A mother has revealed she experiences regret every time she hears her baby daughter's name, describing the choice as "too basic" and admitting she wishes she had used the child's middle name instead.
Writing on Reddit, the mum explained that she and her husband chose the name Olivia for their daughter, but she now feels embarrassed by how common it is. "I have severe name regret. I cringe at hearing people say my baby's name. We chose Olivia. Obviously not a weird name by any means but I feel embarrassed that we chose something so common and 'basic'," she wrote.
Online posts worsen the regret
The mother said that after spending more time online, she began to realise how many Olivias there are, which made her regret even worse. "All these posts keep saying there are 'already too many Olivias', which makes me feel 1000x worse," she added.
"I never even use her full name because it doesn't feel right. Husband doesn't want to change her name. I wish we used her middle name instead."
Daydreaming about the next child
The mum admitted she now spends her time daydreaming about different names for her next child, determined not to make the same mistake again. "I'm jealous of pregnant moms who still get to name their kids and not mess up like I did. I feel like I am spiralling. What should I do? If you had name regret, did it pass?"
She added: "I just love my baby so much. I look at her sweet face and never want to disappoint her, including giving her a name she won't like."
Readers offer advice
Commenting on her post, one user urged the mum to step back from online discussions about baby names. "You're spending too much time on naming subs and not enough time appreciating how lovely 'Olivia' sounds and how much you love your daughter, who has that name," they said.
Another user suggested she take a break from social media, writing: "The only opinion that matters on your baby's name is you and your husband's. There must be a reason you chose it in the first place. Focus on that." They added: "If you still can't get past it, try a nickname (Liv, Livi, Oli). For what it's worth (and my opinion doesn't matter), I think Olivia is a beautiful name."
A third person pointed out that parents can never know for certain how popular a name will become. "It really doesn't matter what name you loved and picked. Decades ago I picked the name Isabel for my daughter and in my whole life I had only known ONE Isabel - my childhood next-door-neighbour's mum," they said. "In my daughter's pre-K class there was an Isabelle and an Isabella. You just can't predict what name is going to be wildly popular next."
