Choosing a name for your newborn baby is one of the most important decisions you will ever make, as it has a huge impact on their life and identity. Sometimes, picking a name that sounds too unusual or unique can make your child stand out for the wrong reasons.
One woman has warned expectant parents not to name their future kids like pets, after the immense torment she has experienced over the years. She says strangers can't help but mock her and men constantly try to flirt with her, which gets tiring and boring. She describes it as a "menace of a name" and compares it to "living hell".
Her Reddit rant begins by explaining: "My name is Angel and it's a menace of a name.
"As a girl with this name it's hell out here. The constant jokes, so many awful flirting attempts. Just today a customer asked me if my name really was Angel and then proceeded to ask If I could be 'his angel'.
"I tend to be a very friendly person too so people love telling me I 'really am an angel' and it just gets tiring."
She added a warning: "Don't name your kids stereotypical pet names guys."
Fellow Reddit users advised her to change her name to a nickname, to stop the constant attention.
"I'd just use Angela…" one person said, while another suggested: "What about using Angie?"
Many people agreed it can be difficult having pet-like names.
"I knew a Precious once. It felt weird talking to her and saying what I felt was a pet name I rarely use," someone wrote.
"I met a Princess and a Treasure too. Also Essence and Special and Baby. I feel bad for these people," a second agreed.
A third said: "I have a friend named Heaven and it's… different to get used to calling someone that.
"She and her family are quite religious so I get where it came from but it's hard to take someone seriously with a name like that.
"And she's incredibly smart, driven and a dedicated worker but it always feels like I'm discussing someone's pet when I mention her."
Though one Redditor shared a positive experience to try and make her feel better.
"My daughter had a day care worker named Angel and we just loved her," they said.
"They called out 'Angel' at the restaurant where we were waiting to be seated yesterday, and my daughter's eyes LIT up, 'There's an Angel here??!?'
"So if you know any three year olds, I bet you're real popular with that crowd!"
A vet recently took to Reddit to share his mortifying experience caring for a dog with a "rather unfortunate name".
He said: "The worst dog name was Sexy - for a chihuahua."
Explaining how awkward this made things, he gave some examples, adding: "If you could just lift Sexy up here please, thank you" and "Now I might need your help to hold Sexy down".
While most users questioned "who in their right mind would name their dog Sexy", others couldn't help but laugh and made jokes about the situation he found himself in.
Do you have an unusual name that garners attention? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
