Baby Name Quiz

What the quiz does and who it is for

The quiz turns seven answers into a ranked selection from 1,164 published names. It is aimed at parents who do not yet know where to start, at couples who would like to compare what each of them picks, and at relatives who are asked for suggestions and want something better than a guess.

It is not a personality test. We have no data about which names suit which kind of person, and the quiz does not pretend to. It only narrows a large collection by the practical things you can state: language, gender, length, meaning, how widely a name is recorded and which roots it has.

How to use it, step by step

1. Choose up to four languages, or none if you are open to all nine. Then choose a gender, or leave it open.
2. Pick a length, tick up to three meaning themes and say whether you prefer familiar or uncommon names.
3. Say whether you want names with Turkic roots only, or whether Arabic, Persian and other origins are welcome, and how sure the meaning should be.
4. Press the button. For instance, a girl, the moon theme and Turkic roots only gives 6 names such as Aydan, Aygün, Ayhan.
5. Read the reasons under each name, save the ones you like with the bookmark or save all twelve at once, and copy the result link to send it to your partner. They can change an answer and see a different list.

How the scoring works

A few answers are strict. If you choose languages, a name must be recorded for at least one of them. If you choose a gender, only names used for that gender or for both remain. If you ask for Turkic roots only, names with another recorded origin are dropped. If you ask for documented meanings only, names whose meaning rests on our own research or on a composed reading are dropped. If you choose themes, a name must share at least one.

The other answers add points. Each language match, each theme match and a matching length add points, and so does the familiarity you asked for. A name counts as familiar when it is recorded for two or more languages and as uncommon when it is recorded for one language only. That is a statement about our data, not about how often parents choose the name. There are 19 meaning themes in the database, and the quiz offers the most useful fifteen.

Names are listed from the highest score to the lowest, and ties are broken alphabetically so the same answers always give the same list. When fewer than four names fit, the quiz relaxes the softest preferences one at a time, starting with the documented-only rule, and it tells you exactly which ones it relaxed.

What the quiz cannot do

• It cannot tell you which names are popular. We publish no rankings, because we do not hold official birth-name statistics for these languages.
• Familiar and uncommon describe how many languages record a name in our database. A name recorded for one language only may still be very common there.
• Syllable and letter lengths come from the Latin spelling, so names written in other scripts are measured through their Latin form.
• It cannot judge how a name sounds with your surname or your accent. Use the full name preview for a first look.
• The result is a starting list. Open each name page to read the sources behind the meaning.

Practical tips for parents

Take the quiz twice, once on your own and once with your partner's answers, and compare the two lists. Names that appear in both are an easy first shortlist.

Do not answer every question. Each extra rule makes the list shorter and the best names can slip out. Two or three answers, such as language and gender, usually leave plenty of choice.

Read the meaning on each page and check the label. A name that is Documented has a cited source; a name that is Editorial reflects our own research and is clearly marked as such.

Questions and answers