According to a recent survey, nearly one in five parents experiences "namer's remorse". Yes, like buyer's remorse, just way harder to reverse.
"Names most frequently regretted were Charlotte, Amelia, Anne, Daniel, Jacob, James and Thomas," writes Amelia Hill (presumably at the same time as Googling the rules for deed poll) for The Guardian.
One mother spoke of her regret on naming her daughter Elsa, post-Frozen—which I have to say doesn't sound too bad. She's a great character. (I get it, though. I was nearly named Ursula—you know, the bad witch from The Little Mermaid, which came out when I was four years old. It would have doomed me to playground exile.)
The findings come from a recent Mumsnet poll, and raise a few interesting points.
1. There are different reasons for baby name regret
The main one is when it feels "too common" or "not interesting enough". Given how much baby names seem to go in trends, it makes sense.
Other parents say it "doesn't feel right", that they were pressured, or simply, that their child's name is causing them spelling hassles.
2. It has a lot to do with the situation
“Choosing your baby’s name is one of the first things new parents do," says Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts to The Guardian. "So in some ways baby name regret is great practice for parenting: you do a lot of hard work and research, try to please several people at once, and end up getting it wrong."
Women on the Mumsnet forum commented on how postnatal depression can play a big role in baby name regret, too. The mix of anxiety, confusion, and pressure around choosing a name can feel like a terrible cocktail—and one with a pretty permanent hangover.
3. But you can always change it—or just call them something else
The consolation is that most children grow into their names," Roberts says. "And those who don’t can always fall back on middle names, nicknames or (in extremis) deed polls.”
True. Another thing to remember is you can always end up calling your kid by their middle name—or even a nickname. Lots of people do it, for a myriad of reasons. No one needs to know little Bea is actually "Babbling Brook Jr."
This tweeter might have the best case for "namer's remorse", though. Imagine naming your little bundle of joy, then realizing you'd tarred them with the same brush as, say, the person responsible for the Brexit …
I suspect this will apply to anyone who has named their child either Boris or Donald in recent years. As for Nigel.. https://t.co/KsEgj3HUI9
— Damon (@damocrat)
At the end of the day, as long as your baby's not named Donald Trump, you probably don't need to worry.
instant happy in your
mailbox every day.
