Ashley and Peyton Orgill, a 4th grade teacher and Navy Reserve member, live in Virginia. They welcomed their first child, son Hugo Kyle, on November 28, 2021.

　　We spoke to Ashley and Peyton about how they named their little boy.

　　

How did you name Hugo?

P: Our name list goes back to when we were young and first started dating. It took us longer to have kids, and people started using the names on our list.

　　A: We didn’t share our list, because we were worried people would take our names. We wanted our child’s name to be different. But some of our friends had kids first.

　　P: During the IVF process, Ashley lost her brother. We wanted to make our baby’s middle name Kyle, Ashley’s brother’s name. I was given full rein to come up with the first name. We wanted something that way easy to say, easy to remember, but not super common. I searched on Nameberry, the Social Security Administration, and ultimately narrowed it down to two names — Hugo and Booker.

　　

How did you decide between Hugo and Booker?

A: Because I’m a teacher, I’ve been exposed to so many names over the years. It can’t be hard to say, and it can’t be something that I’ve heard before. I’ve never had a Hugo!

　　We both knew we wanted something different, but Peyton did all the research. He would come to me with names and I’d be like, “Ehh” or “Okay, I can get with that.” I liked Booker a lot, but Hugo was it.

　　P: Once we agreed to Hugo, we told a few people. Some of the reactions we got were a little off. We just had to stand firm on our decision — this is for us. It’s how we feel. And everyone loves it now!

　　

What other names did you consider?

P: Lionel was up there at the end. Then Nigel — we wanted a name in that realm. I started searching, and Hugo popped up.

　　A: My brother passed away in January 2021, and we did the IVF transfer in April. We knew we had to use Kyle as a middle name, so we were testing all our first name options with Kyle. It needed to sound right! I wanted it to be two syllables since Kyle is one syllable. Lionel Kyle didn’t sound too good.

　　P: Ewing was an early idea — it didn’t last long — but even with that, I really wanted a unique name. Ashley and I are from New York, and there’s a famous New York basketball player named Ewing, so it ties in.

　　A: Ewing didn’t fly with me.

　　

Did you think of girl names?

P: We had a name picked out for a girl, and that one was more in my realm, too.

　　A: I love it — we chose Phoebe, and her middle name still would have been Kyle. We also had Margot on our list early on.

　　P: Everyone was telling us to do Peyton Jr. or do a combination of our names.

　　A: I think it’s that teacher in me — I want him to have his own name. I’m mad, they need to know who I’m talking to!

　　We know a lot of juniors and it’s great. I love the name Peyton and wouldn’t necessarily have been opposed to it.

　　

How do you feel about your own names, and how did that influence your choice?

A: Of course, Ashley is one of the most popular girl names of my generation. Growing up, I was Ashley G. to the Ashley B. and Ashley C. I didn’t feel unique — my character had to shine, more so than my name.

　　P: I like my name. I haven’t met a ton of Peytons, especially in my age range. I was always the only Peyton growing up.

　　If I say it fast, people get it wrong all the time. And there are also so many spelling variations. It’s usually just Peyton and Payton, but I’ve seen it spelled like Peighton. That was why I wanted something easy for Hugo.

　　A: You can’t mess that up when you’re taking attendance.

　　

What are the trendy names in your social circle?

P: Two of our friends just had kids around the same time as us. They both had boys who are juniors, but they call them by their middle names — Mace and Micah.

　　A: I really liked some of the girl names in my classroom, like Journey. It’s different but trendy. The boys have more popular names like Josiah and Aiden.

　　

When did you know Hugo was The Name?

P: I put a lot of effort into finding his name — I was taking it seriously!

　　Once we found it, we had to try it out to see how it felt. I remember I was going to work early in the morning, while Ashley was still asleep. I sent her a link to Hugo’s page on Nameberry, where it explains the name and definition. I also googled “famous Hugos.” We’re into Harry Potter, and Ronald and Hermione had a son and named him Hugo! That’s a godsend right there.

　　A: I let him do his research, and when he brought the names to me, I’d say yes or no. Going through IVF was really hard, and when you make a baby from scratch, you can’t just name him anything. You’ve gotta really put some work in!

　　

Did you have any fears related to baby names?

A: I feared that the name would be too common. I also worried that people wouldn’t like it! We didn’t share our names until it was decided. I didn’t want someone to say something negative about a name.

　　P: We were very protective of our list — even when there wasn’t a baby in sight. There were names I felt strongly about that Ashley shot down. It was fine, but I had to remove my personal connection to the names, which was hard for me at first. I had to tone it down — she wasn’t saying anything negative about me, she just didn’t like the name. I read some articles online saying that was a normal feeling.

　　

How would you describe your style outside of baby names?

P: We’re a little eccentric. Not over-the-top loud, but we’re different and we take risks. I’m in the military, so I’m in uniform all day. I really try to express myself with how I look when I can. Glasses have been a statement for me. I try to stand out, and that definitely went into naming our son.

　　A: We’re very stylish but also very chill and clean. I like basic colors and monochromatic things. I’m also concerned with comfort — if I cannot wear sneakers, I don’t want to go.

　　We had a sneaker shower — everyone had to wear sneakers. I was like, “I’m the person y’all came to see, and I am not wearing shoes.” It was in November, and everyone wore beige and cream — muted colors, but the sneakers stood out.

　　

How did you decorate Hugo’s nursery?

A: He has a sage wall with his name on it. His nursery is very boho — that’s my vibe. All nude and cream. I knew what I wanted his nursery to look like before we had the name! There are wicker accents, Babyletto furniture with the wood knobs. It matches our home. The crazy thing is, we don’t even spend that much time in there!

　　We went all in because Hugo may be our only child. As he gets older, we’ll transform the room to fit whatever he likes personally. For now, he just does what we like.

　　Peyton was serious about his painting. I decorated the nursery. I found the rug and furniture early on, and we ordered it once I did. It all worked out, because Hugo was actually five weeks early. Luckily we had his name and nursery was complete.

　　P: Hugo was born two days after Thanksgiving, and that Friday, I was like, “You know what, let me go ahead and figure out this car seat, just so I can get it in.” I put it in on Friday and woke up on Saturday morning and Ashley’s water broke.

　　A: I’m glad that we planned ahead and found the name because if we didn’t, we would have been going crazy in the hospital room.

　　

What was your favorite gift you received?

P: One thing I love that my mom got Hugo are piggybanks shaped like an H and a K.

　　A: I also enjoyed the gifts that were for me! So often people forget the moms. I got a little diaper bag that I love.

　　Some of the stuff that people said we didn’t need, we use the most, like a wipe warmer. My mom buys a warmer for every person who has a baby shower. We use it all the time — Hugo does not like a cold wipe. Also the Mamaroo bassinet. I encourage every mom whose baby likes movement to try it out. We put him in that Mamaroo and he sleeps all night!

　　

What was the most surprising part of the baby name process for you?

A: I’m surprised I agreed to Hugo! It just wasn’t what I expected. I always thought we were going to go with something like Theodore — very prestigious. I thought I was going to pick a longer name. I didn’t know that a four-letter name would be perfect.

　　P: For me, the most surprising thing was that we didn’t go with any of the names from our original list. We had been working on that list for years! It showed me that you might have life all planned out, but sometimes you just have to go with how you feel.

　　I was also surprised by my passion for finding the name. I really took the challenge head-on. To some people, it’s just a name. Even when we were protective of our list, people were like, “why do you care?” This is important! Going through and finding the name, the work I put in — I was very invested in it. Now that he’s here, I want to pour all that passion and then some into his life and whatever he wants to do.

　　A: Raising a Black man is so important, and names matter. I want him to feel confident in his name and be so different that people are like, “Wow.” With everything going on in the world today, choosing his name was absolutely important. This is his identity.

　　P: My generation of guys — Black guys especially — for a lot of us, our fathers weren’t around. I’m seeing so many more instances of us getting involved, and I think it’s super cool. There’s this new generation of men who are invested.

　　

What advice would you give to someone who’s just starting the baby name process?

P: Feel it out. There’s nothing wrong with spit balling at first. You don’t have to figure it out right away, but I know that I felt better having a name midway through the process.

　　A: Because I’m so detail oriented, I wanted his name to be at his shower. I wanted to own the name. When you put it out — that’s the name. You can now address him as such!

　　Once I was able to talk to Hugo by name, it finally felt real. After going through so much and finally getting my baby, I wanted to talk to him and say his name — make it real, make it fun. That was the best part.

　　

Ashley and Peyton's (and Hugo's) Favorite Things

　　Babyletto dresser

　　Lalo high chair

　　Babyletto crib

　　Mamaroo bassinet

　　Rattan lamp

　　Wipe warmer

　　Initial bank

　　Last Stop on Market Street

　　Woke Baby

　　Click here to see the entire How I Named My Baby Shopping Guide or check out the Nameberry Amazon Store to see all products recommended in How I Named My Baby.

　　How I Named My Baby Shopping Guide

　　Thank you so much, Ashley, Peyton, and Hugo!

　　See the entire How I Named My Baby Collection here, and for the chance to participate yourself, fill out our interest form.

　　

About the Author

　　

Sophie Kihm

LinkSophie Kihm's Personal Website

　　Sophie Kihm has been writing for Nameberry since 2015. She has contributed stories on the top 2020s names, Gen Z names, and cottagecore baby names. Sophie is Nameberry’s resident Name Guru to the Stars, where she suggests names for celebrity babies. She also manages the Nameberry Instagram and Pinterest.

　　Sophie Kihm's articles on names have run on People, Today, The Huffington Post, and more. She has been quoted as a name expert by The Washington Post, People, The Huffington Post, and more. You can follow her personally on Instagram or Pinterest, or contact her at [email protected]. Sophie lives in Chicago.

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