Although naming babies for a living may sound simple enough, Taylor A. Humphrey says there's more to her job than folks assume.
Humphrey, a 33-year-old N.Y.U. graduate, helped name over 100 children last year, according to a recent profile in
The New Yorker.
For $1,500, she'll generate a "bespoke name list" based on a questionnaire filled out by parents, while coming up with a name that "will be on-brand with a parents' business" will cost $10,000, per the profile.
Her career as a professional baby namer dates back to 2015, when she created her Instagram account "What's in a Baby Name." Humphrey says she was just "looking for a way to share my love of baby names," but the account eventually blossomed into a full-fledged business, she explained in a recent post.
Now her Instagram videos include helpful meditations on name regret and when to start thinking about names, as well as answers to more specific queries, like the "Top 5 Boys Names to go with Calliope."
She also works as a doula and offers Reiki sessions.
When it comes to finding the perfect name, Humphrey says that she believes all parents "already know" what to pick, but sometimes they just need a little help.
"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 tells 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."
"While I offer name expertise, my work centers on supporting the expectant parent and leading them back to their inner place of wisdom and intuition," she adds. "I have built my business on the premise that parents already know the right answer; sometimes they just need a bit of guidance to remember and access the knowledge that already exists inside of them."
One common reason why parents seek out her services is because they've already exhausted their options.
"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 told The New Yorker.
Another client featured in the profile reached out because the name they'd picked out for their baby boy on the way was too close to the name of a colleague's child.
One name Humphrey suggested was Stellan.
"Stellan is a great alternative to Soren. I think of shooting stars." she said, per the profile. However, the client ultimately chose against it, as the name sounded "a lot like Stalin," in their opinion.
