A woman who helps name babies for a living says mums don't feel 'cool enough' to use her 'guilty pleasure' list.

Baby name expert SJ Strum, 43, is ahead of the curve when it comes to naming little ones, regularly sharing emerging baby name trends and keeping an ear to the ground for fresh inspiration.

She recently conducted a poll on her Instagram asking mums what their "guilty pleasure" names were - and it revealed some unusual choices. The pro clarified this means "more daring names" that parents love, but don't feel confident enough to give their child.

Over 7,000 mums responded to the poll, which revealed some surprising favourites including Honey and Calliope for girls, and Wilder and Atlas for boys.

Mum-of-three SJ, from Richmond, Surrey, said: "People want a name that's not popular, but everyone likes it. People think 'Am I cool enough to call my child a daring name?'. But on the playground, children are used to kids having more unique names. Just because a name is less used doesn't mean it's less liked."

SJ thinks that 'Honey' may be on the rise in popularity thanks to Fearne Cotton, who used the endearing moniker. She also thinks 'Calliope' would be more common but people steer clear as they "know it might be mispronounced".

Other top less-used names for girls included "whimsical" monikers such as Tallulah, Tigerlily, Lavender and Clover. For boys, other top choices featured Ziggy, Rex, Cosmo, Peregrine, Chase, Wulfric - shortened to 'Wolfie' - and Ernest.

If parents shy away from using a name because it's more unusual, they could choose it as a middle name as an alternative, SJ suggests. She said: "With the middle name, you can be a bit braver. You don't have to say it, and it's not asked often, but you'll know it's there. If you use it as a first name or a middle name, you'll always love it. If you throw it away, ask yourself - will you regret it?"

In 2023, the top girls' baby names were:

  1. Olivia
  2. Amelia
  3. Isla
  4. Lily
  5. Ava
  6. Freya
  7. Ivy
  8. Sophia
  9. Grace
  10. Willow

In 2023, the top boys' names were:

  1. Muhammad
  2. Noah
  3. Theo
  4. Leo
  5. Oliver
  6. Arthur
  7. George
  8. Luca
  9. Freddie
  10. Jack

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