"I hate telling people his current name": Mother reveals regret over baby name a year after birth
A single mother who decided against naming her son with her preferred choice due to disapproval from her family members has now shared her regret.
The woman was originally planning to name her child Jarrah. “An Australian name that refers to a type of eucalyptus tree and means “tall and strong” in the local aboriginal language,” she explained in an online forum for parents.
Citing her job as a wildlife conservationist and rehabilitator, she wrote, “My baby was really only ever going to have a nature name.”
However, after the birth, she discovered that none of her family members were in favour of the name. She then decided to call her baby Ezra in a rash decision.
“In a horrid mixture of pregnancy hormones and anxiety, I instead chose a random name that the doctor suggested,” she wrote. “I am a single mother with no father figure in my child’s life, so probably cared far too much about the opinions of my family members.”
Settling with the name turned out to be more difficult than she thought.
“I have regretted this decision ever since and hate telling people his current name,” she revealed.
She said she is considering renaming her son to her first choice, but is worried about the consequences of doing so when he is already a year old.
“The only thing is that because he’s at the 12 month mark, if I change his name now it will forever show on his birth certificate and I will have to explain to him as an adult how I misnamed him as a child,” she wrote.
Fellow parents have expressed support for the woman to change the son’s name.
“I would just do it. He really won't care beyond an amusing story when he is older,” one responded.
“Jarrah is beautiful and was picked with love and has a special meaning for your son and you. What an auspicious and lovely name, it would be such a shame not to use it,” another added.
One commented, “Surely he already knows his name? I’d be more worried about that than having to explain your mistake as an adult.”
A few others also suggested keeping Ezra as a middle name. “Change it … If he loves Ezra he can always change it back,” one advised. “Maybe keep Ezra as his middle name as it makes for an interesting story and doesn’t try and hide his original name.” What do you think of the two names? Share your thoughts in the comments.