Baby name regret: Aussie parents reveal the names they wish they’d never chosen
"I was never really sold only son's name, but every other name I liked we couldn't use for whatever reason. I really don't like it."
Bestowing a name upon a baby that they’ll have to love for the rest of their life is an immense pressure. Not only do you need to find a name that both you and your partner agree is the right one for your baby, you also have to find a name that you love too … and that doesn’t always happen!
An Instagram post by Tiny Hearts Education, run by mum and former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz and her sister Rach, opened up a can of worms when they stated research found 11 – 30 per cent of mums and dads regret the name they chose for their baby.
Aussie parents flooded the comment section, agreeing that factors like unkind comments, overuse of the name and celebrity influence had them regretting the name they chose for their baby.
Want to change your baby’s name? Read what you need to know HERE.
“Just because you think it’s not a nice name doesn’t mean you’re right …”
According to Nikki, these are some of the reasons people come to regret the name they chose for their baby:
- The name becomes too popular
- Unkind comments from other people
- Felt pressured to use the name
- Loved a different name but didn’t use that for whatever reason
- Nicknames that people develop for the kiddo related to the name
- Being commonly mispronounced or misspelt
- Having two names chosen for one gender, using one of those and not having an opportunity to use the other name
- Rushing to make a decision
- Bub doesn’t ‘look like’ or ‘grow into’ their name
- Growing to prefer a different name
- A celebrity chooses the name
- Something terrible happens to a kiddo with the same name that goes viral
The kind post empowered parents who were unhappy with their name to make a decision about keeping it or changing it based on what was right for them, reminding parents that there is “no right or wrong answer on what to do”.
Nikki also offered some gentle reminders to everyone to “be kind” and remember that not everyone wants your opinions on the baby name they’ve chosen.
“Just because you think it’s not a nice name doesn’t mean you’re right,” said Nikki who also wanted to let people know that with 60 days to register a name, there was absolutely no rush when it came to making a decision.
Celeb Kylie Jenner said her son’s name didn’t feel like him and that she is in the process of legally changing his name.
“Baby name regret is REAL!”
A barrage of comments flooded Nikki’s post, with many agreeing that the name they had chosen might not have been the right one.
“I’ve never loved my son’s name,” said one commenter. “My partner suggested it at birth and it just felt like it suited him whereas none of my name picks did. I don’t regret it, just love other names more”.
Another shared: “My partner hates our baby girl’s name. Like hates it. Thought it would grow on him. She is almost 12 weeks now and still hasn’t.”
Many commenters expressed that they wish they’d made more use of the 60 days they had to register a name.
“I wished I’d waited longer to decide my youngest son’s name,” said one such commenter. “We had a few names that we liked and I picked the name that I knew my partner preferred but I wish I’d gone with the name I liked best. It took a while for his name to really sink in.”
“I’ve never loved my son’s name …”
“The pressure of a name is crazy!”
Many commenters spoke about the pressure they felt from outside influences when it came to choosing the name for their baby.
“My mum didn’t like any of my babies’ names I’d chosen, so she wrote her own list of names and gave it to me suggesting I should use,” said one commenter.
“We had a lot of pressure to tell people our names before babe was born, but we actually hadn’t picked any,” said another. “People just didn’t believe us, babe was nameless for 12 hours after she was born because we couldn’t choose.”
Another pregnant commenter agreed, saying: “The pressure of a name is crazy! I feel so much pressure from my 10 year step daughter! I keep reminding her that I was nameless for 5 days, we will let her know when me and her dad figure it out.”
One commenter said they felt pressured to keep the name they did not like, saying: “My husband and I wanted to change our sons name a few days after he was born but I was so worried about backlash from other people we never did. I mean, it’s still not our favorite but he’s grown into his name and I think it suits him now. I just wish I would have had the courage to change it and not worry about what other people thought.”
Have you ever suffered baby name regret? What did you do about it?
