Choosing a name for your baby is an exciting but also difficult task for expectant parents. Many admit that years after the birth of their child, they would have preferred a different name.
According to a study from the University of California at Washington, 10 to 20 percent of new parents regret their baby name. Nameberrybut the stigma that results from this prevents many people from sharing their feelings.
However, one mother has not held back and has expressed her concerns to the online community after admitting she ‘didn’t like’ the name she hastily chose for her daughter.
On May 18, the anonymous mother asked other parents via Mumsnet whether she had made the right decision after being told several times that the name sounded “awkward.”
The British mother, known on the forum only as @meandmylounge, admitted in the caption of her post that she had chosen the name “in haste”.
Baby name regret affects 10 to 20 percent of new parents, but perceived stigma prevents many from sharing their feelings of shame (stock image)
A British mother has held no back in sharing her baby name regrets with the online community after admitting she ‘didn’t like’ the name she hastily picked for her daughter
She said: ‘It was chosen in a hurry when she was born sick. My husband loved it and kept calling her it, nothing serious, and I just got on with it when the NICU asked ‘does she have a name we can write down yet?’
‘Anyway, she was registered as such. And she’s not that far off school age, so it clearly can’t be changed fairly.’
The mother admitted she’s not a huge fan of her choice as it’s “not really an adult name,” but she thinks the name is “pretty enough” and “not hideous.”
However, she said that some people had told her the name sounded “coppery.”
The mother said she regretted not choosing a “timeless and classic” name that would reflect her child’s professional future, saying she had hoped her daughter would become a lawyer.
She concluded her thoughts by revealing her little one’s name: Lola.
However, dozens of parents assured the mother that the name was “respectable” and socially recognized, while others suggested how Lola could be given a more traditional nickname.
One person wrote: ‘I’m fine with it. There’s a Lola in my son’s class. She won’t stand out and there will be lawyers named Lola when she’s older,’ while another said: ‘I was expecting Chardonnay or something. Lola is fine.’
Dozens of parents quickly assured the mother that the name is “respectable” and socially recognized, while others suggested ways to transform Lola into a more traditional nickname
A third wrote: ‘Lola is a beautiful name in my opinion and not at all ‘cheeky’. I hope the comments here change your mind because your last comment about not being able to imagine a professional, respectable woman called Lola is ridiculous.’
Someone suggested changing the name to a more ‘classic’ sounding nickname, writing: ‘I like Lola, but if you don’t want a new name I would go with Elora, Lorraine, Elowen or Leonora.’
Another said, “If she had one [a name] Lulu, Fifi or Tricia would be called, they would sound like poodles, but Lola is sweet. I associate it with glamorous Italian actresses from the 50s and 60s.’
However, one parent agreed with the mother and even suggested that the name could be associated with an exotic dancer.
They wrote: ‘I’m afraid I have to agree with you! Lola sounds like a poodle, or also sounds like “Lolita” and is perhaps more suited to a party animal/stripper than a woman to be taken seriously.’