Everyone has different tastes in baby names – but some things shouldn’t be allowed.
In most cases, no parent should be judged for the name they choose for their child. Some people like timeless names that are staples in popular lists, while others want to give their baby something more unique that will stand out from the crowd. Different tastes aren’t inherently a bad thing, and there are countless suitable names to pick from.
However, one woman has been desperately trying to get her brother and his wife to change the name they’ve chosen for their daughter. The woman said her sister-in-law is seven months pregnant, and the parents-to-be have picked out a name they both love – but there’s one huge problem with it.
In a post on Reddit, the woman explained that the couple wants to name their child Alienne. She said they would pronounce it “Ah-Lee-Yen,” but she believes the closeness to the word “alien” should be enough for them to reconsider. Although the name won’t be pronounced exactly the same as “alien,” the spelling will likely mean that some people – including school teachers – may pronounce it incorrectly at first.
The woman insisted she begged her brother and his wife to think of a new name, but they don’t see the issue with it. Even the woman’s parents and the little girl’s future grandparents have dismissed her concerns, stating that it’s up to the parents to name their child whatever they want.
She said: “I know this is a tragedy, but my brother and his wife don’t seem to think so. My parents didn’t say anything; they didn’t encourage it but didn’t reject it either; they only said it’s their choice, and if that’s what they want to name her, then that’s it.
“I was the only one freaking out about it and tried to push for them to change it to something else, maybe Aileen or Arianne or whatever other proper name, just not Alienne. Maybe this is not my place, but I don’t want my niece to be bullied because my brother is an idiot.”
Commenters on the post agreed with the woman and urged her to try again to get her brother to reconsider the baby’s name. One person also pointed out that the pronunciation “Ah-Lee-Yen” is very similar to the way the word “alien” is pronounced in French, although it would still be spelt the same way as in English.
Someone else posted: “People will give her alien-themed gifts, they’ll put alien stickers on all her things, and there will be no end to the stupid jokes. She’ll hate the name, she’ll hate everything space themed or sci fi themed. Poor kid.”
Another added: “There is nothing wrong with giving a child a foreign name which is common in another language, but when it sounds like something else in English, then it might be a problem. This kid will never hear her name pronounced correctly ever!”
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