ChatGPT picks name for U.S. baby born just after midnight on New Year’s Day

ChatGPT app on a phone.

A baby born in the U.S. just after the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, has been named using ChatGPT.

In a social media post, Carroll Hospital Center, a branch of Lifebridge Health located in Westminster, Md., said the newborn was the first baby born in 2026.

Hudson Oakley Winkler was the name given to the baby, which according to the hospital’s Facebook page, “was generated and selected using ChatGPT!”

The baby’s mother was also born at the same hospital, the post added, and both his parents work in Carroll County’s police department and public school system.

“Cheers to our next generation and the new family traditions that come along with them!” the post said.

According to a New York Post story from last December, AI has suggested a new favourite baby name – “Elara,” which has associations with Greek mythology.

The Post reported that the name had both parents and chatbots raving all about it.

Naming expert Laura Watternberg told the Post the name Elara was the most coveted baby name of last year, based on patterns, data and cultural shift.

Elara has been showing up in ChatGPT and other character generators.

Meanwhile, hospitals across Canada revealed some of the first babies born in 2026