Professional baby namer reveals parents pay her up to $10,000 to name babies

You'd think finding a name for a baby would be an easy task. Well, at least until you have one of your own and suddenly find yourself tasked with the job of finding a name. Many people don't want a run-of-the-mill name or are overwhelmed by the many factors to consider in the baby-naming process. Some parents are even seeking out professional services to name their babies. Humphrey, a 33-year-old N.Y.U. graduate is charging $10,000 to name a baby. She has named more than 100 children over the last year, according to New Yorker, and she puts a lot of work into finding the right name, including having the parents fill out a questionnaire.

Humphrey offers various packages. For $1,500, she'll create a list of names based on a questionnaire filled out by parents. The second option costs $10,000 where she selects a name that is be "on-brand with a parent's business." Humphrey started out as a professional baby namer in 2015, and created an Instagram account "What's in a Baby Name." She started out by simply sharing baby names but it grew into a full-fledged business. Humphrey said she was just "looking for a way to share my love of baby names."

Humphrey believes all parents "already know" what name to pick but her job is to pick out those names that include that name and present it to parents. "While it's easy to say that I name people's babies for a living, my work is so much deeper and more nuanced than that," she told PEOPLE. "My job is to hold space, and provide spiritual, emotional, and physical support for my clients as they progress through the major life transition of becoming a parent." 

Humphrey's work isn't limited to just picking names. She also creates content centered around baby names as well as working as a doula and providing reiki sessions. Some of the videos she posts include topics such as name regret, the appropriate time to start thinking about baby names and even advice on pairing names. She takes questions from her followers as well and one of them included "Top 5 Boys Names to go with Calliope." 

When asked why parents seek out her expertise, she says it's because they get exhausted from searching for the right name. "I have a lot of families for whom this is their third or fourth kid, and they're, like, 'We're out of names,'" she said. There are various reasons, and in one particular case, the name they picked out for their baby boy sounded awfully similar to the name of a colleague's child.

While many look at a name as a choice the parents make but as far as Humphrey is concerned, what matters most is that it suits the child. "Remember: what makes a good name is not your opinion of that name," she said. Humphrey said the name of Grimes and Elon Musk's son is an amazing choice. "The world stopped dead in its tracks when Elon announced his son's name: X Æ A-12. And then again when he and Grimes welcomed their daughter, Exa Dark Sideræl," said Humphrey.

"When I started this account 7 years ago, I was looking for a way to share my love of baby names. I NEVER imagined my niche name nerdom would blossom into a thriving business… But here we are! Over the past few years, I’ve worked with hundreds of parents to “discover” their babies’ names!," she wrote, before joking, "Proof, I believe, that we must be living in a simulation 😂…"