A third of people in Scotland admit that they secretly hate the baby name that their friend or family member has chosen for their child, a new regional survey has revealed.
Baby names are clearly an important consideration for many of the nation’s young adults, as researchers found that 11 per cent of people in Scotland already have had lists of potential baby names for the last five years, despite not yet being a parent or having plans to get pregnant.
In the most recent National Records of Scotland report, it was revealed that the most popular names in Scotland were Jack, Noah and Leo for a boy, and Olivia, Emily and Isla for girls.
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However, while some have their favourites, others will have names they plan to stay far away from.
The Baby Names Study uses data from the Office for National Statistics to identify trends in the names used - including which are becoming less popular - and surveyed 2,000 UK residents to reveal what would turn them off using a baby name for their own child.
While one in three people are quiet about their friend’s name choice, the survey found that 9 per cent of Scottish folks have gone so far as to tell their friend that they should change their mind.
When it comes to why people would avoid using a baby name, researches found that the top reason is if it’s associated with someone that the parent previously or currently dislikes - such as an old high school bully - as well as if it’s linked to a common meme or joke.
This can be seen in ONS nationwide data, as the name Karen - now synonymous with someone who belittles staff - has dropped in use by a massive 24 per cent in the last five years - How many children called Karen have you met recently?
Other reasons for avoiding a name came out as if it was mainly associated with a celebrity as ONS date shows the name Ellen (as in the popular chat show host) has decreased in popularity by 40 per cent over the last five years.
Other reasons to not liking a name comes from if it can be joked about as a euphemism, and whether it was difficult to pronounce or spell.
There’s also evidence of this in the ONS data, as the name shared by popular yet polarising talk show host Ellen has also decreased in popularity by 40 per cent over the last five years.
It’s not surprising then that 12 per cent of those surveyed in Scotland judge celebrities if they opt for unusual baby names or unnecessarily complicated spellings - with Elon Musk’s X Æ A-12, Gwynth Paltrow’s Apple and Kylie Jenner’s Stormi coming to mind.
Top five reasons for avoiding a baby name in Scotland
The name is associated with people I currently or previously disliked.
The name is associated with a running joke, or meme.
The name is primarily associated with a celebrity or the name they used.
The name is commonly or can be used as a euphemism.
The name is difficult to pronounce or spell.
When picking name, the Baby Name Survey found that parents ended up choosing a name they dislike due to pressure from family or friends, while some don’t believe it’s necessary that both parents agree on a name before deciding it should be used.
Furthermore, one in 10 of us prefer to go by a nickname that we’ve chosen rather than our given name, while 3 per cent of us regularly avoid sharing our middle names with people.
