- The nurse, known only as Anna, revealed the unusual name she had come across
- It happened 20 years ago when she worked at a children’s hospital in Memphis
- She said it wasn’t so much the name as the pronunciation that struck her as strange
Giving your baby a name that will stand the test of time can come with a lot of pressure, and while some parents opt for traditional, others like something with a little spice.
A nurse took to TikTok to reveal the most unusual name she’s come across in her years working with children, but it wasn’t so much the name as the pronunciation that struck her as odd.
“I don’t know about trashy, but it was different,” the respiratory therapist, known only as Anna, explained in the clip.
The 47-year-old mother, who has worked in neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care units, was working at Children’s Hospital in Memphis about 20 years ago when she came across the unusual name.
Nurse Anna took to TikTok to reveal the most unusual name she’s come across in her years working with children – but it wasn’t so much the name as the pronunciation that struck her as odd
The 47-year-old mother was working at the Children’s Hospital in Memphis about 20 years ago when she came across the unusual name
Anna explained that she had nothing to do so had told the charge nurse she could help with triage when she had a young patient called Liam.
‘We’re going to choose a common surname: Jones. So I call again and again: Liam Jones. No one responded,” she recalled in the TikTok, which has been viewed more than 5.6 million times.
She said she gave the mother three chances after calling out the child’s name, but still got no response.
‘I’ll try again, with a few minutes in between. I keep going and I keep going,” she recalled.
“The third time, as I was about to throw the card away, I had a mother stand up and ask, ‘Do you mean Yum?'” she said incredulously.
“I was like, ‘Excuse me?'” she recalled. “I said, ‘Come here, let’s have a look.'”
Anna checked the child’s date of birth and other details and confirmed it was the Liam she had called, but it is pronounced ‘Yum’.
“Dad’s name was William and there were twins,” Anna explained. “One baby was named Wil, WIL – just one L – and the other’s name was spelled LIAM.”
Thousands of viewers commented on the video, many in disbelief at the pronunciation of the fairly common name
She continued, “I thought it was Liam. But no, it was ‘yum.'”
The nurse added that it was her own mother’s favorite story from her nursing days.
Thousands of viewers commented on the video, many in disbelief at the pronunciation of the fairly common name.
‘My son is Liam. He will now forever be known as Yum,” one mother joked.
‘Who pronounces it: Willyum, the name is Will-Liamm?’ asked another.
Others shared the unusual spellings they’ve come across; many people had a background in education or nursing.
“I have a friend whose middle name is Matthew. It’s legit spelled Mathyou though,” someone commented.
‘My husband knew a Jennifer Toll at school. Nickname Jenny. Jenny Tol. YEP.’ wrote another about the unforeseen naming error.
‘A newborn baby registered at an office. My mother said the hospital named her baby after her because she didn’t have one. The name was spelled feminine. She pronounced it Molly. Yes. She kept that as her name,” another commented.