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‘My Mom Got My Name From An 80s Song And I Find It So Embarrassing’
A woman has revealed the embarrassment she faces every single day after her mom decided to name her after an 80s song.
We all know the problem with our names is that we don’t get to choose them for ourselves.
Of course, we can change them when we get older, but by then the damage of having a poorly chosen name is probably already done.
With that in mind, it’s unsurprising that many countries have chosen to ban certain names in a bid to protect the unsuspecting babies from a lifetime of moniker-related bullying.
Names banned around the world
According to experts at language-learning platform Preply, names considered offensive, culturally inappropriate, or simply too unusual have ended up on banned lists in countries around the world.
One of the strangest examples is Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116, a name submitted by Swedish parents as a protest against the country’s strict naming regulations.
Although the parents insisted it was pronounced ‘Albin,’ officials rejected the application in 1996, and the name has remained prohibited ever since.
Sweden has also refused several other unconventional names over the years.
Authorities blocked the name Metallica, despite the parents’ admiration for the iconic heavy metal band, citing trademark concerns, according to Parents.com.
Interestingly, however, names such as Gojira, Mayhem, and Opeth have all been approved.
France, a country well known for protecting its language and culture, also banned the name Fraise, which means ‘strawberry,’ because of its association with the slang expression ramène ta fraise, a phrase roughly equivalent to saying, ‘get your butt over here.’
French officials also rejected the name Nutella, arguing it could expose a child to teasing and ridicule.
Perhaps even more surprising, the name Linda, which is widely used across many Western countries, is prohibited in Saudi Arabia. In 2014, authorities ruled that it was ‘non-Islamic’ and culturally unsuitable.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has taken a different approach by banning children from being named after fruit.
That restriction includes celebrity-inspired names such as Apple, famously chosen by Coldplay singer Chris Martin and actress Gwyneth Paltrow for their daughter.
Officials in Malaysia believe names like these could cause embarrassment or diminish the dignity of a person’s identity.
On the other side of the world, New Zealand also places limits on unusual baby names.
Officials stepped in after parents attempted to name their twins Fish and Chips.
Among the other names that have been rejected are S** Fruit, Yeah Detroit, and the notorious Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii.
In the final case, a judge placed the nine-year-old girl under court guardianship so her name could be legally changed, saying she was so embarrassed by it that she refused to tell her classmates what it was called.
Named after hit ’80s track
Taking to Reddit, this particular woman revealed that her mom had chosen to name her Kyrie-E-Leison, after the hit ’80s song by Mr Mister.
Let’s be real, it’s a great song, but that isn’t always the best recipe for naming your child.
The decision was allegedly made while her mother was on a lot of medication for a C-section.
“My name is Kyrie-E-Leison. That’s my whole first name. Hyphenated and all. It has made it a pain in the a*** to do normal things like get my driver’s license, apply for jobs, etc,” she explained.
In bid to avoid some of the inevitable ’embarrassment,’ the woman has spent most of her life going by ‘Kyrie’ for short, but even that has presented issues as people don’t know how to pronounce it correctly.
“I’ve spent 99 percent of my life explaining my name. It’s not pronounced Kai-Ree btw, it’s pronounced Key-Ree,” she continued.
“I didn’t know how to spell my full name until 3rd grade. My middle name is Dusk. My sister’s middle name is Day, and my mother’s middle name is Dawn.”
Many Reddit users were quick to respond with their own suggestions and name woes, which prove Kyrie is far some alone.
“I know someone else named Kyrie (kee-ree-ay, like the prayer/Mr Mister song), I think it’s actually nice-sounding as name, but the hyphens seem like they’d be cumbersome,” one person commented.
“Have you ever considered just changing it to Kyrie Eleison?”
Another added: “My name is Valkyrie and I go by Kyrie, pronounced like yours.”
A third wrote: “One of my old bosses had a daughter named Kyrie, pronounced kee-ree-ay. She told me it was ‘like the song.’
“I have never heard this song and I am older than her daughter.
“I have no idea what y’all are referencing, but somehow, pronouncing Kyrie as kee-ree-ay seems like way less of a burden than whatever the heck your full name is!”
Related Article: Baby Names That Have Been Banned Around The World
Related Article: Parents Name Baby After Internet Provider In Exchange For 18-Years’ Free WiFi
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