Mom Furious After Stranger Properly Pronounces Her Son's 'Unique' Baby Name
Isn't it usually the other way around?
triocean | Shutterstock Let's be honest, baby names these days are getting pretty wild. Sure, it's their child, and parents can name them however they want. But sometimes the spelling is so unusual or hard to pronounce that it feels like a competition to come up with the most unique and weird name.
The worst is when parents act like you should instantly know the spelling or pronunciation of a name. How are you supposed to get it right when you’ve never heard or seen it before? Some people get really defensive about their names, and that’s where it starts to get comedic. But have you ever encountered a mom who actually got upset that her "unique" baby name was pronounced properly? Well, there's a first for everything, as experienced by one woman on Reddit.
A mom got angry after a stranger pronounced her child's name wrong, or wait, actually, right!
A woman took to Reddit to share her unusual experience with a mom and her baby's unique name. "Where I work, I have to call out names a hundred times a day," she wrote. "So I have seen a lot of different names and spelling variations." But in more than 40 years of living in Ireland, she had never seen this name spelled this way before.
The name was Seaghan. "One day I had a package to call out, and I had never seen this spelling before," she explained. "But after a few seconds I realized it was another form of Sean." The woman said that while she was looking at the package, she noticed out of the corner of her eye a woman smirking. But as soon as she pronounced the name correctly, the woman's expression actually turned angry.
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Most people agreed that the mom chose the unique name because it would bring attention to her.
The woman wrote, "She literally stormed up, snatched the package from me and started ranting about how I got it right." The mom insisted it was a unique spelling and that no one ever knows how to pronounce it, and that's why she was mad. "She was absolutely furious that I was able to say the name correctly," the woman added.
Why would a parent actually get mad when someone pronounces their child's name the right way? Other Reddit users had a theory: some people have pick-me personalities. "Now she doesn't feel special, how dare you?" one person joked. "She worked very hard to make herself feel important at her child's expense."
"Totally," a second user agreed. "She probably has a whole speech rehearsed for situations like this, topped with suitable gestures and expressions to show how very surprised, touched and humble she is for such unexpected attention. Then came the original poster, a horrible person, and snatched that away from her." People definitely had a lot to say!
Unique names are gaining popularity in America.
Nameberry, one of the world's largest websites dedicated to baby names, has shared a list of unusual names that are on the rise in the U.S. Divided into themed categories, the names reflect parents' passions and identities, as mirrored in what they choose to call their children.
There are the bad boys: Hunter, Arson, Trigger, Maverick, Renegade, Warrior, and Riot. The cash babies: Billion, Fortune, Kurrency, Price, and Zillion. The aspiration kids: Champ, Beauty, Famous, Epic, Paradise, and Winner. And last but not least, the wildly random ones: Acai, Cage, Khemistry, Rooster, Sheriff, Safari, and Viper.
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"To each their own" has never made more sense. After all, some people genuinely like bold, unique names. The only ones who might end up paying the price are the kids themselves, as they could get bullied for an unusual name. But maybe they will be praised if other kids think it sounds cool. Is it worth the risk? That's a decision only a parent can make.
But one takeaway is clear: Don't get mad at people for mispronouncing your child's name, and definitely don't get mad if they actually pronounce it correctly. Not everyone will know how to say or spell an uncommon name, and that's okay. If you do choose something unique for your child, be patient and teach others how to pronounce it correctly.
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
