A woman planning for a baby in the next year is struggling to settle on a name after being told her top choice could be turned into a rude pun. She loves the moniker but wants to protect her son from potential bullying at school.
The Dilemma Over the Name Emil
The woman, who is not currently pregnant but is planning for a baby within the next year, has been looking at names and is already obsessed with baby names. In a post on Reddit, she explained that her father's side of the family is from Sweden, so even though she lives in the United States, she wants to honour her Swedish heritage with her baby's name.
However, her top choice of baby name has been mocked by her sister, who claims her son would be bullied by his peers at school if she gave him the name she really wanted: Emil. The woman said: 'My favourite name for a boy is Emil (Eh-mill), as I grew up loving the books by Astrid Lindgren; however, my sister and a family friend both made fun of the name, saying he'd be called 'E-mail'. Is this a concern? Is the name really that bad?'
Backup Name Also Raises Concerns
The woman went on to say she does have a backup name in mind, which taps into her Irish ancestry rather than her Swedish side, but also has concerns about potentially X-rated nicknames. She added: 'My second choice was Ennis since I have ties to Ireland, but I didn't want my kid to be called 'Penis'.'
Reddit Users Offer Encouragement
Commenters on the post were quick to encourage her to still use her first choice name, Emil, as many of them said that people will not be tripped up by the pronunciation, since it is a fairly easy-to-read name. They also said that people calling him 'email' is not a big deal and is also unlikely to happen.
One person said: 'Emil is a perfectly good and normal name.' Another added: 'I wouldn't worry too much about kids making fun of it. If they want to, they'll find a way to make fun of literally anything. Just use the name you like.'
A third wrote: 'Emil is adorable, beautiful, and with some strength. Emil is one of my favourite boy names of all time! I also like Ennis, but I just prefer Emil. It's more cultural and classic, and far more unique in the US.' Someone else posted: 'It might be mispronounced the first time, but people would learn. We are made up of people with international names. Kids are used to it.'
Most commenters told the woman they much preferred her first choice, Emil, over her second choice, Ennis. However, several still said if she wants to call her son Ennis, then she should go for it without worrying what people might think, as there is a way to make fun of just about any name if people really want to.
