New mother asks if she can change her baby daughter’s name because she’s worried it sounds like ‘cigarette’

A new mum has asked whether she should change her daughter’s name because she fears it sounds like ‘cigarette’.

The concerned mother, believed to be American, told Reddit that she was discussing nickames with her husband that they could use as an alternative, but they are thinking of changing it completely.

The parent revealed that after much discussion her husband proposed to Sigrid, and she thought she liked it.

However, now she is afraid it sounds too much like ‘cigarette’.

Few Redditors addressed the original poster’s concerns, with many agreeing that it did indeed sound like “cigarette” when said with a Southern American twang.

The mother explained: ‘The girl is one week old and her name is Sigrid. My husband and I had trouble choosing a name. We both had a favorite that the other didn’t like.

‘Mine were Ottilie and his Aubrey. Etta was our compromise name, but he quickly changed it after birth. He mentioned Sigrid and I thought I liked it and agreed.

‘Now I’m afraid she’ll be bullied because it sounds like a cigarette. Man likes the nickname Ziggy or Siggy. Could Sisi work (pronounced Ceecee?)’

Concerned people wrongly assume the family is of Scandinavian descent, she continued: ‘We are not Scandinavian either, although we both look like one and our husband is Danish a few generations back.’

She said she now considers Beatrix a new name, adding: “He might be willing to change it.”

Commenters were quick to weigh in on the issue, with many agreeing that the name Sigrid indicated Scandinavian roots.

“Sigrid is sweet, but people will definitely assume you or your partner are Scandinavian,” said one.

But someone didn’t mind this and said, ‘So you wouldn’t use a name just because it’s not your heritage?

“I mean, I understand that you don’t want to name your child a very unusual, hard-to-pronounce name from a different culture.

‘But Sigrid doesn’t sound so exaggerated. I live in Western Europe, don’t know anyone who is Scandinavian, and I’ve heard of several Sigrid’s in my local network.’

Addressing the new mother’s concerns that Sigrid resembled the word cigarette, one pointedly wrote: “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and it sounds pretty awful.”

“I don’t know where she lives, but the way I read it as an American, it sounds exactly how southerners say cigarette.”

Another user said: ‘I like Etta and Aubrey much better, but Sigrid is a beautiful name. I agree that the English pronunciation is a bit like cigarettes.’

One user defended her: ‘Can I say people on this sub should go outside and touch grass?

“This is a postpartum mother looking for support and we’re talking about naming her week-old baby.

“Sigrid is a very common name (although not that common in the US) and it doesn’t have to be your favorite to be her favorite.”

The user then instructed OP to “give yourself some grace and NOT spend time searching this subreddit for name validation.

‘I have chosen a name that I love and although I have seen that some people here love my child’s name, I will remember the few outspoken people who have said very nasty things.

“I had to delete this sub after I gave birth because people here are so mean.”

Another user positively confirmed, “I love it! Sigrid has been on my list for years and I’ve never thought about it being anything close to cigarettes. Sisi, Ziggy or Siggi would all make great nicknames!’