Word Names Gone Wild: Why Aussie Babies Are Being Named Echo, Bunny and Blossom in 2025

Wednesday. Bunny. Echo. Alright, whose bright idea was it to turn the dictionary into a baby name book? But honestly - stop for a tick and look around. If you’ve met a Pixie at playgroup this year, you’re not hallucinating (unless you haven’t had your morning flat white, then maybe you are). Australia’s in the throes of a names free-for-all and, mate, it’s gloriously weird.

I’ll tell ya, I used to think "Honey" was something you put on your toast, not something you’d yell across the school oval. Yet here we are-Honey, Blossom, Posey, heck, even Aqua (is that a name or just an excuse for a pool party?). And don’t get me started on "Wednesday". Yeah, like the Addams one. Poor kid, doomed to a lifetime of "Where’s the rest of the week?" jokes at every family BBQ. Still, you’ve gotta respect the creativity-or the audacity, depending how you squint.

Some reckon this craze is all about influencers. Insta-mums chasing the next quirky "brand" for their kids, turning playground roll-calls into a live episode of The Masked Singer. Maybe it’s a backlash against tradition, maybe it’s just boredom. Or, who knows, maybe we’re all having a collective quarter-life crisis, and renaming our offspring is the quickest fix. Don’t ask me.

Then again, there’s something cheerful about it. "Pixie" sounds like a kid who’ll always have sticky hands and a wild imagination. "Echo" bounces around your head, just a little haunting, a little mysterious (or is that just me being sleep-deprived again?). These aren’t names you forget. They stick. In the same way a magpie swoops your head in September, word names are suddenly everywhere, pecking away at tradition and leaving feathers in their wake.

And look, let’s be honest-sometimes word names land beautifully. "Blossom" in spring, "Sunny" on a bright winter morning, even "Breeze" if you want to guarantee your kid’s chill at all times (can’t promise, though). But sometimes you overhear one at Woolies and have to stifle a snort. "Pixie, stop licking the avocados!" I mean, c’mon. Try to keep a straight face.

Am I having a gentle dig? Maybe. But I get it-Aussie parents want their little ones to stand out, to have a story before they’ve even cut their first tooth. Maybe giving your kid a name like "Honey" or "Blossom" is just shorthand for "I hope you grow up sweet and resilient, not allergic to pollen".

Some days I think this is the best thing to happen to baby names since "Chloe" overtook "Kylie". Other days I reckon we’ll reach peak absurdity soon and circle right back to "Jane" and "Mark". (No shade if you’re a Jane or a Mark-trendsetters in disguise, maybe.)

Anyway, that’s the way the name-crumbles in 2025. If you’re feeling bold, maybe your next bub will be "Cricket" or "Sunbeam" or, I dunno, "Lamington". Stranger things have happened. And honestly? I’m quietly hoping to meet a little "Lamington" at the park soon. Might even bring an extra one for smoko.

So, what’s in a name? This year, apparently, anything goes. Go on-be a bit of a larrikin. Give your kid a name no one else at daycare’s ever heard. Just don’t blame me when "Pixie" brings home an actual pixie cut.

Want more oddball naming tales? Holler. Or tell me your favourite "word name" you’ve come across at your local. Bet I haven’t heard it.