Woman urged not to use 'powerful' baby name as it will be an 'uphill struggle'

27 February 2024 , 14:06

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The mum has picked a name for her daughter, but others think she should reconsider (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)

It's ultimately up to you what you want to call your baby, but some think one name in particular would be setting your child up for an 'uphill struggle'.

Parents take inspiration from all sorts of places when deciding on a name for their little one. From picking monikers from traditional baby name lists, to following the latest trends or naming them after relatives, there are endless directions to go in.

One woman has decided to take inspiration from a historic word when it comes to naming her daughter, but while she feels like it's a "powerful", yet "uncommon" name, others think she's setting her up for an "uphill struggle".

The name she is thinking of is Empress, which she says is "very different from the usual and common girls names" but she wants her baby to "have high self esteem and feel like she's in power always by having a name that symbolises power and sets her apart from everyone else".

Sharing her thoughts on Reddit, the mum-to-be asked: "What do you think about it? I've seen people name their kids Princess, King, so why not Empress? It's very different and sounds beautiful to me".

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The mum received plenty of comments from fellow parents and others who were happy to share advice - and many urged her not to use the name. One person wrote: "Please don't. You're more likely to make your daughter feel self-conscious and weird by forcing people to address her like royalty any time they talk to her. That's assuming she doesn't just go by Em or her middle name while resenting her awkward first name."

Another concerned commenter wrote: "If you do this, you are setting her up for an uphill struggle to have self esteem. Because it's quite a f*****g thing to have every person you meet have some kind of weird reaction to your name before even getting to know you as a person. And kids are the worst when it comes to this, so imagine all that unnecessary stress and self doubt she would have to deal with during her formative years. Really think about it."

However, another shared: "I actually have a friend called Empress! She suits it very well. Title names are common in lots of parts of the world, but I don't think you'll get a good response about them here, [the Reddit group] namenerds really dislike title names."

Someone else added: "I understand why it sounds beautiful and appealing to someone who loves her, but in today's day and age, that would very much be setting her up to be made fun of instead of empowered."

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.

Ariane Sohrabi-Shiraz