Ikea Just Launched An 800-Baby Name Catalog Full Of Unique, Furniture-Inspired Baby Names
Have you ever thought to flip through an IKEA catalog for baby name inspiration? Now you can.
There are many places where parents can look for inspiration when trying to solidify a name for their baby-to-be. We’ve heard of unique baby names for boys and girls inspired by movies and TV, names from places on the map, or current world events.
But have you ever thought to flip through an Ikea catalog? Probably not, but the furniture company wants you to. Here’s what you need to know.
IKEA, the Swedish furniture company that brings us functional and affordable pieces for our homes, wants to help parents find the perfect name for their baby. The store is famous for having interesting names for each of its products—and now it’s putting that skill to even further use.
“Finding the name of the child can be both difficult and fun,” writes Ikea Norway, according to Google Translate. “We at IKEA have given names to products for more than 70 years. So, if you are completely stuck, or just want some inspiration - here you will find over 800 boy names and girl names.”
Yes, the company has launched a baby name portal where parents can utilize the company’s naming perfection into finding a unique name. “Everything from popular Ivar to more rare names like Moalie,” Ikea writes.
Other notable names in the 800-name catalog include great names for babies like Bruno, Florin, Margit, Cilla, Dora, Figge, Hedvig, Isidora, Pippi, Wikki, and Zulu.
All of the names come attached to a photo of the furniture they are named after — and information about when the furniture itself was sold at Ikea. Some names are super retro, dating back to the 70s, while others harken to more recent years like 2006.
That’s right: the 800 baby names in the portal have come from IKEA products, so there might be a chance your kiddo will share a name with a chair, a functional storage system, or a colorful fake flower. However, Ikea does get its name inspiration for its own furniture from elsewhere too, so you can always say you were inspired by Swedish beauty.
“IKEA names its products after Swedish towns, lakes, and other geographical features,” Ikea said in a statement, “but also uses names that have traditionally gone to people.”
This isn’t the first time Ikea product names have inspired baby names. In 2018, there was a trend in the UK where millennial parents were picking out names from the Ikea catalog to give to their babies.
"Naming your baby after Ikea furniture might seem ridiculous at first glance, but don’t dismiss the idea!" BabyCentre UK wrote at the time. "IKEA is known for the charming Scandinavian names it gives its products and many work surprisingly well as baby names."
