Many Parents Regret Choosing Their Child's Name, a New Survey Revealed

When my son was born, my husband and I could not agree on a name. We read every baby naming book and spent hours searching websites for name inspiration. It wasn’t until a nurse walked into my hospital room and said we couldn’t leave until our little guy had a name that the panic set in. What if we chose a name that we ended up hating? What if we gave him a name that his classmates would turn into some awful, traumatizing nickname? Naming a human is a lot of pressure, and a new survey revealed that many parents choose a name for their baby that they end up regretting.

From the most popular to the most unique monikers, a recent survey by Channel Mum found that one in seven parents think they made “a terrible mistake” with their kid’s name. Yikes!

Over 2,000 parents were surveyed about their naming satisfaction level. Of the parents that gave a thumbs down on their kid’s name, one in 10 admitted they have told their child they regret giving them their name. While it’s good to be open with your kids, I’m not sure this is the type of sharing they really need to hear.

“Picking your baby name is one of the most important parts of becoming a parent – and its’ also something which everyone, from friends and family to total strangers, has an opinion on,” baby names expert SJ Strum told Channel Mum.

So why did these parents regret the names? According to the site, there were quite a few reasons. Some believe the name became too popular while others recall feeling pressured into choosing the name by their partner or family members. Parents also recorded no longer thinking the name fits their child.

Strum warns parents-to-be of finding inspiration from celebrities, saying that, “Celebrity trends mean there is an ever-growing list of baby names to choose from, but this also means more opportunities to choose a name which you, or your child, then learn to loathe.”

What can you do if you have baby naming regret? If your child is young enough, parents can legally change their name. However, if you aren’t looking to make such a drastic and legal change, you can also call them by a nickname or by their middle name. Loving your child is easy but picking the perfect name can sometimes be hard.