Turns out, baby name regret is very real. Or so suggests an Instagram post shared by Tiny Hearts Education, a baby first aid and birth course program this week.
“Did you know that between 11-30% of parents regret the name they chose for their baby?,” reads the post, before going into to detail about the reasons a parent might no longer like or want their chosen baby name.
The reasons included the name becoming too popular, a celebrity choosing the name, having felt rushed in the decision, not liking the nicknames people are making with it, and the baby not looking like they were growing into the name.
The post concluded by asking the account’s following, “Did you or someone you know experience baby name regret? Did you change the name? Or did you grow to love it?”.
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Over 100 comments poured in with their stories of baby name regret — though, many did also say they stood by their decisions. We put the question to The Latch team and were surprised by how passionate the parents were.
“Zero regrets here,” says our own Entertainment Editor Lyndsey Rodrigues when we put the question to The Latch team. “We had Kai Alexander picked for a boy before we even fell pregnant and then the birth was so chaotic/traumatic that we didn’t really have time to think if it suited him — which thankfully it does.”
As for her own name, though, Rodrigues says she always felt it was ugly and would beg her mum to let her change it.
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“I guess when I was younger I felt awkward having a name as ‘odd’ as Lyndsey Rodrigues but now I’ve built a career around that name and am comfortable in myself, I like how different it is,” she says.
Group Sales Manager Julia Carlino says that despite most being unable to pronounce her daughter Alessia’s name (Ah-less-see-ya) properly, she and her husband still wouldn’t change it.
“She either gets Alyssa (Ah-liss-ah) or Alexa or (Ah-liss-see-ya),” she says.
Editor Ben Tyers said that while he and his wife don’t regret their choice of Ivy for their daughter, their selection was narrow. “My wife has a lot of names ruined for her because she’s a teacher,” Tyers says. “She likes a name, then gets an awful kid with that name.”
If you’re a soon-to-be or new parent reading this, know that in Australia, parents have 60 days to register their child’s birth and name, so there’s no reason to rush.
“There’s no right or wrong answer on what to do, but in general, the sooner you change the name, the easier it is for your little one to get used to their new name,” states the Tiny Hearts Education post. “While you might get some offhand comments from friends and family, or even strangers, you have to do what’s right for you and your little one.”
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