The shocking number of parents regretting their baby’s name

It’s a… error!

A new survey conducted by BabyCenter found that nearly one in 10 parents say they wish they had chosen a different name for their child.

Of the 450 respondents, one mother revealed on the parenting site that she “hugely regrets” naming her daughter Cleo.

“Every time someone calls her by her name, I can’t help but cringe. I just want to cry because I don’t know what to do,” she confessed online.

The new mom isn’t the only one who resonates with that sentiment, according to BabyCenter’s poll.

Most mothers have second thoughts about the nickname because they felt that a short nickname has a stronger presence, with 20% preferring their child’s nickname to the legal nickname.

Another reason they are considering a name change is because of the criticism people give them. The report says that 15% of respondents claim that people have teased their child’s name.

Although middle names are often not shared between people, about 15% of parents prefer their child’s middle name to their first name.

Respondents also shared that 11% use English nicknames for their child’s culturally specific legal name.

“My husband and I have seven children, [and] four of them have names that are more clearly Hispanic than the other three,” admitted one BabyCenter user. “I don’t regret their names, but I wish they were a little more well-known.”

Some parents prefer to wait to name their baby until they close their eyes to make sure the nickname matches the baby’s personality. But for those who don’t, 10% say the name just doesn’t fit their child’s real-life attitude and behaviors.

“I tried calling him MJ for a few months after he was born. It just doesn’t fit him,” wrote another mom, who goes by @PickleP23, on BabyCenter. “I finally started calling him Maverick Dean (Dean is his father’s middle name) and us, it suits him better.”

Although many parents choose their child’s name months before arrival, many have said they aren’t 100% sold on the name until the child’s first birthday.

Within the first year, 21% of mothers regret their baby’s name; meanwhile, 15% experience a dislike of the name within the first month.

However, only 6% claim to have doubts about the name after a year.

Reluctant mothers can be so repulsed by their child’s original name that 6% legally change their name after birth.

Experts suggest that parents who plan to change their name should do so before the baby can recognize their name, which is usually between 6 and 7 months, according to BabyCenter.