19 February 2024 , 12:25
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Teachers have been asked to reveal the children's names that they see as 'red flags' when it comes to behaviour - and the results are in.
British mum of three and baby name expert SJ Strum, who regularly blogs about her life as a parent, decided to conduct a survey with staff members to see if they judge kids based on their monikers. And she discovered that some names in particular are associated with the pupil being 'naughty' or 'high maintenance'. One of the biggest issues teachers have is names with unusual spellings.
In a short clip shared with her followers, SJ reported back that the 'biggest pet peeve' that teachers have when it comes to kids in their classroom is common names with unique spellings. "Emma-Leigh as a double barrelled for Emily really was a tough one and Jaxsyn spelt like this," the expert said in her YouTube video. "And there was even a Fee-Bee."
SJ, who has appeared on This Morning to share her expertise, further confirmed that some teachers have preconceptions on whether a kid is naughty, just by looking at their name. "A lot of teachers were like, 'Yep, there are names that are red-flags'. There were some that stuck out and came up again and again.
"Jake, Max, Jack and the biggest one for boys was anything ending in den - so Hayden, Jayden, apparently always naughty, always disruptive, not listening," she added.
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"When it came to girls it was quite interesting, apparently Islas and Jessicas are really chatty names. Apparently Martha is high-maintenance. Alexandra can be a bit of a bully apparently. So, there are names that people judge. It is very common."
Rounding off her video, SJ said: “The funniest, weirdest names teachers said were twins called Denim and Suede. Matching names like Jason Mason and Stephen Stephens. Chel'C spelt like this, Jack Daniels and DKNY."
Just recently, another baby name consultant shared her top tips when it comes to choosing the perfect moniker for your child.
Kayla Naab told Business Insider that the first thing parents should do is say the name, and write it in context to see how it actually feels to use it - and to imagine their child with it in the future. "Write the full name with your surname, write it in a sentence or a list, and address a message to this name", she suggested.
Kayla also said that it's important that you're prepared to navigate conversations about the name, especially if it's quirkier, and to see whether you'll feel "unbothered" about the things people will say. Will the name age well with them as they grow into a child, a teenager, and an adult? Or is it a name that only sounds adorable when they're a chubby bundle of possibility?
She has also encouraged parents to "consider every context" the name will be used in, and how the name sounds. "I ask: How would this name look on a social profile, a wedding invitation, an announcement for a promotion, or on the banner for a birthday party?" she said.
Finally, Kayla said parents should look at the connotations surrounding the name. When she has clients, she said they: "Look for any unintended references, including what the name might mean in other languages, what known or unknown fictional characters it might remind someone of, other memes or pop culture references the name might conjure, etc."
Also, consider any shortenings of the name, nicknames, or also the 'word' spelt out by their initials - what will it be? Once you've done this, and if it's passed all the tests, then you're well on your way to choosing out the perfect unique moniker for your baby - and hopefully they'll love it in the future too!
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