'I can't use my dream name for my son - he'll get bullied thanks to our surname'

A woman has been forced to reconsider the name she wants to give to her son because she's realised it will create problems for him when paired with their 'unfortunate' surname

Choosing a name for your child goes beyond the name itself.

When it comes to choosing a baby name, there are a variety of factors you should consider. Does the name you want to use create any unfortunate three-letter words when combined with a middle name and surname initial, for example? Or, perhaps the moniker you love has a horrible nickname that your child's classmates may use against them.

One mum-to-be is trying to avoid that very problem after realising the name she wanted to use for her son would sound awful with the surname he's set to inherit. She's now been wracking her brains trying to think of a name that won't result in her son being picked on at school, but it's proving to be harder than she expected.

In a post on Reddit, the mum said she initially wanted to call her son either Harrison or Holden. The problem, however, is her "unfortunate" family name - Cox. She believes Holden is out of the question entirely, and Harrison could potentially lead to jokes made out of the word "Hairy" in relation to their surname.

She wrote: "So my husband and I are having a little boy, and he unfortunately doesn't love my top boy name. This was totally fine with me as I had other names on my list, but unfortunately, I'm worried that little bub will get made fun of if we use the other two names we like.

"For context, our last name is Cox, and the two names that we like are Harrison and Holden. My husband brought to my attention that when he gets older, other kids may tease him and call him Harry Cox or Holding Cox, and my heart can't handle the thought of him getting made fun of because we decided to stick him with a name."

The mum said her husband has recommended names like Weston or Waylon, while she would prefer to use something like Emmett or Elliott. However, neither of them is a fan of the other's suggestions. She added that the couple are now "struggling to find names" that they both like, as their "brains are all named out".

Help with a first name to go with our “unfortunate” last name
byu/Impressive_Row_5597 innamenerds

Commenters on the post were quick to tell the mum that there are names that sound perfectly fine with her surname. However, some noted that children can be cruel, and it doesn't take them much to poke fun at someone's name, so her son would likely receive some teasing regardless.

One person said: "I used to have a classmate with the same surname as yours, and his first name is James. No one seems to have said anything about his name, and he's well-liked, although that's not because of his name, of course!"

Another added: "Oddly enough, I do know a Cox family, and one of the boys I grew up with is Harrison Cox. He always went by Harrison, and it suited him so well. I'm sure there will always be the jerks in school who make immature and annoying comments, but really, it all dies down. What I'm trying to say is that if you love the name, go for it."

While a third shared: "I thought of Jameson, it's kind of similar to Harrison but without the unfortunate nickname. You could shorten it to James or Jamie, and I don't think Jameson Cox sounds inappropriate or silly."

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