As crazy as this might sound, there is such a thing as a baby naming business and being a naming consultant is a career. Apparently, some grandparents are willing to pay a high price in order to let traditions live on. They offer a sizeable amount to parents of their grandchildren just to ensure that the family name is passed to the next generation, according to The New York Times.
For instance, 35-year-old restaurant manager Frank Hudock from Chicago was offered $10,000 by his grandparents so that would keep the name Frank for his new baby, as this is a family name. But Frank and his wife, Jennifer, were already set on naming their son Max. Realizing that the money could help with maternity expenses, Jennifer agreed to think the baby naming thing over.
This is not a proposal that's surprising to Maryanna Korwitts, who works as a naming consultant. She has clients who dangle "bribes" to family members who are expecting - be it a stake in the family business, or paying for a dream wedding, or taking care of the baby's college fund.
The need to "bribe" parents so that the older generation can name the baby is prevalent today because, as BabyCenter editor Linda Murray sees it, millennials are more conscious about their choices. "Now parents are really trying to choose a name that is unique, that suits their child and that says something about their personality," she told The New York Times.
Recently, a father was shamed on Facebook for choosing to go with a football-themed name for his baby daughter, Elloebee, after the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom (LOB). (Elloebee's parents are big Seahawks fans.)
Giving personal meanings to baby names, instead of going by family tradition, is indeed becoming a "major trend," according to Yahoo Parenting, but grandparents with fat wallets are not backing down.
