Why these are the baby names parents most regret
Jessica Powell
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Plus the names parents say they would NEVER choose. Sorry Boris.
It’s a big deal naming your baby – it’s got to be a name both parents like, that doesn’t turn into the punchline of a joke when put with your surname, doesn’t create suspect initials, and isn’t going to annoy your in-laws (or IS going to annoy your in-laws, depending on where you sit on that one!)
With all the planning, thinking, and list making that goes into it, you’d think parents would nail the final choice.
Not so, according to a new survey by gigacalculator.com.
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In fact, a whopping 73% of parents surveyed said they thought of better names for their children after they’d already made it official. Awkward.
The most regretted names? For boys it was:
Hunter
Jaxon
Carter.
Whereas for girls it was:
Aurora
Arabella
Lyla.
We were surprised too – lots of nice names in there, right?!
And indeed, when OK! shared the story on Twitter this morning some parents jumped to the defence of the names. One commented, 'My son is called hunter. I love it and it suits him too. Can’t imagine calling him anything else.'
But the reasons for falling out of love with the names were complex according to the survey – from feeling it didn’t suit their child as they got older, a friend or celeb choosing the same name after them, their child being teased for it, or having gone along with a name their partner liked that they didn’t.
Lesson learned: don’t be too nice!
But 30% of parents also admitted they didn’t give enough thought to their children’s names. Just don’t tell that to little Jaxon when he grows up!
The survey also asked parents what names they would NEVER call their children. Top of the list for boys? Boris and Donald... Which might say something about how popular politicians are right now.
For girls, Karen (perhaps as a result of the explosion of Karen memes), Isis (self-explanatory), and Meghan (the Markle effect in reverse?) were the names most parents would dodge.
Are you a fan of one of the 'regretted' baby names? Would you go for Boris or Meghan? Do you care if your friend has the same baby name as you? Has your head just exploded? Head to the chat thread below to share ideas and advice.
Looking for a more popular name? Why not browse this collection – Best Baby Names 2020: Over 8,000 of this year's favourite names by Siobhan Thomas. See more details here at Amazon.
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51 baby names no one loves anymore
