Baby name regretis possible. Just ask this Maryland couple.
Carri Kessler and her husband Will named their daughter Ottilie after a friend from the U.K. However, right after their baby girl was born, the couple noticed a big problem.
“No one could remember [her name] and no one could pronounce it,” Kessler told Today.com. “I was like, ‘If you say it with a British accent, it sounds really good!’ And people said, ‘But you're from Maryland.’”
According to Kessler, the situation only grew worse as her grandmother admitted to sticking Post-It notes around the house to help remind her of Ottilie’s name (which can be pronounced either Ott-ill-ee or Oh-TEEL-ya).
The couple’s name choice also began giving Kessler anxiety. “Anytime anyone said her name, I kind of cringed,” the new mom explained. “Introducing her made me sweat. And I thought, we're going to keep having to introduce her! This is going to be a problem forever.”
Three months after Ottilie was born, the Kessler’s decided to legally change their daughter’s name. Of course, the decision was not made lightly.
The couple came up with two possible monikers and ran them past “799,383 people,” Today.com reports. They then settled on Margot after talking to a friendly barista.
The Kessler’s situation is not uncommon as an increasing number of parents experience baby name regret. According to Baby Center Canada, 11 per cent of its users wish they could change their child’s name due to being over popular, mispronounced or simply unfitting.
“Parents care a lot more and think a lot more about names now than they did back then, and agonize a lot more about names than they did say in the mid-'80s.”
Explaining this phenomenon, Nameberry co-founder Pamela Redmond Satran told Today.com: “Parents care a lot more and think a lot more about names now than they did back then, and agonize a lot more about names than they did say in the mid-'80s.”
To combat baby name regret, a number of name experts now offer services to help parents choose the right moniker. In the past, couples have also sought help from the Internet to choose their baby’s name.
However, parents can change their infant’s name in the event that they regret their choice. In Canada, the rules vary in each province. For instance, in Ontario, the child must have lived in the province for the past 12 months, or since birth if under the age of one. Each of the child’s legal guardians must also give consent.
Visit Baby Center Canada for more information on changing your baby's name.
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