There's a lot to take into consideration when it comes to choosing a baby name. From how it works with the surname, to whether it will suit them, and even how it could impact them growing up.
The opinions of our nearest and dearest can be important when it comes to finally settling on a name, but sometimes not everyone will agree with what you choose. And, while the decision is ultimately yours, it can be worth keeping an open mind to the advice being offered.
For one Reddit user, they attempted to give their friend some advice on their choice of name for their child, but it fell on deaf ears. The name in question? Hashtag.
Sharing the name choice on Reddit, the user said: "Yes, you read that right, she named her child after a social media symbol."
They went on to explain they thought she was "joking" when they were first told the name, but soon found out "she was dead serious".
"I couldn't believe it," the poster wrote. "I tried to be polite and tell her that it was unique, but she kept insisting that it was a great name and that her child would be one of a kind."
While the name certainly is unique, the friend's refusal to budge on her unconventional name choice irritated the Reddit user. It got to the point where they "just couldn't hold it in any longer."
"I finally told her that the name was ridiculous and her child would likely face a lot of ridicule and bullying in the future," they wrote.
Understandably, this didn't go down too well with the friend who "got upset" and "accused" the poster of "not being supportive of her choices."
Asking the people of Reddit for their opinions, the poster shared their mutual friends are now "split on the issue".
"Some agree with me that the name is absurd, while others think that I was too harsh and should have kept my opinion to myself," they wrote.
Coming to the poster's defence, Reddit users were quick to point out that she'd done the right thing.
"You are prepping them for school," wrote one commenter. "So sorry for that kid. Can't even shorten it to Hash."
Others pointed out that she was a true friend for calling out her friend's choice. "It's a stupid name and she needed at least one person in her life willing to tell her that to her face.
"Sometimes being friends means calling someone out on their nonsense."
Another user shared their experience of being given a name that saw them bullied. "As someone who legally changed their first name because my parents gave me one that kids jumped at the chance to make fun of, you did the kid a service by letting your friend know how awful the name Hashtag is," they wrote.
One user took a firm stance on the issue, saying it was "a form of child abuse."
"She's naming her child so people think she is so clever and ironic," they wrote. "In reality, she is showing everyone that she is shallow and narcissistic. Every single person will immediately classify her as an idiot and an absolutely horrible parent.
"This poor child is in for years of humiliation until he changes his name and flees his horrible mother. Growing up, his social life will be hindered not only by his name but also by the fact that his parents named him that.
"Other parents will hesitate to allow their kids to visit unsupervised because they will not want their kids around an obviously incompetent and immature parent."
