A new mum was forced to defend her baby's name after her family said they "hated" it because it reminded them of a car manufacturer.
Bella Davis, 18, and boyfriend Reason Robison, 20, named their baby girl Polaris - another name for the North Star. But the pair have been subjected to some unkind comments from both their loved ones and strangers on social media over the unconventional name choice, The Mirror reports.
"When we told our friends and family almost everyone didn't like it," Bella admitted. "A lot of people thought of the car manufacturing company, Polaris Inc, who sell all terrain vehicles."
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"My sister absolutely hated it but once Polaris was born, she's started to like it a bit more," the mum added. "A lot of people have warmed to it since - my mum said she liked it, but I don't know if she was lying to me."
The name has a sweet personal meaning behind it, Bella explained - it was chosen by the couple due to their shared love of astronomy. Bella and Reason bonded over the hobby and would often go stargazing together on dates, with Reason pointing to the North Star just before asking Bella to be his girlfriend.
Bella shared her daughter's name on TikTok, but quickly found herself on the receiving end of a backlash from her followers. Some cruel trolls claimed that the name Polaris "sounds like a disease".
"A lot of the comments are saying she'd be bullied in school for her name and that it's ugly," Bella said. "I've just stopped reading the comments now because they're too hateful - I don't really care but it's also not very nice to hear at the same time."
But despite the negative comments, Bella has urged expectant parents to give their child an unusual name if they wish to. "I'd definitely say to other parents that if you love a name then go for it," she said.
"Your opinion is all that matters and at the end of the day it's your decision. There's no name in the world that everyone's going to like. And to the people who say she'll be bullied - I think kids will be mean either way and if they're mean about her name then they're not very good friends anyway."
The mum added: "I've never once regretted naming her Polaris. To all the people online, I'd say it's not your kid and you shouldn't give your opinion unless it's wanted because the things people say do hurt and it's unnecessary."
What do you think of the name? Let us know in the comments below.
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