A woman has said she’s desperately trying to get her brother to rethink the name of his son, as he came up with the unusual moniker while ‘smoking meat in his garden’
We all have our own tastes when it comes to baby names, and while we might not agree with the moniker someone has used for their little one, most of us know that we shouldn’t judge the parents or make them feel like they made a mistake. But sometimes, parents cross the line from coming up with a unique name to giving their child a moniker that could actually make their lives more difficult as they get older.
One woman is facing this exact dilemma after hearing the name her brother wants to give his son. The woman said her 29-year-old brother and his 27-year-old wife are expecting their first child together, and have been trying to come up with a name for some time.
Inspiration struck the dad-to-be when he was “smoking meat in his backyard”, and he’s now stuck on naming his child after a cut of meat – leaving the rest of his family very confused.
The woman, from the US, shared in a post on Reddit that her brother is dead-set on naming his child “Brisket”, and has argued against any criticisms his family had about the highly unusual moniker.
She wrote: “He told everyone at Sunday dinner that if it’s a boy, they want to name him Brisket. Yes, like the BBQ dish.
“At first, we all thought he was joking. But nope. He doubled down. Said it’s ‘strong, masculine, and unforgettable’. My sister-in-law looked kind of uncomfortable but didn’t say much. My mum nearly choked on her iced tea.”
The woman tried to tell her brother that Brisket could be a cute nickname but wouldn’t work as a real name, but he got “defensive” and accused her of trying to “crush his creativity”.
She added: “I tried to gently suggest maybe ‘Brisket’ could be a cute nickname or at least a middle name, but he got defensive. He went on this rant about ‘society’s obsession with boring names’ and how he wants his son to ‘stand out’.
“I finally said, ‘Listen, you’re setting your kid up for a lifetime of bullying. No teacher is going to call attendance with a straight face when they get to Brisket’. He blew up at me, said I was being negative and trying to ‘crush his creativity’.
“Now my brother isn’t talking to me. My mum says I should’ve just smiled and let it go since it’s not my baby. My dad, on the other hand, muttered something about ‘poor little Brisket’ and hasn’t stopped shaking his head.”
Commenters on the woman’s post were equally baffled by the unusual name. Many said the child would likely change his name when he got older, assuming his mum didn’t step up and veto the name before it made it onto the birth certificate.
One person said: “It’s not your kid, but it is your nephew, and you are 100% right! That poor kid is in for a rough life. Ask [your brother] if a lifetime of bullying is worth it just so he can be creative.”
Another added: “His kid is going to change his name the minute he reaches the age to do it, and he’ll hate his dad for being responsible for a lifetime of ridicule. Or the kid’s mother will change it when she leaves his father’s stupid a**.”
What are the laws on baby names in the UK?
If you’re planning on giving your child a unique name, you should make sure it complies with the UK law around names. The UK has no comprehensive list of banned names, but there are some restrictions you should bear in mind.
You cannot give your child:
- Offensive or obscene names
- Names with numbers of symbols, such as James2 or @Victoria
- Names that are misleading, such as title-based names like Queen or Lord
- Names that are impossible to pronounce
According to the UK Deed Poll Office, names that are racist or considered to be harmful to the child could be illegal and banned in some parts of the UK.
