Scottish woman picks unique name for daughter

In a delightful twist, a Scotland teacher has given her daughter a name so unique that the baby was the only one registered with the name in Scotland in 2022.

Zoe Jane McKibbin, a 31-year-old primary school teacher from Glasgow, wanted a special name, which is distinctive and memorable for her little girl. 

She came up with the name Arizona-Jane Sarah McCance. Hence, her daughter was the only baby named Arizona born in Scotland last year. The name is very special for Zoe as she spent part of her childhood in Arizona. It seems her sister's love of the TV show Grey's Anatomy also played a role.

"I meet all these children with different names," McKibbin explained.

"liked the idea of having something different I’d never heard of."

“I lived in Arizona when I was younger and my sister is big Grey’s Anatomy fan and I didn’t know one of the characters was also called Arizona," she continued to explain the uncommon name.

“Now she has a personality that suits her unique name. But when she was first born it did turn a few heads, especially amongst the older generation.”

McKibbin's choice was not the only unusual one. Boys received names like Achilles, Aladdin, Bentley, and Titan, according to the National Records of Scotland (NRS). While girls were graced with fun monikers such as Armani-Rose, Delight, and Fanta.

The National Records of Scotland data showed that popular names like Isla and Luca took the top spot among new baby names. Some parents choose bolder options.

"We're seeing traditional names become less common," says NRS statistician Phillipa Haxton.