young boy with dark hair and eyes wearing a blue, grey, and red striped shirt
Julie Hambleton
Julie Hambleton
December 11, 2023 ·  4 min read

‘I gave my son an unusual name and I’m fed up having to explain what it means’

The name we have is a big part of our identity. It’s something we’re called from the day we are born. People create nicknames based on it. Often we have things like bracelets, teddy bears, necklaces, notebooks, and more that have our name on them. Every culture around the world has a plethora of wonderful names. However, depending on where you’re from and the culture you adhere to, your name might get questioned or mispronounced. While unique and culturally diverse names have their own beauty, sometimes, at no fault of your own, they can lead to a lifetime of annoyances.  

This is just what this mom wants to address with others about her young son’s unusual name. After giving him an uncommon name, she is tired of having to explain it to people all of the time. She just wishes people would stop asking questions, accept her son’s name, and move on. (1)

Mom Tired Of Explaining Her Son’s Name

Most likely some of you are thinking, ‘Well, lady, you chose to give your child an odd name – you knew you would get questions’, but this mom wants you to hear her out. She starts off by explaining that there is a lot of pressure when choosing a name for your child. You want to pick something that you like, that you think they will like, and won’t somehow make them the butt of nasty jokes at school. That last one is tricky – kids are very creative when they want to be.

She said that she had a list of names that she liked, but when she saw her growing baby boy on the monitor at her 20-week scan, the name Amyas (a-meeeee-as or am-yas) came to mind. From that moment on, she couldn’t imagine calling her son by any other name. She explains that it is the name of a character in one of her favorite Agatha Christie novels and that it means loved in Latin. There are several other literary classics that feature the name. Still, since the day her son was born, she has had to explain and justify the name at every turn.

Read: Mother-In-Law Secretly Changes Newborn’s Name While Mother Recovers From C-Section

It’s Not That Hard To Pronounce

She says that she shouldn’t have to justify her son’s name. They should just accept it as it is and move on. She shouldn’t need to explain it to anyone beyond correcting their pronunciation, which even she has already grown tired of.

“These reasons are sentimental to me. And thus, it should not be anyone’s business but my own why he has the name that he has. I dread the day he goes to school and gets asked the same questions; to be honest, he’d probably point them in my direction.” she said.

She says she is fed up with explaining it. The only people whose business it is as to why someone has a certain name is that of the parents. Everyone else needs to just accept the name, tell them it’s beautiful, and move one.

Names Can Be Tricky

Unfortunately for this woman, it is not that simple. The reality is that people are still going to ask, people are still going to pronounce and spell it wrong, and her son very likely could be annoyed with his name for a time. Ask anyone who has moved to a different country and whose name is from a different culture and they will tell you plain and simple. They often change the pronunciation of their name or tell people the English version of their name, just to make it easier. 

Even myself, someone who, in my opinion, has a pretty simple name, has had to deal with it. I grew up being called Julia by people my whole life, despite having just told them my name is Julie. On top of that, my last name is similar to the name of a nearby city, so not only do people screw up my first name, but they mess up the last one, too. Is it annoying sometimes? For sure. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is.

For those who have names much more out-of-the-box than mine, or who simply come from a different culture, these name struggles are just a part of everyday life. You’ll likely never find your name on a teddy bear and the barista at Starbucks will never spell it correctly. If you, as a parent, are that concerned about you and your child having to explain their name constantly, then perhaps consider a different one. You can always use the beautiful, unique name as a middle name. Otherwise, prepare yourself for the daily questions. They are a natural part of human curiosity and our natural gravitation towards things that are familiar to us.

Keep Reading: Grandma Refuses To Call Her First Grandchild Family Because Of His Name

Sources

  1. ‘I gave my son an unusual name and I’m fed up of having to explain what it means’Mirror. Sophia Waterfield. November 5, 2021.