If you've got one of those names that has to be spelt out letter-by-letter over the phone to the bank or were one of twelve kids with the same nickname in your school year group, don't worry – your Mum might regret choosing your name anyway.

A new survey has found that 18 per cent of mothers feel 'namer's remorse' and would choose another name for their child, if given the chance again.

'Wow. Cheers Mum, it's not like I have to live with this name forever or anything.'

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According to Mumsnet, who carried out the survey, out of the 245 mothers who hated their kids' names:

  • 12% knew it was the wrong name before giving birth (awkward)
  • 3% knew from the moment they had their child
  • 8% realised a few days after giving birth
  • 32% cottoned on in the first six weeks
  • 23% regretted their choice of name the second their kid started school

Reasons cited ranged from names being 'taken by a terrorist group', almost every child under the age of five being called Elsa post-Frozen popularity, children not suiting their names to dislike for name's shortened versions, some parents seem to have a lot of remorse over baby names.

Er, is this the real reason parents have more than one child? 'If at first you don't succeed....'

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Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet explains 'namer's remorse':  'Choosing your baby's name is one of the first things new parents do, so in some ways baby name regret is great practice for parenting: you do a lot of hard work and research, try to please several people at once, and end up getting it wrong.'

'The consolation is that most children grow into their names – and those who don't can always fall back on middle names, nicknames or (in extremis) deed polls,' she added. 

Besides, if you really hate your name you can always get inventive à la Phoebe Buffay:

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.