Celebrities and influencers have popularized unconventional names, from Gwyneth Paltrow naming her daughter Apple in 2004 to Francesca Farago naming her twins Poetry and Locket just last week.
However, people online urge non-celebrity parents-to-be to utilize the “porch rule” to spare their kids the undue taunting and humiliation that comes with an overly unique name. After all, what you name your child will affect them throughout their entire life.
The baby-naming ‘porch rule’ can save parents a lifetime of name regret.
Quora users brought the porch rule to the attention of a mother who was considering naming her unborn daughter “Cutie.” While many people were horrified and warned the mom-to-be against the name, one person urged her to employ the porch rule.
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“Go to your front door and open it. Pretend your daughter is playing outside but you can’t see her from where you stand. Yell her name as loudly as you can,” the user advised.
“Shout, ‘Cutie, time to come home’, or ‘Cutie, dinner’s ready,'” they continued. “Now the whole full entire name including your surname. ‘Cutie Smith get in here right now.’ Does it sound like you want to name your daughter Cutie?”
If you cringe saying the potential name out loud, then it’s probably not a good fit for a real-life human being. The same goes if it sounds like you’re summoning a pet or if you are embarrassed to even shout it at all.
According to a recent BabyCenter Survey, one in 10 moms admit to having baby name regret, so adhering to the porch rule might be a really good idea, especially if you are already having doubts about the name and turning to the internet for advice.
People online shared other iterations of the porch rule.
While the porch rule is useful when it comes to naming your baby, there are other real-life scenarios in which you can envision how their names might affect them.
Imagine how it would look to a teacher calling attendance or a job recruiter reading their resume. Will they do a double-take and wonder what in the world their parents were thinking when naming them? If so, you may want to consider choosing a different name.
“If someone named Cutie was your lawyer, would you trust her?” one Quora user asked. “Imagine an inauguration ceremony celebrating President Cutie,” another wrote.
Others suggested thinking about events like graduations at which the name will be announced for all to hear.
Another tactic that has been discussed on social media is giving your potential baby name to the barista as your own. Not only will you see how it feels telling a stranger the name, but you will hear it called back to you when the drink is ready.
When you are naming a baby, you are also naming a child, a teenager, and an adult.
It’s important to remember that when you are naming a newborn, you are naming a human who will grow up and live life with that name.
A name that suits a cherubic infant may not suit a grown man looking to land a job in the finance industry.
One of the most important jobs of a parent is to protect their children and ensure their well-being — this starts before they are even born. Giving them a name that allows them to be taken seriously as an adult is one way to do so.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
