Namer’s remorse: it’s a thing, and your mom could very well have it.
We’re referring, of course, to a term used to describe mothers who regret the name they chose for their children.
And apparently there are quite a few of them. According to a new study by U.K. parenting website Mumsnet, it happens to as many as 18 percent of parents.
According to survey results, the most common grievance among mothers when it came to name regret was how common the name is.
The names associated with the most regret include classics like Charlotte, Anne, Daniel, Jacob, James, and Thomas.
When asked about their regret in naming their children, 25 per cent of mothers wish they went bolder with their name choice and 11 per cent wish they went with more distinct ones.
One in five mothers said they had never liked the name but had been pressured into using it, while just over 10 per cent of mothers said the name didn’t suit their child.
Six per cent regretted their choice because they ended up not liking the shortened version of the name their child was called.
Of the mothers who regretted their name choice, 12 per cent “always knew it was the wrong choice,” three per cent knew from the moment the child was born, 8 per cent knew within a couple of days, 32 per cent knew within the first six weeks and 23 per cent began to regret their choice when their child first started nursery or school.
Of course, distinct names stand out at a time when we need all of the distinction we can get – from social media handles to the workplace. And while trendy names sound cool and all, naming your kid the most obscure name of the month may not be cute in a few years.
While moms may regret them, the classics generally stand the test of time.
Of course, then there are some that didn’t fare so well. For example, one woman in the study regretted naming her daughter “Elsa” after the massive success of Frozen.
And there probably won’t be too many babies named “Molly” born in the near future.
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Cover photo: Anatoliy Samara/Shutterstock