Illustration by John Kenzie
Illustration: John Kenzie

With their new service Future Perfect, two local moms —  Macaire Douglas and Chicago contributor Cara Sullivan  —  help solve baby-naming conundrums. We tested them with three scenarios.

Challenge:Millennial couple seeks hashtaggable name with no heteronormative affiliation.
Solution:XEN
Not Jen, not Ben, just Xen. Free of the confines of assigned identity, this child is woke AF.

Challenge:Euchre-playing, artisanal pickling couple requests name for accidental girl. Must look good tattooed and on a résumé.
Solution:DAHLIA
Mom can get the bloom inked on her arm. Dad can have the letters scripted across his chest.

Challenge:Him: Two adult children from previous marriage named John and Julia. Her: First baby, loves city names like London and Austin.
Solution:JAMESON
It sounds like a place, but no one has to tell Mom it isn’t. She can call him by his full name; Pop can shorten it to James.