"Baby name inspiration can sometimes come from the most unlikely sources. Maybe it’s a song, à la Hey There Delilah or betty. Or, maybe it’s the name of the city you unexpectedly gave birth in two weeks early. No matter what, spontaneous and sometimes even quirky baby name inspiration can lead to the best outcomes. The newest viral baby name trend is just that. It’s called ‘my best friend’s dad’ and it’s an extension of the baby naming trend we’ve been seeing for a while: boy names for girls.
Below, I’m diving into the ‘my best friend’s dad’ baby name trend. Plus, some of The Everymom team put it to the test, and the outcomes are pretty insightful. Sometimes you need to think outside the box to jumpstart a baby naming brainstorm. Read on for everything you need to know about the viral ‘my best friend’s dad’ baby name trend.
‘My Best Friend’s Dad’ Baby Name Trend Explained
Baby name consultant Colleen Slagen of Naming Bebe seems to be the first one to use the descriptor “my best friend’s dad” for “cutesy and casual names” like Charlie, Scottie, Frankie, Mickie, Andi, and Billie.
Then, in a viral TikTok video with over 1.6 million views, hosts of The Beat 92.5 radio station in Montreal (@thebeat925 on TikTok) tested this newest baby name trend for girls. One of the hosts explains, “Okay, so think about this, who’s your best friend and what’s their dad’s name? Whatever that answer is, it might be a great name for a baby girl.” From there, examples of typical ‘dad’ names that could work for a baby girl are given. A few my best friend dad names they think work are:
- Lenny
- Teddy
- Billy
- Tommy
- Kirby
- Max
They make a great point that when using the trend, “It’s either way off or adorable, I mean there’s no middle ground here.” If you look at the comment section, they seem to be exactly right!
When the Trend Doesn’t Work
With a trend like this, it’s no surprise that people have a lot of thoughts. And, a lot of hilarious comments. A trip to the comment section provides several giggles, as many commenters are sharing dad names that objectively do NOT work for the trend.
For instance, hilariously, @justmilly commented, “Ahh yes my baby girl ✨Craig✨.” Another from @reeleyevil said, “I’m not naming her Kevin.” And another yet from @n1colev81, “Gordon you earned this. Thanks for the camping trips.” It safe to say the comment section has quite the sense of humor.
One of the more insightful comments came from @emily.melissa_ with, “I like how they list cute names that can easily be unisex… and then the comments bring you back to reality.” Other comments included several names that generally would not “work” for baby girls. Some include LeRoy, Bruce, and Vernon.
Perhaps there’s an unspoken rule that the hyper-masculine names that have fallen out of popularity don’t work well for the trend. But I wasn’t done investigating. I polled The Everymom team to get their insights as well. Read on for the results.
Putting the ‘My Best Friend’s Dad’ Trend to the Test
One thing about our team is that we’ll always look for the positive. This notion was clear as we shared our best friends’ dads names and how they could potentially work for baby girls.
Our team’s Account Manager Maddi Goodwin shared, “My best friend’s dad’s name is Rob, not totally against but think I’d have to add a girly twist to it like Robi!”
Senior Editor Kathy Sisson chimed in with, “My best friend’s dad’s name is Dennis, which could work for a girl 🤔 Denny is kind of an adorable nickname!” To this, I had to add, “Denny is so sweet! I have a Dennis too. And a Jody, which is so cute for a little girl!”
From there, a few more responses came in. Steph Alleva-Cornell, our Branded Content Editor added, “Mine would be Marcus—and I’m not sure how to make that girly 🥲 maybe Mar, like ‘sea’ in Spanish.” Too cute!
In a twist of fate we found out that The Everygirl’s Managing Editor, Garri Chaverest, actually already shares a name with her best friend’s dad. To the conversation, she added, “One of my best friend’s dad’s names is… Gary.”
Lastly, our team’s videographer Kaia Grobe reinforced the comment section’s notion of not every name works well this time by adding, “Brian? LOL.”
The consensus? There are several best friend dad names out there that can be tweaked to make a sweet baby girl name. On the flip side, there will always be a few that are best preserved for the actual dads among us.
Brett Nicole Hayden, Assistant Editor
As the Assistant Editor, Brett works with the editors of The Everymom on the content creation process by updating stories, sourcing images and graphics, and pitching and contributing her own articles. Her favorite topics to write about are culture, relationships, and living. She’s also The Everymom’s resident baby names and family movies expert!