Mom admits daughter’s name is ‘controversial’ but won’t change it – despite setting her up for a lifetime of misery
WHEN an expecting mom posted about her baby daughter’s name, she was met with criticism and judgment for the bizarre choice.
Still, she stuck with the controversial choice, and hoped to give the word a “new meaning.”
A screenshot of the mom’s post in a private name forum was posted to NameNerdCircleJerk, a Reddit board dedicated to unique and bizarre baby names.
In the original post, the mom shares a truly one-of-a-kind name that could easily be mistaken for a more common moniker at first.
The name in question is Harlotte – only one letter off from “Charlotte,” but distinctly different.
The name is also very close to “harlot,” an archaic term for a prostitute, and the source of the controversy.
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“I have wanted to name my daughter Harlotte for so long,” the mom admitted. “Ever since I first heard the word harlot, I’ve loved it.”
She wasn’t concerned about what the word “harlot” typically means. “I am able to remove the meaning of words and just hear the melody of them,” she said.
The mom also explained that she wanted to redefine the word, in some sense. “I also like the idea of taking charge of things and giving them new meanings.”
But the mom wasn’t certain about what her daughter would think when she got older: she wrote, “I just don’t know how she would feel with that name.”
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Commenters on Reddit dogpiled on the mom, jokingly suggesting she give all her future daughters misogynistic names like “Slutte, Trolloppe, and Husseigh.”
“Ever since I saw the word Diarrhea, it just sounded so beautiful! I’ve wanted to name my child Dyareigha ever since,” another person mocked.
Quoting the mom, they added, “I’m just taking charge of the word and giving it a new meaning!”
“If it didn’t mean what it did, it sounds kinda nice,” a Reddit user agreed. “I have the same feelings towards Malaria.”
“I’m of the opinion if you have to ask people about a name that’s controversial then it probably best to not use it at all,” a reasonable commenter said.
“Have we considered… Charlotte?” another person asked. A few fellow commenters suggested using “Harlotte” as a nickname, but not a legal name.
But a nickname is out of the question, the mom made clear in her original post. “I don’t like anything similar like Harley,” she added.
And one commenter found a perfect solution that would allow the mom to use the name without saddling her daughter with its meaning.
“How about change your own name to Harlotte if you’re so obsessed with it,” they suggested.