Princess Eugenie and the perilous business of baby names

Naming a child turns out to be one of the hardest things you can do. The secret to nailing it is to avoid choosing something outlandish or freakish at one extreme – but then sidestep the trap of settling on something profoundly mundane at the other.

Unless you are a rock star or a tech billionaire, for instance, it best to avoid the following: Tree-stump, Treble Clef, or a non-verbal sign that was formerly adopted by the artist Prince when he was still a going concern – these are not the imprimatur available to the majority of us who have to occupy terra firma.

And yet… and yet, you don’t necessarily want to give your bundle of joy a name that has about as much unique appeal as BMW Mini. You want something that your son or daughter can own and make their own. You don’t want five more of them putting their hands up in the class at the same time as yours when the teacher says the name.