Should parents chose baby names that will be appropriate later in life?

Baby names
Would you consider your child’s future profession when choosing their name? [Photo: Getty]

A mum has kickstarted a debate on baby names after she claimed that mothers no longer consider baby names which will be suitable for when they are adults.

She took to Mumsnet to vent her frustration as she wrote:

“I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve seen someone post a picture on their feed of their newborn with a name that is either really, really different or something that the child may not enjoy being called in the future when they are a teenager/adult…”

“E.g. Billi Mucklow naming her new baby boy Wolf Nine. It’s different, yes and OK when he is a baby but I’m just imagining a professional middle-aged businessman named Wolf and can’t picture it.”

And unsurprisingly, mothers rushed to comment with many disagreeing with her controversial views.

One wrote: “The world is split into people who love unusual names and people who hate them. I’m definitely on the more unusual side of the naming spectrum but would never dream of choosing a name I didn’t really love just in case they want to be an accountant.”

Baby names
Many mothers rushed to the forum to disagree with her views [Photo: Getty]

While another drew on her own career experience, “There’s no need to name your child to join the world’s most conservative profession. I work in a fairly trendy, pretty lucrative type job and my company would be much more interested in a Daisy-Bell than a Catherine.”

Though some agreed with the need to consider their children’s future profession when choosing a moniker as one wrote: “I cannot fathom deliberately calling a child a name that you think might hinder them in life just because it will entertain you or (presumably) gain ‘cool points’ on social media. It’s bizarre.”

While one mother admitted to using the ‘Prime Minister’ test as she commented, “From what I can see, most parents put a lot of thought into naming their children. Personally, I did the Prime Minister test for mine (put the name into a news anchor commentary mentioning the Prime Minister or President and see if it looks or sounds odd).”

What do you think?


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