Choosing a unique name for your baby can prove challenging, as many names carry negative connotations.
Yet, when one woman disclosed her wish to name her child after a dog, the choice left many baffled, questioning why the couple would consider such an option.
However, the parents in question weren’t contemplating actual dog names like Dachshund, Golden Retriever or Labrador for their newborn. Instead, they were toying with using a name ‘they originally planned for their future dog’.
Already parents to two children, whom they gave “selected well-thought out names”, the expectant couple found themselves at an impasse with naming their third. The anxious mum sought advice on Reddit’s ‘Am I The A**hole’ forum, querying if it would be terrible to use their prospective dog’s name for their baby.
She posted: “My partner and I were talking about names, and selected very well thought out names for our first two, however, we cannot agree on the name for our third.
“The one name we really like and can agree on is the one we chose for our potential future dog – what about when said child asks about how he got his name in the future, having told the other two how their names were so carefully chosen. I don’t know, it just feels wrong to give our baby the name of a dog.”
Commentators largely agreed the name’s origin was inconsequential, one reassuringly commented: “Just say it’s a name you both liked. That’s what my mum said when I asked why she picked my name.”
One person commented: “Don’t overthink it, it’ll probably just become a bit of a family joke at some point. One day though it’ll cease to be ‘our future dog’s name’ and it’ll just be your kid’s name. My mum named me after a character in a movie she liked, and then a few years later realised she’d misheard it and it was a completely different name. My middle name is her favourite cake.”
Another shared their thoughts: “You would not be the a**hole if, big IF, the name strongly sounds like an everyday human name. But for the love of God, don’t tell your kid that until they’re at least 30 and have the right sense of humour.”
They added, seemingly in jest, the decision does hinge on whether the child is named “Muffin or Milton”.
A curious Redditor queried: “Have your first two already arrived, or have you picked out a single name for each regardless of gender, or do you have two options for each depending on gender? If it’s the third situation, why not use one of the names that went unused for the first two?”