One expert is encouraging parents to not follow the trend of ‘aggressive’ names for children. (Image: Getty)
A baby naming expert has suggested a rise in parents giving their sons weapon-inspired names could be because some feel “threatened” by cultural shifts around gender identity.
Baby naming experts have been speaking about how there has been a trend of “aggressive” names for children, with many of the names taking inspiration from weapons, including guns and knives.
Jennifer Moss, BabyNames.com founder, told the : “Assigning these overly violent names might be a reaction to the fear that their son might have less-than-masculine traits.
“So these parents assign a dictionary word name that has been traditionally associated with aggression or strength, hoping to instill those characteristics into their male offspring.”
Sophie Kihm, editor-in-chief of the baby naming website Nameberry, also told the website: “Weapons-inspired names convey masculinity without being traditional male names.
“They are at once undeniably masculine and extremely modern. We associate weapons with men and masculinity, so these parents might have more conservative values around gender.”
:
Ms Kihm said there is a “small but noticeable trend of parents using weapons-inspired – and, more broadly, aggressive – names for their sons”.
“Many of these names first appeared on the baby name charts in the 2000s, including Wesson, Caliber, Shooter and Trigger.”
The HuffPost reported that some of the weapons-inspired names chosen by parents include Blade and Cannon, as well as brand-related names like Remington, Colt, Ruger and Winchester which are firearms manufacturers.
Names such as Arson, Cutter and Dagger have also been used, according to the US Social Security Administration.
Ms Kihm said she expects the trend to continue. She said: “Most of these names peaked in use relatively recently — Wesson in 2021 when it was used 306 times, Caliber in 2018 with 24 uses, Mace in 2022 with 64 uses, Dagger in 2022 with 13 uses.
“It’s hard to say if these names have truly peaked in use or if some will go on to greater use, but I don’t think we’re past this trend yet!”
Creator of baby name blog Appellation Mountain Abby Sandel believes the trend will evolve.
Parents are being encouraged to not choose names relating to violence. (Image: Getty)
She told HuffPost that the “initial wave” of names borrowed from gun manufacturers has “probably peaked,” adding that the most popular names are now more subtle.
The experts believe other factors could be behind the trend.
Ms Khim suggested some parents could believe weapons-inspired names have a “renegade spirit”, which is a rising theme among baby names.
Another potential reason could be that many weapon-related names resemble or are surnames, with surnames as first names now a “stylish category”.
Analysis suggests that parents in red states (a state that predominately supports the Republican Party) are more likely to choose weapon-related names for their children.
UK-based parenting expert Kirsty Ketley warned parents against using these kinds of names for their children.
She told the : “It isn’t unusual for parents to select names which mean something that are more unusual, or different to more traditional names, parents like to put their own mark on a name, to help their child stand out.
“However, choosing a name that is related to violence, especially given the huge rates of gun crime in America, isn’t something that I would suggest to parents.”