My daughter, [name]Adelaide[/name] [name]Lauren[/name], is 7 months old and I am embarrassed to admit that I have major name regret.
Throughout my pregnancy, I liked a variety of names. However, my husband was stuck on [name]Adelaide[/name]. I honestly thought it was very sweet how much he loved the name. Also, our son kept referring to her as [name]Addy[/name]. [name]Lauren[/name] is after my mom and I am very happy we choose to honor her.
The hour after she was born, we were deciding between [name]Adelaide[/name] and [name]Olivia[/name] (my first choice). I had assumed that she was going to look just like my son and when she didn’t I guess you could say that I didn’t feel an immediate connection (although very hard to admit). However, when I saw my husband hold her for the first time, I just felt that her name should be [name]Adelaide[/name].
As I said, it has now been 7 months and I am still having namer’s remorse. I feel like she is an [name]Addy[/name] now, but am neutral on the name [name]Adelaide[/name]. I also fear the teasing potential as she gets older (which I didn’t think about while pregnant), such as “[name]Addy[/name]-gets-laid” or “lemonade/kool-aid/marmalade.” My husband says that there is a teasing potential on any name, but I can”t seem to let it go. Also, everywhere I take her (doctor, etc.) everyone is always mispronouncing or misspelling her name” and it’s driving me crazy.
I have even cried over this several times. All I keep thinking is how I wish I could go back in time and know how I would feel now” and have chosen a different name. My husband and my parents are the only ones I have told this to as I am too embarrassed to admit it to anyone else. My husband is frustrated that it is making me so upset, especially since he is still in love with her name. Although at times, he has said we could change it.
I’m even considering [name]Adalyn[/name] or [name]Adeline[/name] now since we mostly call her [name]Addy[/name]. I have always liked the name [name]Madelyn[/name] or [name]Madeline[/name], but unfortunately it just didn’t work with our last name.
It’s a beautiful name, what about it don’t you like? No name is “tease-proof”, it all depends on how the child handles it. I was very sensitive when I was little and cried when people sang “Have a [name]Holly[/name] Jolly [name]Christmas[/name]” because to me Jolly=(ed)fat. I think she will grow into it and love it.
I think [name]Adelaide[/name] is a beautiful name! I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Plus, between [name]Adelaide[/name] and [name]Olivia[/name], [name]Adelaide[/name] wins all the way. Yeah, so maybe some people will misspell or mispronounce it; but I think that’s better than being your daughter being the fifth [name]Olivia[/name] in her class. I feel like she’ll end up thanking you. It’s a classy, rather uncommon name. Maybe it will take some time for you to get used to, that’s all!
Hello!
Im going to be the dissenting voice and suggest you change her name.
[name]How[/name] about [name]Olivia[/name] [name]Adelaide[/name] [name]Lauren[/name]?
[name]Adelaide[/name] is a perfectly fine name, but [name]Olivia[/name] is so very pretty. At 7 months it really isnt too late and you can still call her [name]Addy[/name] as a nickname if you like. The other option is to use [name]Lauren[/name] as her 1st name, which is very classy and elegant sounding, later your daughter can decide what she likes best.
Best of luck!
[name]Jane[/name]
No I dont think your crazy. You have legit concerns and you are right, it is possible she could get teased with that phrase, but its not a slutty sounding name. There is a difference. Most peoples mind wont go there, they will hear the name as a whole and think its nice. Its only in her teen years that boys may tease her with that phrase and then again they might not. IF its going to eat at you and really bother you for years then you may need to change it to alleviate your worries. For what its worth, [name]Adelaide[/name] is prettier then [name]Adeline[/name], [name]IMO[/name]…and your still going to have people mispronouncing [name]Adeline[/name]. [name]Olivia[/name] and [name]Adelaide[/name] arent that FAR off from each other, they do share some of the same sounds…you could get away with switching the fn if you choose to go that route. Your baby is certainly still young enough. Good luck to you.
Wow! Thank you for all of the quick responses! It honestly helps hearing that there are others out there that think [name]Adelaide[/name] is a beautiful name.
I really like [name]Adelaide[/name]! However, I can’t imagine going through what you’ve been going through for the past 7 months. I’m such a name nerd. I spend so much time thinking about my children’s names. I just can’t imagine not absolutely loving one of their names. I’m sorry you have the doubt. That has to be miserable.
I think [name]Adelaide[/name] is a beautiful name as well! And yes ANY can be mispronounced, misspelled, and made fun of. My daughters name is [name]Autumn[/name], think of how much fun it is to say “[name]Autumn[/name] bottom”. And there is at least one Mom helper in her pre- k class who spells it [name]Autum[/name]. It’s a season, and they can’t spell it right?
[name]Olivia[/name] is beautiful as well, but more popular, not sure if that is good or bad in your opinion.
And excuse me if this offends you, but I’ll mention it as well. Is there any possibility that post partum hormones/ depression could be causing so much stress. Not to say feeling like you chose the wrong name isn’t a big deal. But personally I still had ups and downs for many months after my daughter was born. And changing her name and then realizing it’s not right either,could cause even more problems.
If everyone in the family is on board, maybe you could try out [name]Olivia[/name] first. See if it fits her better, then make a final decision. I don’t think it’s too late to change if you realize [name]Olivia[/name] is a better fit.
I love the name [name]Adelaide[/name]!!! In my opinion it is much nicer than [name]Olivia[/name], [name]Adalyn[/name], [name]Madelyn[/name] and the other names you like/thinking of changing the name to.
I lurk much more than I post on this website but felt compelled to reply to you as think you have chosen an absolutely beautiful name for your daughter.
[name]Adelaide[/name] is an amazing name, I love everything about it! It’s meaning, the sounds it makes, and I think it’s a somewhat [name]Royal[/name] name (:
So what if some kid with the exact same name as everyone else realizes that [name]Adelaide[/name] rhymes with marmalade? I personally like marmalade! So what’s the problem? :lol:
If you really are worried, then [name]Addy[/name] could always go by [name]Lauren[/name]… but [name]IMO[/name], [name]Adelaide[/name] is by far the best name you could choose! As one of the PPs mentioned, you’ve only got to worry about some minor teasing in high school, but so does everyone else! I’m in high school, and they make fun of every name there is! I know a girl called [name]Sabrina[/name], and when anyone sees her, they cackle at her (like witches :P). Big deal, you know?
You have amazing taste in names, so don’t let your worries get to you!
…I hope I’ve helped!
I love [name]Adelaide[/name], and if you are concerned with misspellings or mispronunciations you will get far more with [name]Adalyn[/name] or [name]Adeline[/name]. I think you may still have some mommy blues, because I don’t think any kid has ever been upset that their name rhymed with lemonade. What she does get teased with or upset about will be impossible to predict, so why worry?
My name is [name]Whitney[/name], and my uncle regularly called me Whitless. But guess what? No child my age ever thought to call me that, and since I was a straight-A student I wasn’t bothered by his cruel teasing. However, a cousin named [name]Valerie[/name] was once taunted by a boy who called her “Valerina Ballerina” and she was livid. It made no sense at all, but that was a nickname that bothered her - and one that I’m sure her parents never considered.
[name]Don[/name]'t change your daughter’s name based on how you feel right now, especially if you like [name]Addy[/name].
I agree with most of the other posters. [name]Adelaide[/name] is a wonderful name. Your husband has great taste! I don’t know the dynamics of your relationship, but by the way you describe his affection for the name, I would think it might seriously hurt his feelings if you changed it now. I’m no Dr. [name]Phil[/name] but he probably wants to appease you by telling you it’s ok to change it. What a great guy!
Since she has a perfectly acceptable nickname already and a mn that’s easily usable as a fn, I would say you should wait. I know that it’s frustrating when people mispronounce or misspell her name, but honestly, that can happen with [name]EVERY[/name] name and you really won’t know how often it does until you’ve already chosen it. Same thing with name-teasing. Anyways, I hope you’ll let our opinions help convince you to keep her name the way it is. Make sure to let us know what you end up doing!
The bottom line is that none of us are in your shoes, we havent experienced the name on a day to day basis and felt how you have felt. My advice is to think about these comments, see how you feel, and if your still feeling unsure and unhappy, then schedule an appointment with a therapist so that he/she can help you sort out your feelings. What it all comes down too, is how You/hubby feel about the name, does the good outweigh the bad, does the bad outweigh the good and can you live with the name or is it going to torment you?
I think [name]Adelaide[/name] is a stunning name, definitely one of my favs! And I certainly never would have seen that “teasing potential” so I don’t think it’s an obvious one. My name’s the very common [name]Laura[/name] and I still got teased as a child for my name…[name]Laura[/name] [name]Flora[/name] ([name]Flora[/name] is a brand of margerine here in the UK) and Nory Batty, the name of a grumpy old lady character on a British TV show! Children will always find something so don’t drive yourself mad worrying about all the possibilities.
I really can’t see how people have problem’s with the spelling and pronunciation, both seem pretty obvious to me, but I’m sure that’s one think that will get easier as she gets older as the people she sees most of will get used to it and the name itself may become more well known in general.
[name]Adeline[/name] is a nice alternative if you feel more comfortable with it, I really like it but [name]Adelaide[/name] is equally as lovely and just seems a bit more “special” to me.
And at least you have the nn [name]Addy[/name] to fall back on which most people are familiar with.
I personally love the name, and [name]Adelaide[/name] [name]Lauren[/name] has a great flow and lots of personal meaning. If you can make peace with the name and learn to love it then I think it’s great, but if you really can’t then I think you should just change the name (whether it be a subtle change like [name]Adeline[/name], or completely different like [name]Olivia[/name]) sooner rather than later. You certainly wouldn’t be the first parent to change their baby’s name at this age, and even older. I’ve seen plenty of cases on the nameberry message boards so you’re not alone!
I think [name]Adelaide[/name] is beautiful. I have known one other in my life (now in her 20s) and she never got teased for her name…none of those things you worry about came up. I do agree with your husband that there is teasing potential for pretty much every name out there. Besides, she’ll be going by [name]Addy[/name] most of the time. I think you’ll be just as frustrated with [name]Adalyn[/name]/[name]Adeline[/name] because there are multiple ways to say it. I grew up with a foreign name that’s hard to say and hard to spell (it even has an accent in there) and in the beginning it can seem frustrating to correct people…but I think you’ll get used to it. [name]Do[/name] you really want her to have a name so common that everyone knows how to spell it? [name]Even[/name] the three Sarahs in my class always had to say “[name]Sarah[/name] with an h”.
That’s not to say you don’t have legitimate naming regret. But I’d try and see where it’s really coming from. Again, not trying to be mean, but might you have some postpartum? Also is it really that you don’t like [name]Adelaide[/name] or that you’re sad that your husbands choice ended up being picked and not yours? Is it worth making your husband sad? Obviously he’s agreed to change it if that’s what you really want, and if you truly hate it then it’s something to discuss further, but I’m sure it must feel bad for him to realize that you must have hated his name choice for the past 7 months. Again, I’m not trying to say anyone is right or wrong - just that it should be looked at from all angles.
Again, thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses and kind words. It’s amazing how comments from total strangers can make you feel a whole lot better!
Many of you brought up points that I think I lost sight of - or why [name]Adelaide[/name] was at the top of our list to begin with. After I found out we were having a girl at 15 weeks, my husband immediately fell in love with her name. Some of the reasons I kept it at the top were… due to the fact that I love its meaning, the history behind it, how it’s a classic/old name, that it’s unique (something that my name wasn’t growing up), that it has a ton of nn potentials (if she decides she wants to change it at some point), how it looks written out, as well as how it flows with her middle name.
I guess I have just gotten so hung-up on the teasing potential (mostly from google-ing her name) that I have really doubted our decision. However, after carefully reading all of your responses I’ve realized that yes any name has teasing potential - even ones that I would never ever have thought of before!
[name]Even[/name] though I still do have strong feelings towards the name [name]Olivia[/name], when I look at our daughter - I see her has an [name]Adelaide[/name]/[name]Addy[/name]. Your posts have really helped me to realize that yes, we did choose a beautiful name for our beautiful girl.
And for those of you who said that I must have an amazing husband - yes, that is true! I am so glad I found this site and that all of you reassured me of our choice. If all goes as planned, we’re hoping to try for a third in the next year or two… so I’ll definitely be back for more advice.
I love the name [name]Adelaide[/name]!!! It’s so pretty. And any ne can get teased. I
Thinking about going with [name]Daphne[/name] if I have another girl. Think about all that teasing potential! That being said, if u really are u happy u can change her name pretty easily before they turn 1. If u have money to higher a lawyer to do all the dirty work than it becomes even easier. But if u decide to stick with the name I think that’s awesome too :). (( hugs)). If u want to talk about it more feel free to pm me. I also went through this and would be happy to share my experience with you. Xoxoxoxo
[name]Love[/name] [name]Adelaide[/name]! She will usually be called by her nickname - I know several Addies and I didn’t know their full names until I asked (one [name]Adeline[/name], one [name]Adelaide[/name]). Nobody knows how to spell names any more as there are so many variations, so a lot of people have to spell their names every time they say them. And, most names rhyme with something, if you think about it. So, don’t think about it; just love your little [name]Adelaide[/name]!
I agree with everyone else, don’t worry about it! [name]Adelaide[/name] is a perfectly lovely name, and when she’s older she’ll be immensely grateful she’s not named [name]Adalyn[/name]. I don’t know about other high schools, but at my high school, I never, ever hear teasing relating to names-- and if I do, it’s not mean-spirited, it’s teasing among friends. I think at the age when kids tease about names, they’re too young to come up with or understand jokes about getting laid. And honestly, it’d take an extremely sensitive child to be upset about teasing that their name sounds like ‘lemonade’ or ‘marmalade’.
