A mum who wanted to give her unborn child a non-traditional name has faced the fury of a UK parenting forum, as well as some upset family members.
“No, you’re not unreasonable… just ridiculous and stupid,” one commenter wrote in a response to the mum’s post asking for feedback on Mumsnet.
“It’s not you who has to live with that name but your potential daughter,” wrote another.
So what baby name has sparked such outrage?
The mum, who used the screen name AyGirl wanted to call her child, if she was a girl, Iris James.
Iris is, of course, the name of a flower (and also part of your eye) and while it hasn’t been the most common in this millennium, it is a traditional girl’s name.
What some commenters really seemed to struggle with was the use of a traditional boy's moniker, James, as her daughter's second name... Right-o.
"Sorry but James is either a boys or surname," one user wrote.
"Why lumber your daughter with a boys name? Pretty ill thought out," agreed another.
A commenter pointed out the possible confusion with the name: "For the rest of her life, ever, she will be Iris Jane anyway because anytime she gives her name to someone, that's what it's going to come back as."
Another user put it like this: "The purpose of middle names is to embarrass the child later in life, so James will be fine."
Other Mumsnet users were more supportive.
"James is a boy's name, but it's also a surname, so I don't think it's completely absurd to use it as a middle name on a girl," one user said.
"I think Iris James is a lovely name," another wrote.
Names like James may be rising in popularity, but these baby names are just about extinct. (Post continues after video.)
The mum-to-be's brother was not happy about the name though, which was the user's original reason for posting on Mumsnet.
“Mother has rang me this morning and said he (my brother) was so upset because he wants to name a son of his James. Keep in mind he is not married or having a child," AyGirl wrote.
"She said that I shouldn't and should save it for him because it will be his first child and a son."
As for those users criticising the mum-to-be... If James as a girl's name is good enough for golden couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, it is good enough for anyone
"If a celeb has done it surely it is a green light for us mere mortals to do so also without criticism," wrote one commenter.
'Nuff said.
Top Comments
It isn't uncommon in Scotland to have the mother's maiden name as a middle name. I did this for both my sons, and their middle name is actually widely accepted as a girl's name these days. However I have 2 female friends, one with a middle name of James, the other with Russell, both of them having been named after their mother's surname.
I love that! If my surname wasn't so awful that is what i would have done. I do get sentimental with middle names and love them being named after someone. My kid was given my dad and brothers middle name and i love it, and so does my son.
Oh FFS! While this wouldn't be my first choice of name, there is nothing wrong with it. And let's be honest, how often is little Iris going to go by her full name anyway? More often than not it'll be Iris "Smith" or just plain Iris. Meanwhile, how does this affect the daily life of the people posting about some random person naming her child this?