When picking a baby name, so much goes into consideration that you may not realize. Does it flow with your last name? Do you know anyone you like or dislike with that name? You get the idea, you ask yourself a lot of questions about it, and it can get complicated fast. But one question so many parents have is this: can my child be made fun of for their name?
It’s a fair question, and a normal gag in shows like The Simpsons, Frasier, and more. Heck, even comedian Amy Schumer changed her kid’s name to avoid teasing, but this Reddit post has blown up in the Name Nerds community, sparking a debate on whether people are just overthinking this. What do you think?
The Thread That Started the Debate
A user by the name of Abefroman440 shared a post to the Reddit thread with the attention-grabbing question: “Molest Me?’ Should I change my child’s middle name to avoid teasing?”
It’s about a Reddit user who has a daughter named Celeste Mei, and after a few months, they’re now worried their daughter’s name could be spun into a taunt that could sound similar: “Molest Me.”
They “came across a few posts saying that Celeste made them think of the word molest. I had never thought of this before … one specific comment even said that the worst middle name you could choose would be Mae, as it would read like Molest Me. This made me nervous, and impulsively, I registered her as Celeste May.”
“In recent months, I’ve felt regret about that spelling. Doing the Chinese spelling of Mei, or even Mae, which was my grandmother’s name, feel more authentic, but I was nervous that the ‘E’ could read more as ‘Me,’ and sound like the potential teasable name or taunt that an internet stranger had pointed out,” they added. “Is Celeste Mei an awful name combo? I am debating changing it …”
What Reddit Users Are Saying
Now, what do Reddit users think about all of this? They totally think this user is totally overthinking it. Many gave blunt replies to the conundrum, saying things like “You’re overthinking” and “Yea, I agree it’s kinda weird …” in response.
Along with that, many users pointed out that the name “Celeste” is beautiful. One user even added, “I’ve never thought of Celeste being like molest. I always think of stars, celestial. People saying that kids would give her the nn (nickname) Molest etc are crazy in my opinion. As a kid, I don’t think I even knew what molest meant or that it is a word.”
But then, another user called out a phase of theirs that may have contributed to this overthinking.
The Namenerds Phase That Started This
Okay, so one user remarked, saying, “r/namenerds had a phase where they were all about acting like a 4-year-old and figuring out a way to make normal names sound horrible. Violet sounds like violence, Margot sounds like maggot, Celeste sounds like molest … Don’t take them too seriously, they are just reaching.”
The Verdict
Celeste is a beautiful name. Not only is it Latin for “heavenly,” but there are some unique spins you can put on it like Celestine, Celestia, or Celestial. The sad truth is that some kids will make fun of other kids, no matter what their name is. You just have to pick a name you and your partner will love, and one you’re sure your kid will love.
From Calum to Bodhi, here’s a list of positive and uplifting baby names for your little one.
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