Moms Share Why They Regret The Names They Gave Their Babies

Ashley Hunte
The feet of a newborn baby.
Unsplash | Omar Lopez

Picking a name for your baby is a pretty big deal. After all, that's the name people are going to call them for the rest of their lives. Unless you (or they) go through the legal process to change it.

So you're really going to want to think it through, and not choose something you think you might regret later on. For your sake, and for theirs.

One TikToker shared the baby names she's glad she never had to use.

User Gabby Lamb (@gabbylamby) asked, "Parents, do you ever regret what you named your kids?" She then told the story of the baby names she'd come up with as a teenager, which she's glad she never ended up using.

The names were... not very sublime.

The opening of the music video for Santeria by Sublime.
Giphy | Sublime

Despite the fact that one name was literally Sublime... after the band. And she also thought of the name Bradley, "specifically because it was the lead singer of Sublime's name." Definitely dodged a bullet there.

But her story encouraged other moms to share theirs.

That famous moment when Bill Clinton played saxophone on live TV.
Giphy

User @ollierose_ shared that her son was accidentally named Bill Clinton. Apparently, her husband "is really adamant that we name him William," and he's also named after her father, Clinton.

But he doesn't even go by that name.

Their son actually goes by one of his middle names, so they're planning on changing it as soon as they can. There's definitely no shame in changing a name you kind of regret.

For another mom, Wu-Tang is forever.

The symbol for the rap group, Wu-Tang Clan.
Giphy

User Stephanie Teeters (@vegastattooedluxuryagent) shared her oldest daughter's name was chosen by her then-husband at the time, and it was a name she wishes she'd fought back about at the time.

The name is Shaolin.

"Not like the monks... but like the Wu-Tang Clan," she said. Stephanie also said that she told her daughter she can change it if she wants, but I couldn't imagine living any length of time being named after a Wu-Tang album.

Another user shared how she named her daughter after a 'New Girl' character.

Three of the characters from the show New Girl.
Giphy

User Corrine (@snapcracklepoppycock) shared that she had her daughter at 16, and she and the baby's father both really loved the show New Girl. Enough to use it as inspiration for a baby name.

But they didn't name her after just any old character.

The name they chose was Schmidt. "Obviously any other name would've been better. Winston, Jess, Cici," she said. "But Schmidt was both of our favorite character." At least Schmidt doesn't seem to have too much of a problem with her name now.

One user shared the name of her sister (who she helped name).

Clifford the Big Red Dog with Emily Elizabeth.
Giphy | PBS KIDS

User Juliette (@juliettedoesmyhair) was really into Clifford as a kid, and told her mom to name her new sister Emily Elizabeth. But her mom said no, because she didn't want her to have that association growing up.

So instead, she named the child... Emily Rose.

"What my mom didn't know was, a couple months before my sister was born in 2005, a movie that she had never heard of called The Exorcism of Emily Rose had just come out."

One user immediately decided her son needed his name changed.

A person attempting to hike across a shallow river, but immediately falling.
Giphy | America's Funniest Home Videos

Jen Hamilton (@_jen_hamilton_) initially named her son Aspen, thinking that he would be an outdoorsy kid like his older brother and father. But he's... more or less the exact opposite.

She felt that a name meaning "light" would suit him better.

So now, their son is named Luke: "We got a lawyer, did all the paperwork, and it took like a year to do. But by 18 months old, he had his new name official."

And one mom's child's name was messed up on the birth certificate.

A man saying, "So unique."
Giphy | ANTIQUES ROADSHOW | PBS

User Katelyn Quintanilla (@kayteaque) had her daughter at 20, and at the time wanted to give her a normal name with a bit of a unique spelling.

The name is supposed to be Khloee.

But with an accent. "She just needed to be K-H-L-O-E (with an accent) -E."

But the nurse who filled out the birth certificate used an apostrophe, so her name is "K-H-L-O-E apostrophe -E," or Khloe'e.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!