Parents' baby name regrets

16:09 13 May 2010

It's one of the most important decisions for a new parent, what to name your little bundle of joy. And whether it's all the pregnancy hormones or a desire for their child to be 'different', it seems the nation's parents are rueing the day they gave their child that identity.

A new survey by parenting club Bounty has found that as many as one in five have regrets about the names they picked later on.

Of the 3,000 parents surveyed, many had wished they'd picked a less popular name, while one in 10 regretted picking their child's quirkier moniker as the novelty had worn off.

Another one in five wished they had picked something that was easier to spell or pronounce while 15% reported their choice had sparked amusement from friends and family.

Faye Mingo, of Bounty, said: "Choosing a name that you and your child will love for the rest of their life is one of the first most important things that you'll ever do.

"It can be one of the first issues that expectant parents argue about and sharing baby name ideas with family and friends who want to give a helping hand in the naming process can also cause tensions.

"Today's baby name trends move very quickly, so names that seem relatively unusual and quirky can quickly become mainstream and common in the classroom.

"For example, 10 years ago the name Ruby was relatively unheard of as a baby girl's name, yet our annual baby name poll shows Ruby ranked in the number two spot for most popular girls names in the UK.

"Likewise for boys, a decade ago the name Alfie would have been considered outdated, yet today it ranks as the fifth most popular boys' name."

13% had settled on a name because it seemed quirky and unusual at the time, while as many as 19% of parents had reluctantly chose family names "to keep the peace,"

Just less than one in 10 had named their child after a favourite celebrity, and almost half of those surveyed were shocked to think that other people would judge their children by the names they'd been given.

And with the number of 'Twilight' inspired choices on the rise, how many parents will be left regretting their decisions for Isabellas and Jacobs?

Top 10 regretted names

Boys

1. William
2. Oliver
3. Jack
4. Alfie
5. Thomas
6. Joshua
7. Daniel
8. Charlie
9. Harry
10. James

Girls

1. Chloe
2. Ruby
3. Olivia
4. Emily
5. Grace
6. Jessica
7. Charlotte
8. Evie
9. Sophie
10. Daisy