Mums reveal the reasons why they regret the names they picked for their children

Settling on a name for your little one can be tough.

After all, there is so much to take into consideration. You want that perfect, one-of-a-kind, absolutely and unequivocally special name - while still making sure it's not too out there. But you also want it to be trendy and in fashion, while not so popular that they will eventually be sharing the name with half of their future class. In the search for that magical moniker, some parents get creative with spelling, while others change up the pronunciation - all in an effort to make sure their little one is different. Despite it all, it is a lovely and unforgettable moment when you finally decide on a name. However, months - or even years - later, some parents end up finding themselves in the regrettable position of no longer being fond of the name they had been debating for so long. Some mums who reckon they made a mistake with the names that they gave their children have now revealed why they wish they had picked something else. Speaking to BabyCentre, many admitted it was down to things like nicknames, mispronunciations and a few new (and accidental) namesakes. One mum said:

"We called our baby Amara, which means 'blessing', but I never liked the name. "Her dad picked it because he loved it. I wish we'd called her Amelia because I'm more of a traditional person. "I prefer nice, 'solid' names, where there's no room for mispronunciation or teasing."

Another explained:

"I have to repeat myself about five times when people ask what my son's name is. "They think I've said Paul or Joel, but never his real name, Cole! "But once they get it right I get nice comments, because it's unusual."

Someone else wrote:

"We called our baby Emilia, but it was really my husband's choice as I'd chosen our son's name. "I don't love it because there are so many Emilias, Emilys, Amelias and Amelies, and they all get confused!"

A concerned mum told the publication:

"I went with my husband's choice. Following his family's tradition, he named our first son after his dad, Kamal. "I never liked it as I'm worried children will call my son camel in school."

A different mum explained:

"We had such a stress finding a name. In the end we went with Serafina, and chose to call her Effie for short. "That was fine, until a month later we realised that the reason Effie sounded so right is our eldest is called Rafi for short! "So we have Effie and Rafi. Both lovely names, but it genuinely took us that long to realise how similar they sound. Talk about baby brain!"

An unhappy mum added:

"I hate my baby's name, and I regret choosing it every day. I wish I'd called him Arthur or Isaac. "Actually, I wish I'd called him anything other than Lewis. "I hate names that can be shortened, and Lewis's name gets shortened to Loo, which is just awful. "He was named in a hurry, at just three days old, because of family pressure."