Parents Pressure 16-Year-Old Son to Change His Name After Admitting They Regret Their Choice, Son Stands His Ground

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Oct 3, 2024 6:00 AM EDT

For most of us, our name is a core part of who we are. But for one 16-year-old kid, his parents decided they no longer liked the name they gave him, and they've been pushing for a change since he was 10. Despite their constant suggestions (they even trying to limit his options to three new names), this teen wasn't having it. He loves his name and refuses to let his parents dictate something so personal.

His parents have even tried to convince him that it's normal to change your name before high school graduation in hopes that he'd cave in. Feeling unsure, he took to the internet to ask if he might be making the wrong choice, wondering if he'd regret not listening to them. Instead, he found support from Redditors who assured him that his name was his choice, not his parents. Because at the end of the day, your name is your identity, and no one should feel pressured into changing it just to please others. Even if it is your own parents.

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  • 01
    r/AmltheAsshole • 1 day Fast-Emphasis-145 AITA for telling my parents I'm not changing my name because of their name regret?
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 02
    I'm (16m) my parents youngest kid and the only kid the name based on what they liked vs what the family wanted them to name us. My siblings were all named after family members like both my dad's and mom's families prefer. By the time they got around to having me
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 03
    they were live this I and told their family they were choosing a name based on what they liked and not based on family. So they named me Sunny. Yeah, the "girl version" of Sonny. I don't care. I don't think Sunny is girly because it has a u vs an o. But anyway.
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 04
    My parents started to regret my name when I was maybe 10? I don't remember exactly when but I can remember being about 10 and my parents started sometimes calling me by my middle name and only stopping when I told them it was weird and I liked my first
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 05
    name. When I was 13 they asked me if I ever went by a nickname and I said no. Last year they said some kids change their names before graduating high school because they want something more grown up and they want to save the
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 06
    added expense of changing the name on their degree. I was like oh, I guess if people want that it makes sense. Then I said it must to hate your name. Six months ago my parents said I look like a James nicknamed Jamie.
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 07
    I asked them why they thought that and they said I just had that look. They asked what I thought of the name and I said I like Jamie but prefer Sunny. Then they asked if I liked the name Luke and I said no.
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 08
    In June they asked me if I would consider letting them change my name to something different. They said they feel like they named me as a big you to their families but felt bad that I had such an unserious name for a man. I told
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 09
    them I didn't want to change my name and I always loved the way they talked about finding my name. They said their feelings had changed and they felt like the name being cute and light and full of hope wasn't great for going into my adult years. They said they
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 10
    deeply regretted it. I told them I was glad they made the choice they did and they shouldn't stress it. But last week they got the paperwork for a legal name change and presented me with like three name choices and asked me to pick. They said they really didn't
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 11
    want to live with the guilt. I told them I'm not changing my name because of their name regret. I told them how I feel about my name is more important now. They told me I should at least think of their feelings and that I should consider the future and whether I'll be taken seriously. AITA?
    via u/Fast-Emphasis-145
  • 12
    naisfurious • 1d ago • Colo-rectal Surgeon [38] What the NTA. Six months ago my parents said I look like a James nicknamed Jamie. So, are they planning to push you to change your name everytime you change your hair style or wardrobe?
    via u/naisfurious
  • 13
    Sonny or Sunny, regardless how you spell it is a perfectly normal name for a male. An identity is intertwined with a name and it's hard to separate the two. You, and you alone, are the person that should decide if you want to change your name. 19K Reply
    via u/naisfurious
  • 14
    • 1d ago • MissionHoneydew2209 Aficionado [15] NTA your parents sound - EXHAUSTING. ✩ 5.4K Reply
    via u/MissionHoneydew2209
  • 15
    paintedkayak • 1d ago • I mean, this is just sad: "being cute and light and full of hope wasn't great for going into my adult years." OP, please go forth into your adult years being cute and light and full of hope. 4.9K Reply
    via u/paintedkayak
  • 16
    celticmusebooks •1d ago. Partassipant [1] Last year they said some kids change their names before graduating high school because they want something more grown up and they want to save the added expense of changing the name on their degree. LOL this is 100% not a "thing".
    via u/celticmusebooks
  • 17
    Honestly your parents sound a bit unhinged. Sadly at 16 they can legally change your name. without consent in the US (at least in the majority of states). The upside is that you will be able to legally change it back when you turn 18. Make it clear to your parents that if they were to do that there would be serious long term consequences for your
    via u/celticmusebooks
  • 18
    relationship and that you will NEVER answer to or acknowledge that name under any circumstances and will have your name changed back the day you turn 18. NTA but your parents appear to be struggling with some major mental health issues. Maybe talk to one of the counsellors at your school about what's going on at home. 1.6K Reply
    via u/celticmusebooks
  • 19
    Anxious-Nobody-4966 • 1d ago • NTA. it sounds like your parents are more concerned about their feelings regarding your name than your feelings. that name is yours, you're your own person, and if you don't want to change your name because you like it, then don't. those are their feelings to live with, and putting them on you as a child is unfair and weird. i also have a weather
    via u/Anxious-Nobody-4966
  • 20
    name and i still love it, and i'm almost thirty. more power to you! ↑ 676 676 Reply
    via u/Anxious-Nobody-4966
  • 21
    my name is Hello 41TM www Sharple. SUPER PERMANENT INK
    via Unsplash (Getty Images)

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tragedy kids names legal name kids childhood bad parenting parenting dad entitled mom birth name son parents children entitled people
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