents requiring careful consideration. However, naming a second or third child can be even trickier as parents are tasked with choosing a name they both equally love as much as the first, but that also works with the first name.
As a result, many parents are turning to Google to help inform their decision with 332,000 UK searches for ‘baby names’ in the past month alone, while parents fond of the Kardashian’s way of naming, have meant that ‘names beginning with {letter}’ totalled 102K searches last month.
To help make the task of naming siblings easier for parents, mother and baby retailer JoJo Maman Bébé have enlisted the help of baby name consultant Colleen Slagen to share tips on striking the balance between matching children’s names and maintaining a child’s individuality, whilst shining a light on which popular naming trends parents should avoid.
Colleen explains why parents often struggle more with the second name:
Most (54%) British parents think it’s important to give siblings complimentary names, with 43% admitting they found their second or third child hardest to name.
“It’s not easy to get both parents to agree on a name as they’ve possibly already used the one name they could agree on and are struggling to find a second. I often find that with their first child, parents use a name they have always loved and struggle to find another name they feel just as connected to. With a second child, considering what names pair well with the name of the first child, can narrow the field.”
Ensure cohesion between names but consider a name individually too:
“Sibling names are spoken together a lot, so it’s nice for them to feel like they sound good together. However, this is incredibly subjective and as callous as it may sound, baby names are an aesthetic choice. So just like you would want an outfit or a room in your house to be composed of pieces that stylistically go together, there is a desire for that same cohesion in your children’s names.
“While I think this is important, I think it’s also crucial to remember that they will be their own person and once they are off in the world they aren’t going to be introducing themselves in relation to their sibling.”
Choose names with a similar style rather than phonetic pairings:
“I like names that tie together stylistically rather than phonetically. For example, I prefer Brooks and Hudson as opposed to Brooks and Banks. Or for classic names I prefer Adeline and Susannah rather than Adeline and Caroline.
“I love both of the royal’s sibling sets. George, Charlotte and Louis are a perfect example of names that have different starting and ending sounds but are very cohesive in their timeless style.”
Contrasting length names can work just as well as matching:
“Parents often gravitate towards shorter or longer names, but it’s not a one size fits all. I think names like Ada and Bernadette go really well together, despite being very different lengths.”
Opt for a subtle theme amongst sibling names:
“Really niche themes can come across little cheesy so I would recommend a subtle theme. For example, Goldie, Violet, and Scarlett are a little too on the nose for me. Whereas, three names with nature-related meanings would be a great way to tie a sibling set together.”
The Kardashians and social media are influencing how we name children:
The Kardashian-inspired naming trend has divided UK parents, with only 47% saying they’re keen on siblings having matching initials, while 23% claim they dislike the trend altogether.
Colleen explains: “I find that the Kardashian naming style is a love-hate trend. For some, it provides a way to tie together two names that may be stylistically different but share the same starting letter, however, I think it can force people to choose names they don’t love or dip into some very unusual spellings just to keep the trend going.
“It’s worth noting when considering whether or not to switch up the first letter on baby number two. If people have two children with the same starting letter, they often feel pressure to continue that trend with future children.
“Social media has created more obsession with matching names. For obvious reasons as baby name accounts often talk about sibling name cohesion. It’s often what we go off of when we’re recommending other names because it gives us a glimpse into someone’s naming style. But I think it can cause people to have too much angst about this aspect, putting a lot more pressure on your choice of name.”
For those wanting to gift something extra special to their children with even the most unique name, check out JoJo Maman Bébé’s wide range of 1st birthday gifts or keep them cosy in baby grows and sleepsuits.
