A man has shared his astonishment after discovering his girlfriend's real name two years into their relationship—a name she had kept hidden because of its unusual spelling.
Posting on Reddit, the man explained that he had always known his partner as "Loz," believing her full name to be Lauren. That changed when she received a new ID card. He wrote: "I've been dating my girlfriend for two years. I've always called her Loz but knew that her full name is Lauren. Today she got her new ID through and I saw a mighty eyesore before me - it's spelt 'Lawr'ryn'."
Family pattern of unusual names
Upon asking why she never told him, she replied: "Can you blame me?" He then revealed that her siblings also have unusually spelled names. Her younger sister, known as Percy, is actually named Pur'see, and her older brother Danny has the full name Dhaniyel.
The man added: "I've spent the night howling and absolutely grilling my girlfriend on why she's deprived me of this knowledge. I cannot stop chuckling."
Online reactions
The post attracted hundreds of comments, with many sympathising with the woman. One commenter wrote: "Your poor girlfriend... no wonder she goes by a nickname." Another said: "Don't make too much fun of it without showing her you sympathise. She's had a lifetime of this."
A third shared: "My former roommate was La'Ren and she'd get so upset if you accidentally called her Lauren. I get it though." Someone else added: "I had my Nicholle changed to Nicole when I got married. It was very freeing."
Banned baby names in the UK
While the UK has few strict rules on baby names, certain names are restricted. According to the UK Deed Poll Office, parents have 42 days to register a newborn after birth. Names that are not accepted include those that are impossible to pronounce, contain numbers or symbols (except hyphens or apostrophes), are considered offensive or vulgar, are fraudulent (implying a rank or title), or do not include at least one first name and one surname.
