How an engineer dad picks baby names

Naming my kids is like naming my most beloved project.

A name affects their lifelong branding.

My wife’s criteria: sounds good, feels right.

My criteria is nerdier: {firstnamelastname}.com must be available.

Many names I liked, like chloehsu.com, were already taken—and by impressive people too. Had to let them go.

This is an engineer dad’s small obsession.

And a wish—hoping my kids will become creators someday, with their own portfolio and brand.

My criteria is the same as picking a brand name:

• Short
• Not too common
• Ideally 5 letters or less
• Two syllables, easy to say

This way the name is memorable, and so is the domain.

Buying domains for my kids early has two benefits.

First, when they want to host a portfolio, they won’t have to pay big bucks like their dad did to buy back their own name. When they learn vibe coding or have their own work, I’ll gift them the domain.

Second, avoiding name collisions. Imagine being named “Jay Chou”—living in someone’s shadow forever. In the internet age, having your .com taken is like having your name taken.

Of course, many famous people don’t own their {firstnamelastname}.com either.

But if you can claim it first, claim it first.

My two kids don’t know it yet, but they were born with their own kingdom territory.