'I'm a midwife and there's a baby name parents think is unique but I can't stand it'

Baby names are a surprisingly controversial topic with many parents struggling to decide on the name that will carry their child through their life, unless they change it. Some parents love the name they chose so much that nicknames are strictly forbidden.

From trying to pick a unique name that isn't too out there to avoiding names you've had bad experiences with in the past, parents often look for clever ways to make their child stand out.

• 'Poor babies' - internet bashes 'confusing' baby names for twin boys
• 'My grandfather wants to name my baby after my grandmother but I don't want to'

While sympathetic to the minefield that is naming your child, a midwife has shared her least favourite baby name that is really common despite parents thinking it's totally individual.

Discover, learn, grow. We are Curiously. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

The midwife revealed all as she responded to a prompt on Quora which read: "What baby name screams 'my parents think they're classy but really have no taste?'"

Amelia Platt, who worked as an insurance broker after midwifery, said: "Nevaeh - heaven backwards."

"I worked in the delivery suite of a hospital about 5 years ago and this was probably one of the most popular names and every single person who said that's what the baby was going to be named genuinely believed they were picking something unique and special and none of us ever had the heart to tell them," she explained.

"Honestly, I never liked the name in the first place, I feel like naming a baby after somewhere people supposedly go when they die is just tempting fate."

Nevaeh, pronounced as 'ne-vay-ah', was the 86th most common girls name in the USA in 2021 with around 1 in 588 baby girls given the name. It's much less commonly chosen as a name for those assigned male at birth with only six boys given the name that year.

Reddit has also debated the "unique" name, with one user questioning why there is so much hate for Nevaeh. They said: "I always thought they were pretty, and perhaps I wouldn't give it as a first name, but Neveah or Nevia seem to be good middle name options."

"I get why some people don't like them, but Neveah especially seems to get an unparalleled level of hatred and I've never understood why."

One user replied: "It looks ugly. Clunky. And every single person who uses it smugly tells you "it's heaven backwards" as if they invented it."

"Usually they'll tell you they had never heard of a Nevaeh before coming up with it for their 6 month old. Never mind it's been popular for a dozen or more years. Their 6 month old was definitely the trendsetter."

"Don't even get me started on the people who spell it differently. I always want to ask if their child's name is Hayavyn backwards."

Another added: "I knew this girl who named her daughter Nevaeh and every time she introduced her daughter she'd say 'Her name is Nevaeh, which spelled backwards is heaven because she is our little angel.' And I wanted to throw myself off the cliffs of insanity every time."

Many commenters referenced bad experiences with parents of Nevaehs and a stereotype of that style of parenting. Others said the name felt "cheesy" and "made up" due to it being "a word spelled backwards".

Although a few users pointed out "classism" and "racism" could be a subconscious push towards hating the name. One user added: "I've mostly seen Neveah used in Black families, so I felt uncomfortable saying anything critical of it. Not my taste, but I'm okay with Heaven."