What happens when you let your partner have the ultimate decision.

Who knew so many parents regret what they called their child?

It’s the most important gift you can give your new baby. An identity, a name that will define them throughout their life.

But just because it is so important, it is also incredibly overwhelming.

I am embarrassed to admit that I found my oldest son’s name on a list in a trashy magazine of “hot” names. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it and thus there he was. Jasper.

Our third kinda named herself. Emme was always our choice for a girl so when she came along her name was ready to go. But with my middle child it was my partner’s turn. It was dangerous territory but I trusted him.

After eight months of vetos and cross checks, of rejections and sorta-okay suggestions he had narrowed down the field to three. No Bran, Sandor and Khaleesi in sight.

But the three names weren’t… well, they just weren’t my choice.

Our son was born, a 2.8 kilo mop of thick black hair with a pair of tightly clenched little fists that grabbed my finger, and never let go.

And Odin he was.

It’s hard to admit that his name took me a little while to get used to. In saying that, my first fear is that one day he could be googling 'things my mum wrote about me', come across this and refuse to ever allow me access to his Facebook page again.

But it just seemed like such a big name for such a tiny baby. It seemed fierce and serious. Grown up. I kept telling myself it wasn’t like we had named him Humphrey Egbert The Third. It was a strong name, a sharp, short no-nonsense name.

But it just didn’t seem to mesh with this olive-skinned, navy-eyed bundle. I didn’t share my fears with anyone at the time. I proudly told our family and friends his name, I explained time and time again its origins, and to be honest he just became my beloved baby boy.

I guess what changed the most was the fact that his name morphed while he was a baby, I think it was his brother, 20-months older, who started it but over time it changed and softened, family and friends alike began to call him Odie.

And now five years later Odie he is. (Unless of course he has taken his sister’s toys or pushed his brother over. "Odin. Come here NOW.")

It seems I am one of the lucky ones. A recent study has shown that one in eight parents regret the name they give their baby, so much so that many actually go back to the drawing board and change their baby’s name well into their first year.

Amy Sinclair Editor of New Weekly magazine is one of the ones who simply just decided to change her daughter’s name. Scarlet was one-year-old when she instead became Queenie.

"We always loved the name Queenie and regretted not doing it," she said at the time.

For many parents it’s just as easy to instead use their middle name, or as in my case, a shortened version of their baby’s name until they grow into it.

Benjamins become Ben, Madelines become Maddy, Khaleesis become Kal, and being Australian we have a tendency to use nicknames anyway don’t we?

Will and Issy, Jen and Fergo would be shocked if anyone actually called the family William, Isabelle, Jennifer or Andrew Ferguson.

There are Blueys and Jonos, Davos and Savos.

So for the moment, while my messy-haired five-year-old still climbs into my bed in the dark hours of night smelling that little-boy mix of sleepy sweetness he will be Odie.

Odin can come later.

Have you ever come across a name you think the parent's might regret?

CLICK THROUGH the gallery to see the top 5 boy and girl's names in South Australia.

Want more? Try these:

Most popular baby names of 2014.

46 Perfect names for a Summer baby.

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