Using AI to Find Baby Names: A Tech Parent's Honest Review
Using AI to Find Baby Names: A Tech Parent's Honest Review
The AI Naming Experiment
When my wife and I started looking for baby names, I did what any self-respecting tech worker would do: I asked ChatGPT. Not exclusively—I'm not that far gone—but I was curious. Could artificial intelligence help us find the perfect name for our child?
The answer is complicated. And funny. And occasionally useful. And sometimes absolutely unhinged.
I've spent the last few months testing AI baby name suggestions across multiple platforms—ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and various specialized baby name AI tools. I've refined prompts, iterated on approaches, and cataloged results. This is my honest assessment as both a tech professional and a parent who ultimately needed to actually name a human being.
Spoiler: AI didn't name my daughter. But it did help in ways I didn't expect, and failed in ways that were genuinely entertaining.
The Great AI Baby Name Test
How I approached this systematically.
The Setup
I tested four major AI platforms with identical prompts, then refined prompts based on results. Variables controlled:
- Base prompt: 'Suggest 10 baby names for a girl'
- Refined prompt: Detailed preferences (origin, meaning, style)
- Creative prompt: 'Unique names no one else will have'
- Constraint prompt: Specific requirements (syllables, letters, etc.)
Initial Results: The Generic Phase
Basic prompts produced basic results. 'Suggest baby names' got me:
- Emma - Every AI's first suggestion. Always.
- Olivia - Second place, reliably.
- Sophia - The bronze medal.
- Charlotte - Making the top five appearance.
- Amelia - Rounding out the expected list.
These are fine names. They're also the exact same names you'd find on any 'Top Baby Names' list from the last decade. AI, when given no direction, defaults to popular. Which makes sense—it's trained on internet data where popular names appear frequently.
The Refined Results: Getting Specific
Better prompts produced better results. When I specified:
'Suggest 10 baby girl names that: have Celtic origins, mean something related to nature, are 2-3 syllables, and are currently ranked below #500 in popularity'
The AI produced:
- Ailsa - Scottish, meaning 'elf victory'
- Brenna - Irish, meaning 'raven'
- Eira - Welsh, meaning 'snow'
- Niamh - Irish, meaning 'bright'
- Seren - Welsh, meaning 'star'
Much better. Specific constraints produced specific, useful results.
What AI Gets Right
Where artificial intelligence actually helps.
Pattern Recognition
AI excels at identifying patterns you might not consciously notice:
- Sound patterns: 'Names that sound like Aria but aren't Aria'
- Style matching: 'Names that match the vibe of Luna and Hazel'
- Sibling sets: 'Names that pair well with older brother Oliver'
Ask for 'names similar to Aurora' and AI identifies the pattern: four syllables, starts with vowel, ends in 'a' sound, nature-adjacent meaning. Then it generates matches: Aurelia, Seraphina, Valentina, Cordelia.
Cross-Cultural Knowledge
AI has been trained on names from every culture. It can:
- Suggest Japanese names with specific kanji meanings
- Find Gaelic names with accurate pronunciations
- Identify Sanskrit names with etymological context
- Cross-reference names that work in multiple languages
This is genuinely useful. No human can have encyclopedic knowledge of every naming tradition. AI approximates this breadth.
Meaning Deep-Dives
Want names meaning 'light' but not the obvious choices? AI can search across languages:
- Lux (Latin)
- Hikari (Japanese)
- Nur (Arabic)
- Kira (Russian, derived from Greek)
- Elior (Hebrew)
- Chiara (Italian)
Constraint Satisfaction
AI handles complex constraints well:
'I need a name that: starts with J, has exactly 2 syllables, doesn't end in a vowel, has no letters from my last name (SMITH), and means something positive.'
A human would need time to work through this. AI generates options instantly: Jared, Jasper... wait, those have letters from Smith. Let me try again.
Actually, this is where AI also fails. Let me explain.
What AI Gets Hilariously Wrong
The failure modes are educational and entertaining.
The Hallucination Problem
AI confidently invents etymology. I asked for names meaning 'strength' and received:
- Valoria - 'Ancient Roman name meaning strength' (This name doesn't exist in Roman history)
- Kestran - 'Old English for inner power' (Completely fabricated)
- Zenithra - 'Sanskrit origin, means peak of strength' (Not a Sanskrit word)
AI makes up names AND makes up meanings. It sounds authoritative while being completely wrong. This is dangerous—you might fall in love with a name's 'meaning' that doesn't exist.
The Repetition Loop
Ask for 'unique' names multiple times and watch AI repeat itself:
- First request: Seraphina, Aurelia, Celestine
- Second request: Seraphina, Aurelia, Evangeline
- Third request: Seraphina, Aurelia, Arabella
AI has favorites. It will suggest Seraphina in almost every 'unique girl name' response. Its definition of 'unique' is 'fancy-sounding names I've been trained to associate with uniqueness.'
The Context Failure
AI doesn't understand real-world naming context:
- Suggested: 'Isis' as a beautiful Egyptian goddess name
- Missed: The obvious cultural context that makes this name problematic in the 2020s
- Suggested: 'Corona' as a lovely name meaning 'crown'
- Missed: Yeah, no.
AI knows words; it doesn't know cultural moments.
The Constraint Confusion
Complex constraints break AI logic:
'Names with no letters from SMITH'
AI response: 'Here are names avoiding S, M, I, T, H: Sarah, Michael...'
Literally starts with S. Contains every letter from SMITH. AI understands the instruction semantically but fails at actual execution. Always verify constraint-based results manually.
The Unhinged Creativity
Ask AI to be 'really creative' and watch it go off the rails:
- Zephyranthe - Is that even pronounceable?
- Luxoria - Sounds like a car brand
- Celestrix - Comic book villain energy
- Aurorabelle - Too many syllables to yell across a playground
- Starlyn - We've crossed into Utah territory
The Prompt Engineering Approach
How to get better results from AI naming tools.
The Specificity Principle
Vague prompts produce vague results. Be specific about:
- Origin preferences: 'Irish' not just 'European'
- Meaning categories: 'Related to the ocean' not 'nature'
- Sound patterns: 'Ends in -ia sound' not 'feminine'
- Popularity bounds: 'Ranked 200-500' not 'somewhat popular'
The Iteration Method
Use AI responses to refine subsequent prompts:
- First prompt: 'Suggest Celtic girl names'
- Review: Notice you like names ending in -wen
- Second prompt: 'More Celtic names ending in -wen'
- Review: Bronwen, Carwen, Olwen—these are good
- Third prompt: 'Names similar to Bronwen but from other cultures'
Let AI help you discover your own preferences through iteration.
The Negative Constraint
Tell AI what to avoid:
- 'No names in the current top 100'
- 'Nothing ending in -ley or -leigh'
- 'Avoid names that sound like they belong in a fantasy novel'
- 'Nothing my generation would associate with specific people' (harder for AI to understand)
Effective Prompt Templates
Prompts that consistently produce useful results:
The Structured Request:
'Suggest 10 [boy/girl] names that: 1) Have [origin] roots, 2) Mean something related to [concept], 3) Are [X] syllables, 4) Are currently ranked [popularity range], 5) Work well with sibling name [existing child's name]'
The Style Match:
'I love the names [Name1], [Name2], and [Name3]. What pattern do these share, and what other names fit that pattern?'
The Problem Solver:
'My partner likes traditional names, I like unusual ones. Suggest names that might satisfy both—traditional enough to be recognizable, unusual enough to stand out.'
AI vs. Human Curation
Where each approach wins.
AI Advantages
- Breadth: Can search across all cultures instantly
- Speed: Generates dozens of options in seconds
- Pattern matching: Identifies similarities you might miss
- Constraint handling: Can work within specific parameters
- No judgment: Won't tell you your taste is 'interesting'
Human Curation Advantages
- Cultural context: Knows what names carry baggage
- Trend awareness: Knows what's about to be overused
- Sound in practice: Can imagine yelling it across a playground
- Family dynamics: Understands which grandmother to avoid offending
- Real-world testing: Has heard actual children with actual names
The Verdict
AI is a research assistant, not a decision-maker. It's excellent for generating options and discovering patterns. It's terrible at final selection and cultural nuance. Use it for exploration; trust humans for curation.
A Balanced Workflow
How to actually use AI in your naming process.
Phase 1: Discovery (AI-Heavy)
- Use AI to generate broad lists based on vague preferences
- Ask for names 'similar to' ones you already like
- Explore cultural origins you haven't considered
- Generate 50-100 names without judgment
Phase 2: Filtering (Human-Heavy)
- Remove names with problematic associations
- Eliminate names that don't pass the 'yell test'
- Check actual popularity data (don't trust AI stats)
- Verify etymology with authoritative sources
Phase 3: Refinement (Hybrid)
- Take your top 10 back to AI: 'What names are similar to these?'
- Ask AI to identify the pattern in your preferences
- Use AI for sibling name compatibility checks
- Human veto power on all AI suggestions
Phase 4: Decision (Human Only)
- AI has no role in final selection
- This is about feeling, family, meaning
- No algorithm can tell you what feels right
- Trust your instincts over any AI confidence
Tools That Actually Help
- ChatGPT/Claude: Best for conversational iteration and pattern matching
- Specialized name apps (like SoulSeed): Better databases, verified etymology
- Social Security data: Actual popularity statistics (AI often gets these wrong)
- Behind the Name: Authoritative etymology (verify AI claims here)
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Can AI really suggest good baby names?
Yes, but with caveats. AI excels at breadth—generating lots of options across cultures and styles. It fails at depth—understanding cultural context, family dynamics, and personal resonance. Use AI as a brainstorming partner, not a naming authority. Its suggestions are starting points, not endpoints.
Q2: What prompts work best for AI naming?
Specific, structured prompts work best. Instead of 'suggest baby names,' try: 'Suggest 10 girl names that have Greek origins, mean something related to wisdom, are 2-3 syllables, and are currently ranked below #300 in US popularity.' The more constraints you provide, the more useful the output. Also use iteration—refine prompts based on what you like from previous responses.
Q3: Should I trust AI with something this important?
Trust AI for exploration, not for decision. AI can help you discover names you wouldn't have found otherwise, identify patterns in your preferences, and generate options efficiently. But it cannot understand why a name matters to your family, what associations it carries in your community, or how it will feel to call across a playground. Final decisions should be human, informed by AI research.
Q4: Does AI make up name meanings?
Yes, frequently. AI 'hallucinates' etymology with complete confidence. It will tell you a name means 'warrior princess in ancient Sanskrit' when it means no such thing (or doesn't exist at all). Always verify meanings with authoritative sources like Behind the Name or academic etymology resources. Never trust AI etymology without verification.
Q5: Will AI make baby naming easier?
It makes the discovery phase faster, not easier. You'll generate more options more quickly, which could actually make decisions harder if you're prone to analysis paralysis. AI doesn't remove the fundamental challenge of naming: choosing one name from infinite possibilities that feels right for your child and your family. That's a human challenge that no algorithm solves.
The Human Decision
Here's what I learned from months of AI baby name experiments: artificial intelligence is a fantastic research assistant and a terrible decision-maker.
AI helped me discover Seren (Welsh, 'star') which I never would have found otherwise. It helped me realize I was drawn to names with soft consonants and nature meanings. It generated hundreds of options in minutes that would have taken weeks to compile manually.
But AI couldn't tell me that my grandmother's name was too painful to use. It didn't know that 'Luna' was the name of my college roommate's cat. It couldn't feel whether a name matched my daughter's face when she was born.
In the end, we named her something that wasn't on any AI-generated list. We found it in a book, loved the sound, researched the meaning (ourselves, with real sources), and it felt right. The AI research informed our preferences; it didn't make our choice.
Use AI. It's genuinely useful for the exploration phase. But remember: you're not optimizing a search algorithm. You're naming a human being. That decision belongs to humans—specifically, to you.
The robots can help with research. The choice is still yours.
Find your perfect name on SoulSeed—where AI-powered suggestions meet human curation.
