The woman was in a panic. She had just given birth to a daughter - but what was she to call her? She was partly French and partly Lebanese but living in the US. How could she possibly find a name that people from all three countries would be OK with? There was only one thing for it: she must hire a baby namer.

Fortunately, Taylor HumphreyThe name means peaceful warrior. was able to help. She dropped everything and emailed 50 suggestions. The top one was perfect. The baby became ChloeThe name means blooming or fertile..

You might think that a woman with a first name that sounds like a surname, and a surname that sounds like a boy's first name, would find the whole subject of names difficult. But Taylor Humphrey has always been obsessed with them.

Even as a child she loved studying baby-name books. As a grown-up, she tried screenwriting: "The most exciting part of that entire venture was picking out the names of the characters," she says.

In 2015 she started giving advice via social media. Her videos have now been watched more than 1.7 million times. Last year she helped to name over 100 children. Basic suggestions cost $1,500, but for $10,000 she will come up with a name to go with a parent's business.

Parents are asked about their lives and interests and family histories. When a couple told her that they had first kissed in a town called Parker, she recommended that they call their child Parks.

Taylor collects names from film credits and street signs and studies social trends. Names with bad associations, such as Katrina and IsisThe name originally belonged to a goddess worshipped in Ancient Egypt, but became tainted by association with Islamic State terrorists., are to be avoided at all costs.

Ten years ago, four-letter names like Ruby and Luna were very popular - reflecting, she believes, the invention of apps that let people do things very quickly. But lockdown, which slowed the pace of life, has given individuals the patience to deal with longer ones such as Josephine and TheodoreThe name means gift of God..

Writers have always recognised the importance of the names they give their characters - and themselves. The philosopher Roger Scruton gives TS EliotThe initials stand for Thomas Stearns. Born in the US, Eliot was one of the most influential figures in 20th-Century literature.'s great poem The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock as an example.

In it, the speaker wants to declare his love for a woman but cannot bring himself to do it. He is presented as an absurd figure, so his ridiculous name suits him perfectly.

Equally, Scruton argues, we would see Eliot and his work differently if he had written under his Christian name, Tom. The initials "TS" make him seem more detached and authoritative. 

Of all writers, Charles Dickens was probably the best at inventing names. His choice of Ebenezer Scrooge for the main character in A Christmas Carol was so brilliant that Scrooge has become another word for a miser. 

The problem with names, Scruton explains, is that every human being is different - so each of us should have a unique name, rather than one shared with thousands of others.

Unfortunately, people with unusual names tend to get teased. You need a strong character to live with one, as Johnny Cash pointed out in his song A Boy Named Sue.

Yes: The fact that so many actors adopt stage names is proof that they do. Some people believe in nominative determinism, meaning that someone called Jim Wood is quite likely to become a carpenter.   

No: Names cannot possibly express what people are actually like. What matters is personality: a brilliant person with an odd name will always be associated with their name - and give it respectability.

Or... Nobody needs to be stuck with a name that they dislike. You can ask your friends to call you by a different one - Roger Scruton was originally called Vernon - or legally change it.