Mum sparks debate about whether it's ok to change her 4-year-old's name as it's 'too common'

A mum has kickstarted a parenting debate online about whether she should change her four-year-old daughter’s name as it has become too common.

Picking a baby name is a tricky business. Choose something unusual and you run the risk of it not going down well with other parents, but opt for something unusual and they may well end up being one of five Sophies on the school register.

That’s exactly the position one mum has found herself in as her daughter prepares to start school in September.

Taking to parenting site Mumsnet, the mum explained that she thought she’d picked an original moniker for her little one, but is now upset that her daughter is going to be one of three girls with the same name in the class.

“My DD [dear daughter] is 4 years old [sic] and I gave her a name which, I thought, was very original as I hadn’t heard another girl called it in about 20 years,” the mum explained.

“Only to find when she started nursery another girl called the same but spelt differently. DD is due to start full time education in September and there will be 2 other girls with the same name so 3 in the class including DD.”

The mum went on to say how upset she is by this.

“Maybe an over reaction but in the 1970’s [sic] I was one of 5 named the same in my class and vowed never to have my DC [dear children] live with the same. Now history is being repeated,” she continued.

The mum ended her post by saying she was considering her changing her daughter’s name before September and asking other users their opinions about the subject.

“I love her name but HATE it’s so common now,” she explained.

In a follow up post, the mum revealed the daughter’s name is Esmée.

“Daughter’s name is Esmée and I’ve lived through this. I can remember my whole junior/secondary school time being coloured by the fact that so many of us had the same name,” she wrote.

“I changed it as soon as I could because of that reason. Every time I hear my real name I shudder.”

And other parents were quick to respond and offer their views on the tricky subject.

Many thought the mum was being unfair to consider changing her daughter’s name at this stage of her life.

“Are you crazy! She’s 4! You can’t change her name. Your DD won’t mind being one of 3. She is her name now, it belongs to her,” one poster wrote.

“Don’t be ridiculous you can’t change a four year old’s name! How on earth would you explain that to her?” another agreed.

“What happens if you change it and then next year there’s a new girl with the same name? Or several girls with the same name in high school?”

“Ridiculous. Of course you can’t change a 4 year old’s name,” another user commented.

“I was one of 8 kids with the same name in one of my classes. Eight of us…Still didn’t bother me! We were all known by nicknames or surnames, it was totally fine.”

Other parents were more sympathetic to the mum’s dilemma.

“I sympathise I really do,” one mum wrote. “My boys all have very traditional names but dd got a name that was very meaningful but, by coincidence it’s never been registered to a baby in Britain before (or at least appears on no records according to google) and I know I’m going to bump into one at school!! It’s just Sod’s law.

“Try to remember that you chose it because you love it.”

“Kind of know how you feel. We chose eldest’s name, Chloé, as it means the kind of green you see in spring in ancient Greek,” one mum shared.

“I had never met a Chloé, thought it was a really original and apt name. Turns out, 20-something years ago, so did everybody else!

“Some names just become popular at particular times in particular subcultures. I feel your pain, but no. Don’t even consider changing your child’s name. It’s beautiful, it’s hers, sod the rest of them.”

“I feel your pain. 12 years ago I named my daughter Charlotte when it was less popular and there was another in her class and it caused loads of grief so I vowed this time around I would choose something never heard of and I thought, original,” another mum shared.

It isn’t the only baby name debate that has been raging online of late.

Last week a mum turned to a parenting site to explain how upset she was that she’d unwittingly decided to name her baby after her partner’s ex.

Earlier this month a mum-to-be turned to the Internet for some advice on whether or not it would be ok to use the same baby name as her sister.

And earlier this year another mum kickstarted a furious row after asking if hyphenated baby names are ‘common.’

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