Mum sparks debate as she says babies should have 'grown-up names'

Deciding what to name your child can often be a touchy subject, with some names sounding a little odd when referring to a baby.

Now, a mum-of-two from Colorado has weighed in on the topic TikTok, sparking debate after claiming that babies should be given 'adult names'.

Ruby Villarreal, 28, went viral with a video where she said that she didn't want her children to outgrow their names as they got older.

TikTok / @rubyyvillarreal

Ruby explained that she chose the names for two children, Karla, five, and Deluca, three, thinking about how they might feel about the names as they grow up.

Responding to a video called 'I named adults, not babies', she said: "The whole concept when I was trying to look for a name and choose a name for her was I did not want her to outgrow her name. I wanted the name to fit her as a baby, as a toddler, as a child and into adulthood.”

In the caption for the video, she added: "She won't get bullied for having the name Karla. And it also sounds professional."

Choosing a baby's name can be a minefield, and the decision to think of the child as an adult might help some prospective parents when picking out a name.

Unusual names can be very distinctive, but also risk a child being bullied or singled out at school. One good test could be to imagine yourself shouting the name at the school gate.

Pixabay

Users had a lot of thoughts. Some were unsure as more unusual names are becoming increasingly popular.

One TikTok user wrote: "The world is changing so much. By the time our babies are adults all names are going to be so unique and different it doesn't matter."

Another agreed: "I used to think this but when the babies in this generation are all adults the names will be normal."

However, others agreed with the sentiment that some names can sound odd when referring to a small child.

One said: "My parents named me Barbara, and since no-one wanted to call a baby/toddler an old lady name everyone called me Barbie instead."

Basing a child's name on a fictional character can be a particularly risky choice, especially if the character's story is not finished yet.

Just ask the parents of the 560 children who, according to the United States’ Social Security Administration, were named Khaleesi, only for their namesake's storyline to take a turn for the worse in the finale of Game of Thrones (spoiler alert I suppose?).

But despite growing number of parents opting for unusual names, it seems that sensible choices are still winning out when it comes to picking a name.

Traditional names still top the rankings in the UK, with the top five in 2021 being Noah, Oliver, George, Arthur and Muhammad for boys, and Olivia, Amelia, Isla, Ava and Ivy for girls.

Topics: Parenting, TikTok, Life

Kit Roberts

Kit joined Tyla as a community journalist in 2023. They previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, The Mirror, and the Daily Star.