A childcare worker has been left puzzled by the unconventional name choice of a new student.
Choosing the right baby name is no simple feat, as parents have to think about an option for their infant that will also be suitable later in adult life.
Names can lead to snap judgements and it’s not uncommon for some to attempt picking something “unique” for their child – often leading either to incredibly imaginative names or bizarrely spelt variants of common ones, and even to those that attract attention for less favourable reasons.
On social media, unusual names – especially those where spellings go against the rules of phonetics – are frequently subjected to ridicule. This was exactly what happened when one school worker at an early childcare centre was taken aback by a young girl named Jelly, albeit spelled ‘Jeilyi’.
The bemusement was shared on Reddit by the woman’s husband who posted: “Yesterday, a new student joined the early childcare school my wife works at.
“She made sure to double check with the parent if there were any nicknames they use or anything to make sure she understood the pronunciation. This little girl was named Jeilyi, pronounced Jelly.”
The online community quickly weighed in with their thoughts, with one user commenting: “My very chubby cat is also called Jelly, very cute for a plump cat!”
Another user advised: “Just tell [your] wife to pronounce it jei-li until the toddler understands that they are not bound to their parents’ crazy.”
A third quipped: “Coming soon: a sibling named Peighnutt Boughtterr.” Some Reddit users shared their personal stories and experiences. A person said: “My MIL is school admin, and enrolled an ‘Andrewnique’ a few days ago.”
Someone else recounted: “I used to have a coworker we all called ‘Rosie’ but her legal name was her father’s name backwards, so her paperwork all said ‘Rotceh’.”
“Guys, don’t do this. If there’s an established feminine form, fine, but don’t invent one and then get all shocked Pikachu when you get side-eyed and your kid gets bullied.”
One woman spoke about being named after their father and discussed the challenges: “I’m also named after my father, with one letter changed (an I in place of his y). It’s an actual name, though, not some made up nonsensical word.”
She added: “However because I’m a woman with a man’s name, I still get questions about it. These poor kids will have to explain and spell for the rest of their lives.”
We’d love to hear your thoughts on the name Jeilyi and its pronunciation as Jelly – drop us a comment below.