Baby names parents most regret

According to a study by http://www.bounty.com, one in five parents REGRET the names they have chosen for their children and 19 per cent of folk are fed up with the sheer number of other children sharing the same moniker.

In hindsight mums and dads claim they wouldn't have chosen names such as William, Oliver and Jack. And looking back, parents of girls popularly named Chloe, Ruby and Olivia would have chosen alternative names.

Other boys' names they end up wishing they had avoided include Alfie, Thomas and Joshua. And girls called Emily, Grace and Jessica would also have different names if their parents could re-write history.

Cause for Amusement

The poll of 3,000 parents, conducted by http://www.bounty.com 15 per cent of parents say that much to their dismay, their child's forename has been the cause of amusement amongst friends and family.

A fifth of mums and dads wish they had chosen a name which was easier to spell, and eight per cent get fed up with people being unable to pronounce the name properly. While one in 10 thought their chosen name was cool and clever at the time, the novelty has worn off over time.

Keeping the Peace

Faye Mingo of http://www.bounty.com said: "Choosing a name that you and your child will love for the rest of their life is one of the first most important things that you'll ever do for your child.

"It can be one of the first issues that expectant parents argue about and sharing baby name ideas with family and friends who want to give a helping hand in the naming process, can also cause tensions."

The study shows that 19 per cent of parents resigned themselves to using a family name to keep the peace.

Thirteen per cent decided to choose a name which seemed quirky and unusual at the time and just under one in 10 people named their child after a favourite celebrity, while three per cent used the place of conception as inspiration for a name.

Judgement

47 per cent were shocked to find that other people would judge their children by the names they had been given and incredibly, one in five proud mums and dads has experienced a stranger turning up their nose when they revealed their baby's name.

And 13 per cent said the registrar raised an eyebrow when they registered the birth.

Even those parents who don't regret the name on their child's birth certificate, admit there are names they prefer now and wish they had thought of when their child was born.

Faye Mingo of http://www.bounty.com added: "Today's baby name trends move very quickly, so names that seem relatively unusual and quirky can quickly become mainstream and common in the classroom.

"For example, ten years ago the name Ruby was relatively unheard of as a baby girl's name, yet our annual baby name poll shows Ruby ranked in the number two spot for most popular girls names in the UK. Likewise for boys, a decade ago the name Alfie would have been considered outdated, yet today it ranks as the fifth most popular boys' name.

"In the bid to stay ahead of trends and to ensure their child's name has classroom standout without being regarded as wacky, some new parents are opting for traditional names with a contemporary spin, take for example Denise Van Outen and husband Lee Mead who chose the name Betsy for their baby girl born last weekend.

"Modern parents are doing away with baby name books in favour of our own, more up to date baby names section ( http://www.bounty.com/baby-names) because it updates monthly with very latest nationwide and regional chart listings for baby names. This can help make sure parents and their children have are no regrets about their name and provides opportunities for undecided parents to test their ideas out on strangers in online communities."

Boys Names Parents Most Regret: 1. William 2. Oliver 3. Jack 4. Alfie 5. Thomas 6. Joshua 7. Daniel 8. Charlie 9. Harry 10. James Girls Names Parents Most Regret: 1. Chloe 2. Ruby 3. Olivia 4. Emily 5. Grace 6. Jessica 7. Charlotte 8. Evie 9. Sophie 10. Daisy For further information please contact Lisa Penney on +44(0)1707-294000 or email [email protected] Editors notes: - Bounty (http://www.bounty.com) is the UK's favourite parenting club, providing information, support and products for young families throughout the four key-life stages: pre-birth, birth, toddlers and pre-school.