'Parents gave me name with unique spelling and it's making me miserable'

A young woman is planning to change her name because her parents opted for a spelling that “doesn’t make sense”. Names are incredibly important and though it shouldn’t be the case, they do often lead to judgement and preconceived notions.

Parents have a tough job on their hands when it comes to deciding on a name for their child - after all, a name has to be just as appropriate for a newborn baby as it is for an adult. Of course, names are subjective and what one person loves, another may hate so choosing something that’ll be adored across the board is no easy feat.

The majority of parents are keen to ensure they’re not burdening their offspring with a name that’s potentially offensive, embarrassing or overly difficult to spell or pronounce.

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Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. For some people, a name’s apparent “uniqueness” is the most important factor.

This can lead to some babies being given nonsensical names that flout the rules of phonics, or traditional names that have been purposefully misspelled in a bid to make them seem more original than they actually are.

On Reddit, many of these names are mocked in the subreddit, Tragedeigh. The word “tragedeigh” is a deliberate, satirical misspelling of the word “tragedy” and is commonly used to describe names that are seen as “tragic” due to their warped spellings or unfortunate meanings.

One Reddit user spotted an unusual approach to the name “Caroline” while browsing social media and snapped a screenshot of the post to share it with the Tragedeigh community.

The post reads: “So my suitemate in my junior year at UMass (University of Massachusetts) was named Xerolyne but it was pronounced ‘Caroline’.

“She hated her parents and told me she wanted to change the spelling as soon as she graduated. Parents, please don’t be like this."

In the comments section, fellow Reddit users were eager to share their thoughts. One person said: “She should have changed it before she graduated so her degree and transcripts don’t have that weird f***ing name on them."

To which, a Reddit user replied: “Most college students don’t have the money, resources, or time to go through the court procedures of changing your name. At least, where I live, it’s quite a difficult process. It could be different in Massachusetts.”

Someone else commented: “Oh wow, that's so, so bad. That poor girl! I’d be getting that changed as soon as I turned 18. It doesn’t even make sense to be ‘Caroline’, either?! I’d read it as ‘Zero-line’ or ‘Zero-Lynn’ at a push, but definitely not Caroline.”

They then added: “I don’t get why parents think changing the spelling of a name all of a sudden makes it more unique?! It still SOUNDS the same, ffs!

“I know we shouldn’t judge but I seriously do judge anyone who forces a stupid spelling on their poor child. I automatically assume they have no creativity yet they’re desperate to be perceived as though they do.”

Another said: “Names spelled like this would be a nightmare for little kids learning their letters - I’m pretty sure at my son’s school they taught the letters by sounding them out. There is no way they would get a c sound out of an x."

And another Reddit user quipped: “Xerolyne looks like something a prescription medication would be named."