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On Reddit, a desperate Gen Z user lets off steam. She feels ashamed and accuses her parents of giving her a ‘grandma name’.
Munich – Apparently, in the life of a young person in the 21st century, it’s not just clothes that make the man. Names also seem to have a significant impact on a personality. In any case, her parents’ choice of first name has led to a serious identity crisis for a Gen Z teenager. She feels punished for having to go through the world with a “grandma name”. She has vented her anger about this on the social media platform Reddit.
“I’ve cried many times because of this” – Gen-Z user feels tormented by names
There was a phase in which celebrities in particular gave their offspring original names. The more unusual, the more popular. Now the trend is moving back to more traditional first names. Oskar, Adam and Noah were very popular for newborn boys in 2023, while girls will soon be calling out numerous Emmas, Sophias and Hannas on the playgrounds. What the children think of their names remains to be seen.
A Reddit user, on the other hand, recently expressed her deep dislike for her own first name: “I hate my name.” After all, a first name is not a bad haircut, but something you carry with you your whole life. Therefore, the choice of name should be of great importance to parents. And first names should not be given without thinking, as the Reddit case shows.
“I hate my first name so much that I’ve cried so many times because of it,” wrote the Gen Z user in her post. She thinks her parents chose a “horrible name” for her. Gen Z is generally said to place great value on youth. Some even resort to neurotoxins out of fear of the big three zeros.
Teenager complains about tainted name: “Who would name their child Sharon?”
The user feels embarrassed every time other people call her by her first name, as she writes in her post. “It’s just a grandma name and I hate it when people tell me it’s not that bad.” She is particularly annoyed when other people complain about her name, “just because it’s supposedly too normal, but I would die for it.” Finally, she also revealed what name her parents chose for her: “Who calls their child Sharon???”
The name Karen in particular, which often has negative connotations on the internet, is causing problems for the Reddit user. “Other people always compare my name to Karen and they always say that Karens and Sharons are so annoying.” To make it easier to understand: in the USA, the name “Karen” has recently become a catchphrase for women with rather conservative behavior. Sometimes it is also equivalent to the smug phrase “Okay, Boomer” during a generational dispute.
Teenagers deeply unhappy: And just change the name?
The young woman says she has already thought about changing her name, but sees difficulties in doing so: “I have lived with this name for so many years, changing it now would be weird. I’ll just remain a teenager with a grandma’s name.” Unlike in the USA, the right to change one’s name is restricted in Germany. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland, there must be an important reason. This could be, for example, an extremely difficult spelling or pronunciation of the name.
Her post on Reddit garnered several hundred comments, which initially encouraged the user. Many encouraged her to think about changing her name if she was really so unhappy with her first name: “Even your mother supports you, so just do it.”
Others said that the name Sharon wasn’t so bad: “My name is Sharon too. At some point you’ll either love the name or be annoyed that you gave it away.” But Reddit users don’t just talk about their own lives; they also like to criticize the way strangers park.
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