Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post Search
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Brother Reminds Pregnant Sister That The Baby Is An “Actual Human Person, Not A Fun Alter Ego” After Hearing Her Choice In Names
1.1K

Brother Reminds Pregnant Sister That The Baby Is An “Actual Human Person, Not A Fun Alter Ego” After Hearing Her Choice In Names

Interview
ADVERTISEMENT

Parents want what’s best for their kids, including the name they give their baby. But sometimes it happens that the pursuit of a creative and meaningful name takes it a step too far.

Like it happened for this 23-year-old woman, Hailey, who is pregnant with a baby girl. While Hailey is positive she has her two runner-up names chosen, her older brother is not so convinced. In fact, he fears his sister’s choice of names will make life hard for his niece.

So he confronted Hailey and shared how the situation unfolded in this AITA post.

A woman who’s pregnant with her first baby girl picked two unusual names that raised her brother’s eyebrows

Image credits: Aditya Romansa (not the actual photo)

So her brother confronted her and said that these names will make her niece’s life miserable, which insulted the soon-to-be-mom

So the author felt obliged to warn his sister about the damage these names could do to his niece

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

The OP’s sister got upset and shared their private messages with the whole family

ADVERTISEMENT

The OP later added a couple of edits to the original post to make things clearer

Image credits: two-piece-tea

Rare names may take a while for people to comprehend, which can lead to confusion, an expert says

“More and more parents are giving their children names that are rare or very unusual, which is not always the same as difficult,” Pamela Redmond, a baby name expert and the creator of Nameberry, known as the world’s leading expert on baby names, told Bored Panda in an interview via email.

Redmond explained that rare names are by definition more likely to be unfamiliar to others, so it may take a while for people to comprehend, pronounce, and spell the name correctly. “These problems may be compounded when the name has a spelling or pronunciation that’s different from that in the other person’s language or culture,” the name expert explained.

ADVERTISEMENT

Redmond gave an example: “An Irish name like Siobhan, for instance, might be difficult for an English speaker who doesn’t see Sio as equalling Shi or know that bh is pronounced in Irish as a v in English.”

Image credits: IrynaKhabliuk (not the actual photo)

A child with a rare name may be forced to respell and repronounce their name to others over and over again

Moreover, Redmond continued, besides cultural differences, many very unusual or rare names are invented names or new spellings of more popular names, so that can cause confusion too.

“If you hear Maddalynn, which was given to only six baby girls, you may guess it’s the same as Madeline. But then what about Madeleine or Madelyn? It can get very confusing and force you and your child to respell and repronounce the name again and again.”

On the other hand, “a unique name can instantly make people see you as a unique person”

Having said that, Redmond explained that “many people who have unusual or rare names report that once other people learn the name and its spelling and pronunciation, they often remember it BETTER than they do a more popular name like Emma or Jack.”

She added that “a unique name can instantly make people see you as a unique person, a one-of-a-kind individual, which may be why you or your parents chose the unique name to begin with!” Find out more about unique names here on the Nameberry website.

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: Picsea (not the actual photo)

When asked about namer’s remorse, Redmond said that she indeed has heard of it and that it’s a fairly common issue.

“More and more parents are experiencing it as the number of available names increases along with the pressure to make a perfect choice. We recently ran a story on parents who felt baby name regret and changed their baby’s name, as did Kylie Jenner,” the name expert concluded.

The OP also clarified that the father of the baby is not in the picture

Many people showed their support for the author who confronted his sister about her choice of names

ADVERTISEMENT

Others thought that everyone is to blame here

ADVERTISEMENT

Some people thought that the author was wrong in this situation

 

Share on Facebook
You May Like
Popular on Bored Panda
Join the conversation
Add photo comments
POST
mattr_3 avatar
Matt R
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The people calling in the AH seem to forget that she was asking for people's thoughts and he had the courtesy to give them in private rather say his opinion publicly.

alisa-fender avatar
Honu
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A lot of those verdicts seem to be related to the fact that he brought the stripper thing into the mix. It did seem pretty judgy to me and wholly unnecessary. I agree with him about those names being burdensome, though. It doesn't bode well for the child if their mom's first major choice about setting them on the road to their future is all about her and her ego. It's an interesting point about asking for thoughts, though. I'm not sure where I come down on that. She put up a poll. She asked people to pick one of two options. It doesn't sound like she added an Other option or a comment option. So she asked for thoughts, but she limited the scope. He went outside of the scope, but I have a hard time blaming him.

Load More Replies...
wendillon avatar
Monday
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wouldn't even name my Sim Redemption Cosmos let alone an actual human child.....

zedrapazia avatar
Zedrapazia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You say it, her names are like what would happen if you'd mash the names of several Final Fantasy characters together and then sprinkled random adjectives on top.

Load More Replies...
hermom504 avatar
WonderWoman
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mom is a "dancer" and Dad is in court ordered rehab. Saddling that child with a stupid AF name will only add to the multitude of issues I sense she will be facing.

artturf avatar
XenoMurph
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was about to type exactly the same thing. "This baby is her redemption and has helped her make peace with her body." Having a kid with a junkie to make herself feel better. I don't usually get this judgemental about things, but this just enfuriates me. Maybe the OP can change her name when he inevitably becomes the carer when the mother has her breakdown/relapse.

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
mattr_3 avatar
Matt R
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The people calling in the AH seem to forget that she was asking for people's thoughts and he had the courtesy to give them in private rather say his opinion publicly.

alisa-fender avatar
Honu
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A lot of those verdicts seem to be related to the fact that he brought the stripper thing into the mix. It did seem pretty judgy to me and wholly unnecessary. I agree with him about those names being burdensome, though. It doesn't bode well for the child if their mom's first major choice about setting them on the road to their future is all about her and her ego. It's an interesting point about asking for thoughts, though. I'm not sure where I come down on that. She put up a poll. She asked people to pick one of two options. It doesn't sound like she added an Other option or a comment option. So she asked for thoughts, but she limited the scope. He went outside of the scope, but I have a hard time blaming him.

Load More Replies...
wendillon avatar
Monday
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wouldn't even name my Sim Redemption Cosmos let alone an actual human child.....

zedrapazia avatar
Zedrapazia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You say it, her names are like what would happen if you'd mash the names of several Final Fantasy characters together and then sprinkled random adjectives on top.

Load More Replies...
hermom504 avatar
WonderWoman
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mom is a "dancer" and Dad is in court ordered rehab. Saddling that child with a stupid AF name will only add to the multitude of issues I sense she will be facing.

artturf avatar
XenoMurph
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was about to type exactly the same thing. "This baby is her redemption and has helped her make peace with her body." Having a kid with a junkie to make herself feel better. I don't usually get this judgemental about things, but this just enfuriates me. Maybe the OP can change her name when he inevitably becomes the carer when the mother has her breakdown/relapse.

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
Popular on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda