For years, Bay Area entrepreneur Taylor Humphrey hesitated when people asked what kind of job she had.

“I used to cringe when people would ask me what I did for a living,” she recalled.

Not anymore.

Now she says it plainly: “I help people pick their baby names.”

What started as a passion project she posted about on social media has become a full-time business. The turning point came when one desperate mother reached out.

“She told me, ‘I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while, and they won’t let me leave the hospital unless I sign the birth certificate. I need a name now,'” Humphrey said.

From that moment on, Humphrey knew she had found her calling.

Helping people make big decisions wasn’t new to her. Humphrey’s background includes coordinating events with high-profile officials, an experience that gave her the confidence to take on high-profile clients looking for the perfect baby name.

“In the age of social media, we have a range of audience that we didn’t have 40 or 50 years ago,” she said.

Humphrey now has a social media following of more than 100,000 people combined on several different platforms, and many of her clients find her there.

A simple list of name ideas delivered by email costs about $200. But a one-on-one, personalized VIP package can cost thousands.

“You’re helping them get through whatever barrier it is, individually or as a couple, to get to the perfect name for their child,” she said.

From everyday parents who just feel stuck, to celebrities who want something unique, Humphrey estimates she’s helped name hundreds of babies.

For her, the process is about much more than words on a page.

“It’s really an honor to walk with these parents during a critical moment of their lives,” she said.