Hunter and Aurora – two beautiful names.
Both are rising up the charts for popular Australian baby names. 420 parents named their daughters Aurora last year in Australia. 927 parents opted for Hunter. However, both names also topped the charts for the most regretted baby names.
According to a UK survey of close to 6,000 parents, 73% have slight baby name regret. Not something any expecting parent wants to hear, especially one who is having a hard time picking the right name!
Why the baby name regret?
The reason parents are having baby name regret?
Mostly, it’s due to the fact that they have found better names since naming their children. After all, cute baby names are cropping up every day and may not have been used or heard much when they were pregnant.
Other reasons include:
- The name does not ‘suit’ their child as they got older
- They didn’t give the name enough thought
- A friend chose the same name for their child
- A celebrity named their baby the same thing after them
- The child is teased for it at school
- It was a name their partner liked and they went along with it
Most regretted boys’ names
We were completely shocked at what names parents regret the most, simply because they are all pretty normal and nice names. I mean, we’d understand the regret of naming your kid Lucifer or Covyd.
But Hunter? Oliver? Carter? Sonny, even? These names are almost all on the top 100. Below is the top 10 most regretted baby names for boys:
- Hunter: 32%
- Jaxon: 29%
- Carter: 28%
- Tobias: 25%
- Oliver: 24%
- Grayson: 22%
- Felix: 21%
- Jasper: 20%
- Sonny: 17%
- Dexter: 12%
Most regretted girls’ names
What about the girls? While the most regretted baby girl names aren’t as high on the popularity charts as the boys, they are still sweet names that stick to the baby naming trends of today (such as Disney-themed names – Aurora, vintage names – Edith and Harriet and nature names – Summer).
- Aurora: 35%
- Arabella: 32%
- Lyla: 28%
- Amber: 27%
- Edith: 24%
- Maryam: 21%
- Harriet: 19%
- Summer: 15%
- Delilah: 13%
- Gracie: 12%
What about the names parents would NEVER use?
The survey also asked this. For boys, the top answers were Boris and Donald, ironically the names of two world leaders. For girls, it was Karen (LOL!), Isis and Meghan.
We would love to know your thoughts on this, especially if you have chosen one of these names. Do you regret your choice?
What to read next
If you’re on the hunt for more baby name ideas, we have an entire section dedicated to it, including the names grandparents hate the most. Be sure to also check out:
