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The moment these parents realised that they regretted the name they gave their child.

 

Choosing a name for your child is a difficult process.

On one hand it’s difficult to narrow down the choices but then there’s the part of you that’s scared to commit to a name only to realise days, weeks, months or years down the track that you don’t actually like it very much after all.

These parents sadly fall into the second category.

Sharing their stories on the parenting website BabyCentre there were many varied reasons for their change of heart.

Baby name remorse
Image: Getty

For Jo it was an unfortunate coincidence that proved to be an annoyance that her and her partner just had to get over. Luckily they did with time and now love their daughter's name Florence.

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"Sometimes, things are out of your control. The day after we named our baby, David Cameron [former UK Prime Minister] gave his baby the same name," she said.

"My partner and I had so many annoying comments, even though we got in there first. But now the shock has passed [and] we are very happy with Florence Isla."

Unfortunately for Sam she had to pick a name in a hurry and the remorse still hasn't worn off.

"I hate my baby's name, and I regret choosing it every day," she told Baby Centre.

"I wish I'd called him Arthur or Isaac. Actually, I wish I'd called him anything other than Lewis. I hate names that can be shortened, and Lewis' name gets shortened to Loo, which is just awful.

"He was named in a hurry, at just three days old, because of family pressure" she said.

Pronunciation changes were also a source of annoyance. Sacha wanted an unique name for her son and initially became annoyed at all the negative comments she received from complete strangers, but now she's happy she stood by her original decision.

"I picked a very unusual name and was initially shocked by people's reactions. Even strangers felt they had the right to comment negatively on it," she said, unfortunately choosing not to share the name.

"In the early days, when I was hormonal, I did have regrets, but now I'm back in love with his name. I would love to tell you what it is, but I want it to remain unusual!"

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While mum Hayley loves that Cole isn't a very common name, she finds herself constantly having to repeat herself when people ask.

"I have to repeat myself about five times when people ask what my son's name is," she explained

"They think I've said Paul or Joel, but never his real name, Cole! But once they get it right I get nice comments, because it's unusual."

Other parents were worried that their chosen names gave them scope for teasing and wanted to protect their kids.

Solveiga went with her husband choice, naming their son Kamal, after his father. But she worries the name could make her child a target for bullies.

"I never liked it as I'm worried children will call my son camel in school," she said.

Instead she wishes they had gone with the name Ayaan.

"The name would have been perfect for him as we had difficulty conceiving, and it means 'gift from god,'" she said.

Jasmine's remorse comes from a similar place.

"We called our baby Amara, which means 'blessing', but I never liked the name. Her dad picked it because he loved it,"she said.

"I wish we'd called her Amelia because I'm more of a traditional person. I prefer nice, 'solid' names, where there's no room for mispronunciation or teasing."

Can you relate to these parents' baby name remorse? Tell us in a comment.

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