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Original poster

Friends awful baby name

737 replies

ThisIcyHare · 01/01/2025 16:26

My best friend is due to have a baby soon, they are having a girl and she has been talking baby names with me, which feels super special. She has got a few very lovely traditional girly names, and a couple of more unusual choices, but not ‘offensive’. They are names I would expect from her. However, she has one absolutely terrible name, that actually just feels very cruel. It would be bad even by American standards and ‘tragedeigh’ names. It’s not that I wouldn’t choose it, it’s just crazy stupid and the child will be ridiculed by peers and adults. Some of her choices are genuinely wonderful, but I’m so worried she will madly choose this one awful name, I can’t say anything can I?!

OP posts:
Yabadabadu · 02/01/2025 20:37

Personally I would tell her. She’s your best friend and if the name is hideous you should be honest as her child will be ridiculed for life.

BoTimic · 02/01/2025 20:34

Is possible that she has told you this name as a joke. I still call occasionally my adult kids dumb names if we out. It's a stupid joke but it makes them laugh. I call them the most pretentious names I can think of.

MarvellousMonsters · 02/01/2025 20:27

Thefsm · 02/01/2025 17:46

If it’s serenity it is popular from Firefly. I know several little Serenity’s.

I rather like unusual names that are actual words. a friend here in USA has a little girl called Clarity which I think is sweet. Another has a daughter called Athena which I didn’t think was a good idea when she was little but she grew into it.

And can be shortened to Seren, which is Welsh for star, and a very popular name in wales.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 02/01/2025 20:27

Marine30 · 01/01/2025 22:06

If it’s really that bad I would gently say ‘you know I’m really not keen on Cherry-Anne, it reminds me of xxx’ and give some sort of example. Then you know you did at least try to avoid potential disaster.
I know a girl with a name she hates and she was angry at her parents for many years.

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I’m not surprised. I’ve still never truly forgiven my parents for calling me Clare and I’d say on the name front I got off ridiculously lightly. 🤣

FeetLikeFlippers · 02/01/2025 20:27

Gonners · 01/01/2025 17:09

That should be hyphenated as Seren-Dippity.

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Then she just needs to marry someone called Mr Doodah for the full effect!

DearDenimEagle · 02/01/2025 20:25

Iwrotethelyricstoaxlf · 01/01/2025 16:56

Raefarty?

I saw a story about that name. The mother eventually conceded defeat and chose a better name

MarvellousMonsters · 02/01/2025 20:23

ThisIcyHare · 01/01/2025 16:59

It’s not a ‘made up name’, it’s a word that you’d use, a bit like Integrity. That’s the closest I think I can get without saying what it is

Oh crap has she been watching Nautilus and wants to call her baby Humility? Confused

One way to dissuade her is to play around with the variants of the name, what people might shorten it to. If it actually was 'integrity' then 'gritty' or 'teggy' so that she can see the down sides.

user1493379562 · 02/01/2025 20:22

Purity?

FeetLikeFlippers · 02/01/2025 20:21

Honesty? Don’t like virtue names but it’s also a flower.

overwhenitsover · 02/01/2025 20:04

I think it must be 'loyalty'

Britinme · 02/01/2025 20:03

Honesty? Modesty? Chastity? Sounds like that category of name.

desperatedaysareover · 02/01/2025 20:00

I know of a little boy called Champion. He happens to be a naturally gifted athlete. So that’s cool for him. He also comes from a place where people have very optimistic and complimentary names so he wouldn’t stand out culturally. However - what if he hadn’t had the good fortune to be the fastest boy in the class? If I’d called one of my kids Champion I might as well have put a target on his back.

Words do have meaning and depending what it is, they could be an open goal for peer mockery and potentially a lifetime of feeling like an unmet parental expectation. The sound of the word itself might be pleasing but it’s like, yeah, meet Alacrity McPherson who can barely tie her own laces, Honesty Reid who has a negotiable attitude towards the truth. I think I’d just say it, before it’s too late. I would be interested to know what it is but I’m guessing if it’s in the Integrity ball-park it’s probably risky.

CranberryBread · 02/01/2025 19:56

If there's a risk the child might be bullied it's better to say something tactfully. My brother and SiL liked the name Poppy for their daughter and they were thinking of Olivia as the middle name in honour of a relative who had died. Both completely fine names in themselves, but together with the surname her initials would have spelled POO. I didn't think she would have a great time at school if the other kids discovered that, so I pointed it out. I'm glad I did because they hadn't noticed. Hopefully they would have done before it made it onto the birth certificate!

Alconleigh · 02/01/2025 19:55

Honour isn't a name. It's Honor. Just bugging me as it's been misspelt so often on this thread. Which could be autocorrect tbf.

Minc · 02/01/2025 19:54

oakleaffy · 01/01/2025 16:59

Jimberleigh.

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Rumplestilstkin?
Hysterectomy Jade?
Vagina Louise?
Arsenal Fluff?

Devonshiregal · 02/01/2025 19:52

ThisIcyHare · 01/01/2025 17:15

No! It’s not honour, charity, faith. It’s like Integrity.

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I’m assuming it’s Chastity. I went to school with one and she was very popular and, though I’m sure she had the occasional “belt” thrown her way as a teen, she didn’t seem to have any issue with it so as long as your friends kid is attractive and confident she’ll be fine ;)

Deeperthantheocean · 02/01/2025 19:48

ThisIcyHare · 01/01/2025 16:59

It’s not a ‘made up name’, it’s a word that you’d use, a bit like Integrity. That’s the closest I think I can get without saying what it is

Tell her.

Deeperthantheocean · 02/01/2025 19:47

She's sharing her decision with you so surely she values your opinion so just give it. You don't realise until someone else has an input and makes you reconsider. I would be glad of the advice, food for thought. Xx

WonkyBananas · 02/01/2025 19:47

Maurora · 01/01/2025 20:32

Alice?

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Yes? You called.

Brinkley22 · 02/01/2025 19:43

Honesty? Hon or Honour for short?

Nextdoor55 · 02/01/2025 19:23

Truth or justice?

Jleanne · 02/01/2025 19:21

Not directly but you could be tactile. say the only thing with that name is you could get bored of it very quickly or the child could get taken the Micky out of it called etc. whereas names abc are really lovely and you know it won’t be used against them

Lossyfloss · 02/01/2025 19:14

I haven't read all suggestions so it might have been said but is it Valour?

Crakajak · 02/01/2025 19:13

Brianella?

Facing40andfrazzled · 02/01/2025 19:08

Is it Rectitude because I can see where future problems would come from