New mother regrets giving daughter name sounding like bad habit

Second only to life, a name is the greatest gift a parent can give a child.

No matter how common the name might be, it’s a reflection of your unique identity, and over a lifetime, that personal title mostly remains unchanged, forever connecting you to your birth.

This story is about a new mother who – only one week after naming her newborn – is regretting her decision. Keep reading to learn why one fan says the newborn’s name is “pretty terrible sounding.”

In early April 2024, a woman, who goes by the handle Mean Wranglers, shared her unfortunate story on Reddit’s Name Nerds, hoping for support from the online community.

The author explains to the audience that her and her husband spent nine months struggling to to agree on a name for their baby girl, who was one-week-old when her mother shared the post.

“We both had a [favorite] the other didn’t like. Mine was Ottilie and his Aubrey.” The new mother continues: “Etta was our compromise name, but he soon went off it after birth.”

After changing his mind, the original poster (OP) then shares that her husband offered an alternative.

“He mentioned Sigrid and I thought I liked it and agreed,” writes the now regretful mother.

Butt of jokes

According to baby name meanings, Sigrid is a name of Scandinavian and Old Norse origin, meaning “beautiful victory.”

But the author and her husband are not Scandinavian, and the new mom fails to see the beauty or victory in a name that sounds like a really bad habit.

“Now I’m worried she will get bullied for [her name] sounding like cigarette” writes the OP,  suggesting the name Sigrid is too close to the highly addictive death sticks.

She also realized the nickname Ziggy or Siggy, both monikers adored by her husband, sounds like the slang term for a cigarette.

Looking for some reassurance from the online community, the mom asks Redditors for their opinions on her little girl’s name.

Users jumped in, many supporting the name that’s unusual in many parts of the world.

“OP, I don’t see any problem with Sigrid. I have a common name and was still mildly bullied with a nursery rhyme that had the name in it,” writes one user. Another adds: “I think it’s a really cool name. I would not worry about her getting teased…I don’t think children will [bully her].”

Other cybernauts referenced the author connecting the name Sigrid to a cigarette.

One Redditor first says the baby’s name sounds “terrible” and then offends residents in the U.S. south: “I’ve thought about it for a while, and it’s pretty terrible sounding. I don’t know where OP lives, but as [an] American, the way I read it sounds exactly how southerners say cigarette.”

Defending her fellow southerners, another netizen responds to that comment: “I live in the Deep South…the word cigarette has [three] syllables down here so I’m not hearing a ton of similarity.”

Meanwhile, one cyber fan offers the new mom some encouragement: “You’re only a week into postpartum. It’s natural to be a bit panicked in general. Give yourself time to settle in before you think about changing something as big as her name. See if it starts to settle in and feel more familiar.”

Before concluding her post, the author writes that she’s going to speak with her husband and propose a name change. “I like Beatrix and he may be willing to change it,” the OP adds.

What advice can you offer this Redditor? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section and then share this story so we can hear from others!

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