New online service lets parents select baby names based on available web domain names


Some parents choose a baby name to honor a loved one, or because they like the meaning behind it. Others turn to a random website that suggests you name your kid after whatever website domains are still available, so you can screw your child up before even leaving the hospital.
Awesome Baby Name works like this: type in the baby's last name, and mark whether it's a boy, girl, or "whatever." Awesome Baby Name then trawls the internet to find what domain names are left; if your last name is something common like Jones or Lee, forget about it, your kid's going to be named Xyz or Zangela. The first 10 domain names that pop up are free, but to get 100 more it costs $3 (on sale from $9!). It's unclear just why a tiny person with no control over their bodily functions needs their own website, but Awesome Baby Name wants you to know that "domains go very quickly, so we recommend you get it as soon as possible."
The website says that at least 5,300 parents have used its services since it launched on Monday. I'm sorry, future Kasen Smith of KasenSmith.com (yep, that one's still available!). Maybe one day you can turn your site into a blog about how it feels to know your parents have iffy judgement.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans