Choosing a baby name can be riddled with difficulties. You might think that coming up with a name for your little one is easy, but many parents struggle with the process. It can be easy to overthink things when trying to choose the “perfect” name, especially if you’re trying to avoid names that can be turned into unfortunate or rude nicknames.
This is the problem one woman on social media is currently facing, as she picked out two names for her future son, but has been told that both could be used to mock her child when he’s at school. The woman isn’t currently pregnant, but is “planning for a baby” within the next year and is already obsessed with baby names.
In a post on Reddit, she explained her dad’s side of the family are from Sweden, so even though she’s from the US, the woman wants to honour her Swedish heritage with her baby’s name.
However, her top choice of baby name has been mocked by her sister, who claims her son would be bullied by his peers at school if she gave him the name she really wanted – Emil.
She said: “I’m currently planning for a baby in the next year and have been looking at names since I love baby names. I’m mostly Swedish, with my dad’s side of the family still living there, and I love Swedish names; however, I currently live in the States, so I have to be mindful of that.
“My favourite name for a boy is Emil (Eh-mill), as I grew up loving the books by Astrid Lindgren; however, my sister and a family friend both made fun of the name, saying he’d be called ‘E-mail’. Is this a concern? Is the name really that bad?”
The woman went on to say she does have a backup name in mind, which taps into her Irish ancestry rather than her Swedish side, but also has concerns about potentially X-rated nicknames that could conjure up.
She added: “My second choice was Ennis since I have ties to Ireland, but I didn’t want my kid to be called ‘Penis’.”
Commenters on the post were quick to encourage her to still use her first choice name, Emil, as many of them said that people won’t be tripped up by the pronunciation, as it is a fairly easy-to-read name. They also said that people calling him “email” isn’t a big deal, and is also unlikely to happen.
One person said: “Emil is a perfectly good and normal name.”
Another added: “I wouldn’t worry too much about kids making fun of it. If they want to, they’ll find a way to make fun of literally anything. Just use the name you like.”
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A third wrote: “Emil is adorable, beautiful, and with some strength. Emil is one of my favourite boy names of all time! I also like Ennis, but I just prefer Emil. It’s more cultural and classic, and far more unique in the US.”
Someone else posted: “It might be mispronounced the first time, but people would learn. We are made up of people with international names. Kids are used to it.”
Most commenters told the woman they much preferred her first choice, Emil, over her second choice, Ennis. However, several still said if she wants to call her son Ennis, then she should go for it without worrying what people might think – as there is a way to make fun of just about any name if people really want to.