A UK couple is getting brickbats online for the bizarre name they’ve given their newborn son.
The couple, who are not named, are an example of the growing trend of parents choosing bizarre and “unique” names for their children. Some of them are so unusual that one wonders if the parents have given any thought to the teasing and harassment their children are likely to endure just so that mom or dad can feel that they have a “special” name.
Common sense is enough to know this, but research by parenting experts backs up the idea that giving a child a strange name can cause him burdens later in life.
The couple in question wants to name their son “Rowdy Danger,” according to a Facebook post from the mother to be. She said her boyfriend (note: not her husband) was set on giving the child the middle name “danger” because he’s a fan of dirt-bike racing. They agreed that she could pick his first name, and she settled on “rowdy.”
It seems hard to believe, but the mother claims she was shocked at the negative feedback she got from other Facebook users. Some told her she was setting her child up to be bullied. Another commenter said mothers should think carefully about the names their child will carry for the rest of their lives. She suggested imagining the name at the top of a resume, and thinking about how that would look to a total stranger from whom her son was seeking employment. In a twist, the same woman said she followed her own advice and decided not to name her son “Slayer.”
Yet another user said “Rowdy Danger” sounded like the name of a television wrestler or the title of a low-budget movie.
Unsurprisingly considering the Millennial and Gen Z obsession with all things Harry Potter, some parents want to tag their children with names based on JK Rowling’s fantasy world of wizards and witches. One woman posting on the UK mothering bulletin board “Mumsnet” said she had her heart set on naming her daughter after a star called “Bellatrix.”
One user asked if she were joking—the would-be mother said she thought it sounded lovely—while another warned her that she would be severely “dating” her daughter by a name that immediately called the Harry Potter books to mind.