The time has passed when folk thought it proper to call boys Hubert and girls Gwendolyn. Text messages now dominate our landscape to the extent that boys are more likely to be called Conna and girls named Deby.

Text-speak baby names, according to a report in the Daily Mail, are becoming increasingly common on birth certificates. Several boys have apparently already been named Cam’ron, instead of Cameron, and some girls given the title of Lora, rather than Laura.

Thankfully one couple wasn’t allowed to name their son 4Real, much to Ali G’s disappointment.

Text messaging may also be responsible for inadequate spelling. John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said some names could be a genuine misspelling or just an attempt by parents to give their kids unique labels.

Once kids are old enough to appreciate their tech-born names, they may quite like them - given that a study by the research and debate quango the Institute for Public Policy Research recently found that children are being increasingly ‘raised’ by technology.

The report stated that any young person, aged between 13 and 18, who spends more than 20 hours per week online is effectively being "raised online". It also found that many kids leave mobile phones on overnight, just in case a text comes through.

Children with text-speak names may find their mobile phone credit lasts longer though, because a text from Jonofn will be slightly shorter than one from Jonathan.