Forget the baby books, there’s a new way to get baby name inspiration. According to a new study, Millennial parents are naming their kids based on available domain names.

The research, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of GoDaddy, shows huge growth in the number of younger parents preparing their children for life online before they’re born. In what’s probably the most Millennial baby-name trend yet, new parents are scoping out available website domains before they settle on a moniker for their new child.

The survey, taken by new 1,000 parents between the ages of 24-38, saw that 1 in 5 (20 percent) had already created a website for their baby. What was surprising, however, was that a whopping 79 percent revealed they’d consider changing their kid’s name based on what domains were available. In fact, the importance of a strong internet presence for children has nearly doubled among parents between the generations:

• 48 percent of Millennials believe it is important for their child to have an online presence early in life
• Only 27 percent of Gen-X respondents believed it is important

More than likely, it’s because Millennials are especially familiar with the value of an online presence, given their own experiences growing up as digital natives. More than half reported getting their first social media profile between the ages of 10 and 17, compared to just 10 percent of Gen-X parents.

According to Melissa Schneider, trends expert at GoDaddy, “It’s no longer enough to make sure that your baby is enrolled at the top elementary school at birth; parents today are claiming their child’s name and online identity to make sure that they’re set up for success down the line.

“More than ever, it’s essential to own your own identity on the internet, and Millennials know that better than anyone else.”

Why Millennial parents want domains for their kids

The top two reasons parents said they created a website for their kids was so it could be included in future job searching (48 percent) and college applications (47 percent) purposes. In fact, some parents (37 percent) believe personal websites will take the place of social media.

“The internet is where so much of life happens, and we’re seeing parents in today’s world make sure their children have a place for themselves online,” said Melissa Schneider of GoDaddy.

Top 3 reasons why parents purchased child’s domain name before birth

1. 45 percent wanted to reserve name for future use
2. 42 percent want to use the website as a digital baby book
3. 42 percent purchased a domain to use as a tool to teach children how to use the internet

Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/baby-names-based-on-available-domain_n_5655733