Symmetry is the latest baby name trend

Naming problems ... Numbers and single letters a no-no in NZ.
Naming problems ... Numbers and single letters a no-no in NZ. 

The new word for all I-want-my-baby's-name-to-be-different parents is 'palindrome appellation'. No, it's not some fancy flight-engineering term - it means a word (or name) that reads the same backwards and forwards.

While NameBerry - the name finder website that prides itself on being the "unique baby name guide by the world's leading experts" - lists the most "useable", we had a look at a few other 'palindrome appellations.'

Aya has different meanings in different languages. It's a common Japanese given name, meaning "design, art or beautiful"; in Arabic it means "sign, miracle or verse".

Arora, as a variation of Aurora, means "goddess of the dawn".

Aidia originates from Spain and means "help".

Emme, pronounced Em, is a variant of Emma. It means "entire" or "universal".

Izzi is both a boy's and girl's name. It is a variant of the name Isidore, which means "gift of Isis".

Laral is a girls name. It's very difficult to find the meaning online; some sites say it means "night hunter".

Natan rhymes with another name that is a wee bit scary, but its meaning is beautiful: it means "given".

Advertisement

Nayan is used as both a boy's and girl's name, and means "eye".

Pip is a variation of Felipe and Philip, and means "horse lover".

Viv is a variant of Vivian and means "lively".

If you are looking for some name-inspiration, take a look at our baby name finder.

Or, if you're like this (admittedly fictional) couple, you can always stage a "branding exercise" with leading experts to decide on a name ...

- Essentialmums.co.nz