To wonder if the choice of names is ill judged?

[BoysofMelody]

A very close friend of ours has just had a baby and whilst they have two very lovely first names,the initials spell a well known contraction of two very rude words, along the lines of Fiona Ursula Smith (FU Smith)or Bethany Jane Jones (BJ Jones) but even ruder!

A mutual friend was aghast and thought it will make the child the subject of teasing and was all set to raise it with our friend tactfully, but the baby has already registered with the unfortunate combo of initials.

I'm a bit on the fence, when told the first names, the rude initials were the first things that leapt into my head, but I guess if the kid is embarrassed by it, they can simply avoid using their middle name, but the mutual friend is adamant they'll have the piss ripped out of them at school, citing someone in their year at school whose initials were W.C. Taylor and they have been known by all and sundry as Shithouse Taylor for the best part of 30 years.

So you think this newly named infant will run into trouble in later life?

Now I'm definitely overthinking it but Prince was before my time and will be ancient to this new baby. And the music of my yoof and this kiddos will definitely just say motherfucker. It's post watershed but said explicitly- maybe that's the difference

My sister changed her surname when she got married, she is now a BJ. No one has ever mentioned it.

I had a classmate at uni called Billy Jefferson, he wasn't laughed at as BJ but called Johnny Clueless for 3 years due to an unfortunate condom incident.

So, Mary Fiona Smith may turn out to be called Fag Ash Lil for part of her adult life instead

Nobody is going to make the leap from those initials to 'motherfucker'. Honestly. It's not even a very common term in the UK. Please don't raise this with the parents, it's a total non-issue.

Are you in the US? I have literally never heard anyone in real life actually use the term motherfucker.

I went to school with a Victoria Door. Her nickname was "clap". Having said that, I don't think MF is very mainstream in the UK so it'll propably be fine in a way that FU wouldn't be.

I think I'm understanding for the first time why Benny Hill and the Carry On films got made and consumed in this culture. Honestly.

Are you in the US? I have literally never heard anyone in real life actually use the term motherfucker

No... I'm genuinely surprised you've never heard it used! I used to work with teenagers and they managed to shoehorn it into a lot of conversations with one another.

My first initial and surname spell out a pleasant word, and a couple of people have noticed it when they've seen it written down. That's a couple of people in a couple of decades of owning this name. I wish more people would notice because it's quite cute

Anyway, my point is that most folk just don't think that way.

MF? I don't think the abbreviation is widely used. Both your pretend examples are way worse!

Nobody will even notice.

Wouldn't even register with me.

Non issue.

I knew a Ewan Kerr.

E-wan ker-r

When your name spells wanker your parents should be held to account

Unless you are friends with Samuel L Jackson, I doubt any of your friends will make the connection

I worked with whole classes for kids for 8 years and never made any connections with any of the initials. It just doesn't occur to me. My DD4 (3) initials are SFA. It crossed my mind for about 5 seconds when i realised - then i decided no big deal.

Kids will be cruel i know, but they'll be cruel about anything if they're determined enough. There's no protecting them from it sadly. For eg. my name sounds similar to the name of a famous a desert (hot + sandy not pudding). Kids at school AND one of the teachers (!) used to call me it thinking it was hilarious It lasted about a year at primary. I was never bothered, even at 8 years old i was more than .

of kids

I know of someone whose name is BJ Showers. Now THAT is unfortunate

My initials (first and middle) are MF, too!

Literally no one has ever said anything, and I didn't even notice myself. I agree with others that MF is not much used here (i.e. as initials) and I don't often hear the full word either.

Also agree that your examples were far worse.

My dd would have been ARS. I couldn't do it, do wasn't bothered. She is LRS instead.

I know someone whose initials are BJ. She goes by BJ (or sometimes Beej!!) and has a perfectly respectable professional job. I'm sure people occasionally snigger but it's done her no harm whatsoever.

I agree that nobody is going to care, but this thread has made me think that my DS's initials are DS...! Never thought about it before!

My husband considered double barrelling his name with mine when we married but he would have been ASS.

I get your concern but I also think your examples are much more likely to be picked out and commented on rather than MF.

I know of loads of BJ's and always have an internal snigger!

My first name and middle name are BJ - it has never been a issue, I hadn't even thought of it as a problem until reading this post!!!!

I genuinely don't think it's going to be an issue, of the handful of people who will pick up on it how many of those do you think will be compelled to make the connection known?

I did this to my son without realising. Then I've worried constantly since but he's a teenager and no-one has said anything as far as I know. he doesn't really tell anyone his second name anyway.