Choosing the perfect moniker for your perfect little bundle of joy is so difficult - you may have ideas about your little one's name, but then see them and completely change your mind.
In the majority of cases, once a baby has a name, it won't be changed - but in some instances, if a parent decides that they really can't stand the name, they make take the difficult decision to re-name them something they feel is more fitting.
Someone took to Reddit's 'name nerds' thread to say they were 'seeing multiple threads on baby name regret', and they thought it was 'awesome that such an important topic is getting visibility'.
They wrote: "I've been seeing multiple threads on baby name regret lately, and honestly I think it’s awesome that such an important (and common) topic is getting visibility.
"I'd love to pool together the issues, themes, and outcomes. It may help prevent future namers from falling into common pitfalls. Totally okay if you’re not comfortable sharing the exact name(s) but perhaps you can use similar names as examples. A few themes I’ve seen:
-
Mispronunciations (having to constantly correct everyone on pronunciation)
-
Misspelling (same as above but for spelling)
-
Misgendered (went with a name you thought was gender neutral but everyone else assumed the opposite gender)
-
Too trendy/unique
-
Too common/popular
-
Just didn’t fit once you got to know your baby"
Someone responded to the thread, telling their personal story, leaving people praising the woman for making the right decision for her.
She wrote: "I struggled with depression my entire pregnancy and though I was very excited to be having a girl, I had this overwhelming feeling of 'I don’t deserve this' (meaning: deserve happiness and a baby girl) and therefore didn’t spend lots of time going through names.
"Also, with my son, my husband and I instantly agreed on a name we both LOVED and knew his name early on in the pregnancy.
"With my daughter we kind of assumed when we met her one of the names would just click. But it never did. We ended up going with a name we didn’t LOVE but was on our list for a long time - Addison.
"It actually didn’t feel right from the second we named her and I continued to have overwhelming feelings of it being the wrong fit for her."
The woman then explained that she had a physical reaction whenever she said her daughter's name.
She continued: "I found myself avoiding introducing her, shuddering when people said her name, and just thinking we made a mistake.
"I kept these feelings mostly to myself for six months because there wasn’t an alternative I liked more. I also wanted to make sure this wasn’t a manifestation of anxiety or depression. And then I thought of Clara and it instantly clicked.
"I brought it up with my husband, and he was incredibly supportive, and at nine months we officially changed her name to Clara.
"The relief I feel is incredible - and I love loving my daughter’s name! I now look forward to introducing her and love the personal meaning and connection behind her name!"
People on Reddit praised her for her honesty, saying that her new name was lovely.
One wrote: "I LOVE Clara! That’s one of my favourite names. Beautiful."
"Clara is a gorgeous, classic name. Definitely a favourite of mine", another agreed.
Someone else commented: "Clara is gorgeous and so superior to Addison!"
Others pointed out that it was good they changed the name to something they were able to take pride in, rather than continuing to hate her name.
One person added: "I’m so happy you changed the name to something you love. It’s important to feel good about it!"
"Good for you! I’m happy you’re loving her name now", someone praised.
Do you regret your child's name choice? Let us know in the comments.
