Baby Name Regrets
Baby Name Regrets
The short answer is yes, you definitely can. Naming your child can be a nail-biting experience, as you agonize over you’re shortlist of favored names and wonder which will set your child in good stead for the rest of his life. According to a recent online poll by gurgle.com, which surveyed over 1000 parents, 54% of parents felt regret over their child’s name. Some of the names parents wished they hadn’t given their children include Beckham, Kai, and Jordan for boys, and Apple, Peaches, and Madonna for girls.
Uniqueness and Problems
So many expectant parents nowadays are on the search for a unique name, one that will set their baby apart from everyone else, in the belief that their name will give them a head start in life. This can lead to baby naming decisions parents later regret after they’ve bestowed said name upon their trusting, oblivious offspring. Parents-to-be often deliberately avoid the most popular names and try to find their baby an appealing but uncommon name, something distinct, but not weird. This can be tricky, as names that sound attractive are usually popular, and consequently, more unusual names are less attractive sounding (or, if you’re lucky enough to stumble across a long-forgotten baby name gem, chances are it’ll become popular in subsequent years!). Mother Chloe admits to regretting her one-year-old son’s name (child’s name withheld!) ‘I wanted to give my baby a name that no-one else had, as I wanted his name to be as individual as he was, but every time I say my son’s name people give me funny looks and I’m beginning to think it was a little too ‘off the wall’. I wish I’d given him a more ordinary name but it’s too late to change it now.
Influences Later On
It’s easy to see why parents agonize so much over their baby’s name, even after they’ve chosen it and given it to the baby, as evidence suggests what you call your child can influence his/her life. Teachers admit to having preconceived notions about children with names such as Chelsea, Courtney, Aliesha for girls, and Kyle, Connor, and Liam for boys, believing children with these names are more likely to be troublesome. Similarly, certain names are more likely to get called back for a job interview than others. Boys with feminine-sounding names are more likely to get into trouble at school, perhaps due to being teased and having low self-esteem. There’s now more choice than ever before when it comes to naming your child. Baby books are brimming cover to cover with names, (one recently published baby name book has a staggering 140,000 names). The problem with so much choice is that parents feel even more pressure to give their child a unique name, as the more diverse names become, the stronger the message the name sends out. More choice isn’t necessarily a good thing when it comes to baby naming, however. Psychologist Barry Schwartz believes that the more choices we have, the more stressful those choices become, which means we’re more likely to feel regret over our choices.
What Can You Do?
What should you do if you experience baby name regret? You might regret your child’s name for a number of reasons; he doesn’t seem like a Noah, you realize naming your child Gryffindor after your favorite house in Harry Potter was, in hindsight, not a great idea, or your baby’s name gets associated with something undesirable, like a cheesy pop band or a serial killer. But what should you do if this happens? Well if you experience a serious bout of baby name regret, and realize you’ve given your baby a name more akin to a lifetime’s punishment, you could change your baby’s name (babies don’t respond to their name until 6 months, so if you’re going to do it, do it before then). If you don’t think your chosen name suits your baby, remember that babies often grow into their names, so you might be having second thoughts now, but chances are you’ll love it at the given time. You could also use your baby’s middle name for a first name if they have one.
The best course of action, however, is prevention. Once you’ve named your baby, your choices are limited if you then regret what you’ve named your child. So think long and hard about your chosen moniker. Don’t choose a name because you think it will make you look cool. Your child will have to live with his/her name for their whole life, so make it a name they won’t be ridiculed for or feel uncomfortable with. Be careful about giving your child an unusual name that is difficult to pronounce, or one with lots of spelling variations, as this can cause problems for your child later on.
Lots of parents like to keep the name they’ve chosen for their baby a surprise until the baby is born, so that no one else ‘steals’ it or because they don’t want negative feedback on the name they’ve fallen in love with. To help ensure you’re not going to get baby name regret however, it’s a good idea to try out your chosen name on a friend whose opinion you trust (ask for an honest answer, and don’t be offended if you don’t get the reaction you want!). Also, don’t feel bad about giving your child a ‘popular’ name; being called an Olivia or Jack won’t make them less likely to succeed than a Ruffin or Daytona!
Citations:
This article has been written by Alice from babynames.co.uk and she wants to help people understand how choosing a bizarre name can lead to regrets! Just be happy with the name you choose, that is the most important thing.