BABY NAME REGRET... IT'S REAL!

by Linda Wood on Mar 05, 2023 0 comments

BABY NAME REGRET - IT'S MORE COMMON THAN YOU THINK

Choosing a name for your baby may well be one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. After all, it will form part of your childs identity… FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIFE! Hmm no pressure!

One thing’s for sure. Choosing a baby name is no easy task! Baby name regret is very real in society and the consequences can negatively impact both the parents and the child for a lifetime.

When it comes to choosing a baby name there’s no shortage of options, but what if you want something a little different? Something both you AND your child will love. A name that stands out, but for all the right reasons!

Before finalising your decision, you should carefully consider many different scenarios. Here’s a few:

Will the name stand the test of time?

Cute little babies don’t stay small forever. They grow up. INTO ADULTS. So with that in mind, think of how “Precious” or “Honey” may look on a job application.

Surname’s count.

Jack may sound like a safe bet, but pair it with the wrong surname and it could be catastrophic. Think Jack Goff or Jack Kanoff. You get the drift…..

Names have meanings. So what does it represent?

Some names have such beautiful meaning behind them, and some…. Not so beautiful. Imagine naming your child Kennedy only to discover it means “DEFORMED HEAD” or worse yet, naming your beautiful daughter Kalma, only to find out her name quite literally means “the stench of a rotting corpse”. It pays to do a quick google search!

Think about the initials.

STD and ASS are generally a no-go. But what about B. J. Cox or P. Ennis?

Spell check! Spell check! Spell check!

With unique names comes a new breed of unique spelling. Look, it’s perfectly ok to tweak the spelling, but for the love of God keep it to a minimum. A name no-one can spell or pronounce can cause endless confusion and draw unwanted attention and criticism.

No-one, and I repeat, NO-ONE will pronounce the name Le-a (LE-A) as……... wait for it………. LEDASHA. This is not unique, or clever. IT. IS. STUPID.

The long AND the short.

Long names often get shortened and nicknames stick. Morgan Lester can VERY quickly turn into Molester or Benjamin Dover into Bend Over. Names that rhyme with words such as smelly, fishy or anything that EVEN VAGUELY sounds like a word that could be used to describe ones genitalia is usually best avoided. AT ALL COSTS.

Siblings? Yes they play a part.

When naming twins, or siblings, consider how the 2 names sound together. Both Jenna and Tahlia are lovely, but together they can cause some serious embarrassment.

Now flip it backwards.

Kids love this. We’ve all done it. But imagine how poor Lana feels when she plays this game….

Ok so once you have exhausted this list, there’s one last thing. Say the name out loud and ask yourself this… If this was my name, how would I feel? Or even better, ask a child, not necessarily your own child, if you don’t have any children perhaps ask a niece or nephew, a neighbour, a friends child. Their VERY FIRST reaction will tell you everything you need to know.

Of course, there is no hard and fast rule for naming a child. What works for some, may not work for others. What bothers some, may not bother others. And so on. The same goes for each example provided in this blog.

We put our heads together here at Hush Little Babe and created a list of our top 5 favourite “unique” baby names. This was not an easy task, but we all agree that they are as perfect as they are rare. But you be the judge….

And the winners are……