Woman agrees with BIL about sister's baby name, 'it's gonna get your kid picked on.'
Picking a baby name is a huge decision. Even if your kid decides to change their name down the road, the name you pick for them is going to inform a lot of their childhood identity: how others approach them, how they view themselves, and their first impressions in the world.
While you can't predict the personality of your future kid, you can predict more generalized cultural norms around names, and which names might give them problems down the line.
In a popular post on the AITA subreddit, a woman asked if she was wrong for telling her sister that her baby name is stupid, and her husband is right. She wrote:
"AITA for telling my sister that her husband is right and her baby name idea is stupid?"
I [24F] have a twin sister, Maisie [24F]. Maisie is pregnant with her first and due in February, and the baby is going to be a boy. Last week she opened up to me and said that she and her husband [26M] have been fighting over baby names and she said she's sick of hearing about it and just wants to settle on a name that they both like.
Maisie and her husband are both a bit geeky (not that there's anything wrong with that) and she told me she wants to name the baby Luffy, as in the character from One Piece. Her husband doesn't want this name and says the kid will be bullied. She asked for my honest opinion and I told her that the name is silly and her husband is right.
I tried to say this gently but really how gently can you tell someone their idea is stupid? I suggested that she go back to the drawing board on that one and maybe look at names of lesser-known anime characters if that's what she wants. Maisie got upset and said the name is cute and we're both just being closed-minded. I told her she asked for my honest opinion and she got it.
She kept trying to convince me that it was a good name and the conversation was becoming hysterical and I told her it's a stupid name, end of discussion.She started crying and left and since then she's been giving me the cold shoulder. Our parents told me to just tell Maisie that I'm sorry because my words really upset her and I should've been nicer about it.
People shared their opinions of the name in the comment section.
J_Nic217 wrote:
But...it IS a stupid name for a child outside of the anime world. She can give the baby a normal name but call him Luffy as a nickname or something.
NTA.
029384756 wrote:
NTA. Why can’t she just call the baby Luffy, but actually give them a name that is not f#$king ridiculous?
Luffy is kinda funny though, I will keep it in mind if we ever get a new cat.
Rough_Start_5396 wrote:
NTA. I think she’s losing sight that she’s naming a future adult, not a forever baby. She could use it as a nickname, but as a legal name? It’s awful. Kids are brutal, they’ll find any reason to bully if they’re inclined to bully, but parents don’t need to hand them material.
spoiledrichwhitegirl wrote:
NTA. That is a stupid name & that kid will be bullied. Kids have to live with their name until they’re 18. Just because someone is super into anime or D&D or whatever doesn’t mean that should carry over into naming their child. Different? Fine. Unisex? Fine. A name practically guaranteed to get a kid bullied? You’re an AH.
queefnadoshark wrote:
Her child is not a billboard for her fandom. NTA.
OP is NTA here, her sister needed a serious wake-up call.