A mum who has become the UK’s top baby-naming guru has told how she has been inundated with requests for Scottish-inspired monikers.
SJ Strum became an internet hit when she began vlogging her top themed baby names on YouTube.
The mum-of-three had started uploading videos while on maternity leave in 2018 but saw figures soar when she turned her attention to naming newborns.
She was soon flooded with requests.
SJ, 39, ChannelMum.com’s resident expert, said: “Baby name books are A to Z whereas people tell me they like a theme and want something vintage, or a flower name or outdoor name.
“So I began doing names by theme and it snowballed. Now I get lots of viewers’ requests from all around the world.”
Among her top requests are a list of her top Scottish boy and girl names from Americans claiming Scottish heritage.
She said: “I had loads of requests for names which have connotations of bravery or the outdoors.
“On my list of top Scottish names is Lochlan. It has lovely water connotations. Hamish is as Scottish as it gets. It’s gentle and sweet and is the Scottish version of James.
“I love Angus as well, as I have a real crush on the nickname Gus.
“Mairead is my favourite Scottish girl’s name. It means ‘pearl’ and is really unusual. Bonnie means ‘pretty’ and is perfect for a little girl.
“Eilidh is a beautiful Scottish name, which means ‘radiant’ or ‘the sun’, and I love the spelling and look of it.”
SJ and her Swedish-born husband Henrik, 40, found it hard before naming their own children Freddie, 10, Finn, six, and three-year-old Evelina.
SJ, who lives in Surrey, said: “We finally settled on Frederick, but Freddie for short, which means ‘peaceful ruler’.
“We picked Finn because it means ‘little blond soldier’ and we thought it went so well with peaceful ruler.
“My daughter is Evelina, which was a name I heard in Sweden many years before. I’d never heard it before and it was so beautiful. I love it.”
