A woman has publicly criticized her sister for giving all four of her children month-themed names, claiming the youngest—a boy named February—got the worst deal and could be bullied for life. The sister, 26, is a 'big believer' in 'connecting to time' and wanted her children's names to reflect that philosophy.
While the woman accepts the names of her three nieces—April, May, and June—she has taken issue with her newborn nephew's moniker. She wrote on Reddit: 'She has three daughters, and their names are April, May, and June. But she just had her first boy. I said maybe she should go with August if she wanted to stick to the month theme but nope. February. God save this kid.'
Online Reactions to the Name February
Commenters on the post expressed sympathy and concern. One user said: 'I know it’s not a name, but February seems so feminine to me. If I heard of someone named February, I would definitely think that they were female.' Another added: 'August is my little brother's middle name, but we often call him Auggie. February is just an awkward word to begin with, let alone as a name.'
A third user shared a personal anecdote: 'I had an aunt named May June. She went by both names, like Mary Ann. When I was a kid, I called her November December.' Another commenter noted: 'I actually knew a February once! It was a girl, though, and as far as I know she didn't have any sisters with month names. I liked the comment with the idea to nickname him Rory!'
Historical Context of Month Names
According to the British Museum, certain months—including April, June, and August—became popular given names in England due to their association with spring and warmer weather. The months themselves were originally named from a mixture of Latin words, important events in ancient Rome, and Latin numerals.
January is named after the Roman god Janus. February is named after an ancient Roman festival of purification called Februa. March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. April takes its name from the Latin word aperire, meaning 'to open.' May is named after the Greek goddess Maia. June is named after the Roman goddess Juno, the goddess of marriage and childbirth. July was named after Julius Caesar, and August after Rome's first emperor, Augustus. September through December were named after Roman numbers 7, 8, 9, and 10.
