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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Zahna Eklund

Mum has regrets over daughter's unique name as she fears she'll be 'denied jobs'

Unless you already have a solid name picked out before your baby arrives, choosing a moniker that your new arrival will likely have to live with for the rest of their lives is no easy task.

And one mum on Mumsnet has admitted she's beginning to have second thoughts about the name she chose for her daughter, now nine, because she thinks it might "limit her future".

The mum explained that her other children both have "traditional" names that were picked from the bible, and while she wanted to do the same for her daughter, she ended up giving the tot a "tribute" name following the passing of her father around the time she was due to give birth.

She is worried about her daughter's potential job opportunities (stock photo) (E+)

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So, the mum settled on the name Raya for her daughter - but now has a "sense of dread" that the name will cause her youngest child to be "denied job opportunities" in the future.

In her post, she asked: "Have I limited my daughter's future with an unusual name?"

And she then added: "My nine-year-old daughter is called Raya. Her elder brothers both have traditional, biblical names and that was the plan for her, but my dad died just before she was born and she ended up with a 'tribute' name, which I also thought was lovely. Hormones.

"She likes her name and has no issues at school apart from the millions of other names ending with 'aya' and 'iya', but I have had a sense of dread that she'll be denied job opportunities or friendships because she's seen as a 'chav' - or at least someone of a lower class.

"What if everyone hiring is a Millie or a Hugo and they see Raya on her CV?

"Of course, there's not much we can do now apart from steering her to use her traditional middle name."

Despite the mum's uncertainty over the name, commenters on the Mumsnet post were quick to support her by telling her that Raya is a "beautiful" name and shouldn't hold her daughter back at all.

One person said: "I think it’s a genuinely beautiful name."

While another added: "It's a normal enough sounding name, but I also know plenty of successful people with much more unusual names. My optician last week was called Porsche and she seemed to be getting along just fine in life."

And a third wrote: "It's a beautiful name, I don't think she'll have any issues with her future. I also think you're thinking way too much into this. Stop worrying about other people's opinions, they don't matter."

The mum later returned to the post to thank people for their kind comments and said that her own experience with being held back because of her name and background influenced her opinion of her daughter's name.

She said: "Thank you for all the reassurance!

"I've reread my post and it does come across pretty badly and classist. Sorry.

"I'm from a very, very hard up background but went to one of the Oxbridges and met a lot of social barriers there because of my background and then experienced the same in my career.

"I had a few instances at university where I opened my mouth and potential friends physically baulked from my regional accent. So I do have a few hang ups!"

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