'I accidentally named baby after dog food brand and I don't know what to do'
A mum has been left horrified after her sister told her that the baby name she chose sounds very similar to a dog food brand - and now she's struggling to find an alternative
There's a lot that goes into choosing the perfect baby name. You first have to decide whether you want to use something classic or something unique, and then you can start whittling down your choices until you've selected the name you want to give your child. But there are other things to consider, too.
Many parents spend time thinking about whether the name they've chosen can be twisted into unfavourable nicknames or if it makes rude words when paired with their surname. Ultimately, the decision is yours, but it's worth considering these factors if you don't want your child to change their name when they're older.
One mum, however, is facing a dilemma after her sister gave her some bad news about the baby name she wants to use.
She's currently expecting her first child, and while she doesn't know the gender yet, she knows she wants to use Pierina for a girl as it is a "family name" that means a lot to her. But her sister's recent comment has thrown a spanner in the works, as she's now reconsidering everything.
Her sister told her that people are likely to mispronounce Pierina as "Purina" - the same name as a popular dog food brand.
In a post on Reddit, the mum said: "My boyfriend and I are having our one and only child. We don't know the gender and don't want to know until delivery, so we are planning for a boy's and a girl's name. My boyfriend and I both love the girl's name Pierina. It's a family name on my side and means a lot to me.
"My sister, on the other hand, is very against the name and says that everyone will pronounce it Purina like the dog food brand. Obviously, I hate the idea that she is probably right, but the truth is that's not how it's pronounced.
"Despite this being a family name for our family, it is starting to spread around, and other family members are cautioning me against this name. Advice needed, please! Is this name awful?"
Commenters on the post were also quick to tell the mum-to-be that her choice of baby name wasn't ideal. Some told her to use Pierina as a middle name, while others said to use Piera and keep Pierina as a "special nickname".
For relatable parenting tales, tips and offers to help you and your family, sign up for our free Lemon-Aid newsletter here.
One person said: "You can use it as a middle name. Your sister is right."
Another added: "Don't tell anyone the baby's name options until he/she is born. However, since you have now told us, I need to be honest. That's a terrible name."
Someone else suggested: "[I would use] Piera. I suspect that Pierina is a diminutive form of Piera anyway. Then, mum can use Pierina as a special nickname."
The mum did not share where she is from, but according to Nameberry, Piera is a feminine name with Italian origins and is a female form of Piero or Pietro. The name comes from the Greek name Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone", and therefore carries connotations of strength and stability.
Pierina is an alternative form of Piera, and the "-ina" suffix adds a diminutive quality, essentially making the name mean "little Piera". This means it would work as a nickname for a child named Piera.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
16 hours ago
- The Independent
Starving Palestinians fear being shot dead for a bag of lentils as Gaza aid points close
Starving Palestinians fear 'being killed while trying to get a bag of lentils', aid workers warned as the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) closed aid centres for the second time in a week. Aid agencies told The Independent that the GHF is already failing at providing aid to the enclave's starving population. The GHF, run by a private group of US military contractors and endorsed by the Israeli military, announced on Friday that all of its distribution centres in Gaza would close until further notice. The US-backed organisation had already urged Palestinians to stay away from all of its three centres for safety reasons following a series of deadly shootings earlier this week. Dozens of people were shot dead near the GHF's Rafah site over three consecutive days in scenes described as 'appalling' by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The GHF said that a reopening date would be announced later on Friday, with the closures sparking further concern that the organisation is ill-equipped to deal with the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave. The UN has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave ended last month. 'These are not humanitarians, they are people with guns,' said James Elder, a spokesperson for Unicef who arrived in Rafah two days ago. 'Without a doubt, [the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation] is unsustainable because it's politicised and militarised.' Since he arrived in Gaza, he says 'nothing has been open', despite claims by the GHF that they fed an additional 1.4 million meals from two sites in the Tal Sultan and Saudi neighbourhoods in Rafah on Thursday. They say they have distributed more than eight million meals in total. When approached by The Independent over these claims, the GHF said it had delivered almost 8.5 million meals and would 'look at additional improvements' to its aid operation. Salma Altaweel, an aid worker for the Norwegian Refugee Council based in Gaza City in the north, where there are currently no GHF distribution centres, told The Independent she could 'see desperation on people's faces'. 'The food situation has reached a desperate point,' she says. 'The new distribution mechanism has failed to meet people's basic needs. 'People here talk about how they fear getting killed while trying to receive a bag of lentils. Here in the north, I have seen no aid come in, only more people displaced by Israel's repeated relocation orders.' On Thursday, the GHF said it was working on 'operational plans' to open additional distribution sites, including in northern Gaza. Mr Elder said he had spoken to one 23-year-old woman in hospital who had travelled miles to one of the distribution points earlier this week only to be nearly killed as the Israelis opened fire. She was squashed up against the wire fence running up to the aid area, cutting her leg and arm. The woman ended up leaving with no food. Asked if she would go back despite the dangers posed by the trip, Mr Elder said she replied quickly: 'Yes, because I have no food'. He said that with parents being forced to leave their children to go to these distribution centres, or face bringing them on round-trips that can be as long as a marathon and involve moving into combat zones where civilians are being killed, the GHF operations were adding 'another layer of risk'. 'I spoke to dozens of adults who said they would rather risk hunger than have their children die when they're not there,' he said, adding that the bombardment of Israeli missiles is 'as intense as ever'. The GHF had already been accused of lacking neutrality given its backing by the US and Israeli government. Under their plan, Palestinians must travel into militarized zones miles away from their homes to access vital aid. Jake Wood, the former head of the GHF, resigned two weeks ago after admitting the group would not be able to fulfil the principles of 'humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence'. Sara Hashash, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Middle East and North Africa, said the GHF is the 'wrong response' to the chronic food shortages in Gaza. 'Israel's newly established militarised humanitarian aid scheme, run by the GHF is the wrong response to Gaza's manmade humanitarian disaster,' she said. 'The scheme is gravely at odds with humanitarian imperatives and international humanitarian law. It actively puts the lives of Palestinians at risk and woefully fails to provide effective humanitarian relief.'
The Independent
16 hours ago
- The Independent
‘I see desperation': Aid agencies say Israel-backed Gaza delivery group is failing a starving population
The Israeli -supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is already failing at providing aid to the enclave's starving population and creating a fatal 'added layer of risk', aid agencies have told The Independent. The GHF, run by a private group of US military contractors and endorsed by the Israeli military, announced on Friday that all of its distribution centres in Gaza would close until further notice. It is the second time this week that the US-backed organisation has urged Palestinians to stay away from all of its three centres for safety reasons following a series of deadly shootings earlier this week. Dozens of people were shot dead near the GHF's Rafah site over three consecutive days in scenes described as 'appalling' by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The GHF said that a reopening date would be announced later on Friday, with the closures sparking further concern that the organisation is ill-equipped to deal with the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave. The UN has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave ended last month. 'These are not humanitarians, they are people with guns,' said James Elder, a spokesperson for Unicef who arrived in Rafah two days ago. 'Without a doubt, [the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation] is unsustainable because it's politicised and militarised.' Since he arrived in Gaza, he says 'nothing has been open', despite claims by the GHF that they fed an additional 1.4 million meals from two sites in the Tal Sultan and Saudi neighbourhoods in Rafah on Thursday. They say they have distributed more than eight million meals in total. When approached by The Independent over these claims, the GHF said it had delivered almost 8.5 million meals and would 'look at additional improvements' to its aid operation. Salma Altaweel, an aid worker for the Norwegian Refugee Council based in Gaza City in the north, where there are currently no GHF distribution centres, told The Independent she could 'see desperation on people's faces'. 'The food situation has reached a desperate point,' she says. 'The new distribution mechanism has failed to meet people's basic needs. 'People here talk about how they fear getting killed while trying to receive a bag of lentils. Here in the north, I have seen no aid come in, only more people displaced by Israel's repeated relocation orders.' On Thursday, the GHF said it was working on 'operational plans' to open additional distribution sites, including in northern Gaza. Mr Elder said he had spoken to one 23-year-old woman in hospital who had travelled miles to one of the distribution points earlier this week only to be nearly killed as the Israelis opened fire. She was squashed up against the wire fence running up to the aid area, cutting her leg and arm. The woman ended up leaving with no food. Asked if she would go back despite the dangers posed by the trip, Mr Elder said she replied quickly: 'Yes, because I have no food'. He said that with parents being forced to leave their children to go to these distribution centres, or face bringing them on round-trips that can be as long as a marathon and involve moving into combat zones where civilians are being killed, the GHF operations were adding 'another layer of risk'. 'I spoke to dozens of adults who said they would rather risk hunger than have their children die when they're not there,' he said, adding that the bombardment of Israeli missiles is 'as intense as ever'. The GHF had already been accused of lacking neutrality given its backing by the US and Israeli government. Under their plan, Palestinians must travel into militarized zones miles away from their homes to access vital aid. Jake Wood, the former head of the GHF, resigned two weeks ago after admitting the group would not be able to fulfil the principles of 'humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence'. Sara Hashash, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for Middle East and North Africa, said the GHF is the 'wrong response' to the chronic food shortages in Gaza. 'Israel's newly established militarised humanitarian aid scheme, run by the GHF is the wrong response to Gaza's manmade humanitarian disaster,' she said. 'The scheme is gravely at odds with humanitarian imperatives and international humanitarian law. It actively puts the lives of Palestinians at risk and woefully fails to provide effective humanitarian relief.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
'I accidentally named baby after dog food brand and I don't know what to do'
A mum has been left horrified after her sister told her that the baby name she chose sounds very similar to a dog food brand - and now she's struggling to find an alternative There's a lot that goes into choosing the perfect baby name. You first have to decide whether you want to use something classic or something unique, and then you can start whittling down your choices until you've selected the name you want to give your child. But there are other things to consider, too. Many parents spend time thinking about whether the name they've chosen can be twisted into unfavourable nicknames or if it makes rude words when paired with their surname. Ultimately, the decision is yours, but it's worth considering these factors if you don't want your child to change their name when they're older. One mum, however, is facing a dilemma after her sister gave her some bad news about the baby name she wants to use. She's currently expecting her first child, and while she doesn't know the gender yet, she knows she wants to use Pierina for a girl as it is a "family name" that means a lot to her. But her sister's recent comment has thrown a spanner in the works, as she's now reconsidering everything. Her sister told her that people are likely to mispronounce Pierina as "Purina" - the same name as a popular dog food brand. In a post on Reddit, the mum said: "My boyfriend and I are having our one and only child. We don't know the gender and don't want to know until delivery, so we are planning for a boy's and a girl's name. My boyfriend and I both love the girl's name Pierina. It's a family name on my side and means a lot to me. "My sister, on the other hand, is very against the name and says that everyone will pronounce it Purina like the dog food brand. Obviously, I hate the idea that she is probably right, but the truth is that's not how it's pronounced. "Despite this being a family name for our family, it is starting to spread around, and other family members are cautioning me against this name. Advice needed, please! Is this name awful?" Commenters on the post were also quick to tell the mum-to-be that her choice of baby name wasn't ideal. Some told her to use Pierina as a middle name, while others said to use Piera and keep Pierina as a "special nickname". For relatable parenting tales, tips and offers to help you and your family, sign up for our free Lemon-Aid newsletter here. One person said: "You can use it as a middle name. Your sister is right." Another added: "Don't tell anyone the baby's name options until he/she is born. However, since you have now told us, I need to be honest. That's a terrible name." Someone else suggested: "[I would use] Piera. I suspect that Pierina is a diminutive form of Piera anyway. Then, mum can use Pierina as a special nickname." The mum did not share where she is from, but according to Nameberry, Piera is a feminine name with Italian origins and is a female form of Piero or Pietro. The name comes from the Greek name Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone", and therefore carries connotations of strength and stability. Pierina is an alternative form of Piera, and the "-ina" suffix adds a diminutive quality, essentially making the name mean "little Piera". This means it would work as a nickname for a child named Piera.
