‘My friend wants to give her son an awful name – it sounds spooky and evil’

A woman has been left baffled by the baby name her friend has picked out for her son, as she thinks the moniker is ‘spooky’ – and people online don’t like it either

Everyone has their own opinion when it comes to what makes a good name for a baby, but it’s the parents that get the final say in what their little one is called, regardless of what those around them think.

One woman, however, is hoping she’ll be able to change her friend’s mind about the baby name she’s been considering for her impending arrival, as she’s insisted she really isn’t a fan of the suggestion.

The woman said her friend is expecting a baby boy and wants to name him Mortimer – but the woman thinks the moniker is “spooky” and “so old”, so wants to convince her it’s a bad idea.

In a post on Reddit, the woman added the mum-to-be has also been considering Neville as an alternative name, although she’s not keen on that choice either.

She wrote: “A friend is thinking of naming her baby boy Mortimer. It is not a family name. I really don’t like it, it sounds spooky and so old. She’s also considering Neville.”

The woman has the backing of people online too, as commenters agreed that Mortimer conjured up imagery of “evil counts” and “haunted attics”, while they also said Neville just reminded of them of the character from the Harry Potter franchise.

One person said: “It conjures images of old men, Scrooge, evil counts. Neville screams Harry Potter. To be honest, I think both of these names are so … frumpy and grumpy and kinda [sic] ugly.”

While another added: “Mortimer, I picture a decrepit old man in a vintage suit and top hat covered in cobwebs. His body creaks like a haunted attic when he moves. He has a pet raven and only speaks to the dead.

“Neville will always be Harry Potter but is better than Mortimer for sure.”

And a third wrote: “I don’t like either of them in my opinion.”

Not everyone was against the names though, as some said they liked the idea of Mortimer as a name, and there was even discussion around the nickname ‘Morty’ and whether or not it was “cute”.

Others thought Neville was a great choice, while one mum-to-be was left “furious” at the poster for publicly shaming their friend’s name choices and getting strangers to comment negatively.

She fumed: “As a pregnant lady, this post would make me furious. Let’s hope she doesn’t find it.”

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