Choosing a name for your baby can be ridiculously difficult, especially with so many beautiful names to choose from - all with different spellings and meanings.
And while some parents may end up regretting the unusual monikers they picked out for their children, one mum-to-be has been having second thoughts about the common and traditional name she's got in mind for her son.
Posting on Mumsnet, the woman revealed she's been thinking about calling her son Thomas, but worries that if he goes by Tom for short that people will bully him because of the range of nicknames available to go along with the name.
The mum cited Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort, whose name before his transition to evil was Tom Riddle, as well as "tomfoolery" - meaning "foolish or silly behaviour" - as reasons to avoid calling her son Tom.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here.
She wrote in her anonymous post: "Okay, it may be hormones but … connotations of the name Tom have put me off. Tom Riddle? Tomtit? Tomfoolery? I could go on. Has this put anyone off the name, and should it put me off this name? He would be Thomas on his birth certificate, but only called Tom."
But the mum-to-be was quickly reassured by Mumsnet posters that there was nothing to be worried about when it comes to the name, as most people don't associate Tom or Thomas with anything negative.
One person wrote: "Tom is a lovely name! I’ve known a few of different ages. I never think of those things you mentioned!"
While another said: "You're overthinking it. There are a lot of Tom words, I'd imagine because it has been a very popular name for hundreds of years. I know Tom is in a lot of nursery rhymes, for example."
And a third posted: "You're definitely overthinking it, Tom is really nice on it's own but I'm not really a fan of Thomas."
However, there were a few commenters who said they've also been put off the name - though most claimed it was because of how common the moniker is.
Someone said: "The only thing that would put me off is how many there are. My daughter's boyfriend, my close friend's husband, and two of my close work colleagues are called Tom, and I regularly have to use last initials to differentiate between them."
As someone else added: "All the Tom's that I've met have put me off the name."
The mum-to-be later returned to the post to thank those who commented to reassure her.
She wrote: "Thank you, everyone! So annoying that I overthink everything. Strangely, all the Toms I know are not the nicest but I’m trying not to let that put me off as I’ve always liked the name. Another name I'm considering is Alex."
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at yourmirror@trinitymirror.com .
