TikTok Video Gives Parents Another Thing To Consider When Choosing a Baby Name

What’s in a name? A lifetime of jokes and cringe-worthy email addresses, says one woman on TikTok (and commenters who can totally relate).

On the surface, 27-year-old Virginia resident Samantha Hart’s name seems relatively tame, especially when you consider some of the more interesting choices famous people have picked for their children in the last 20 years.

And yet…

“My name is Samantha Hart,” Hart said in a TikTok video. “Most companies use the email designation of first initial, last name, meaning my email would be shart.”

If you are confused about why that’s a problem, I’ll let the folks at Merriam-Webster explain.

Starting a new job can prompt some awkward-enough getting-to-know-you conversations. Who needs an email address that makes them the butt of jokes on day one? Thankfully, some detail-oriented human resources pros—and I do mean pros—at Hart’s last two employers picked up on the potential issue before assigning her an email address.

“My name does not exactly fit the company email structure as they would intend, and would I mind if they gave me a different structure for my email,” Hart said they asked her.

No. She would not mind. In fact? She was happy they asked.

“I don’t want an email that says shart—fix it, give me something else,” Hart laughed.

Hart isn’t alone, and her story, while humorous, serves as an excellent reminder to parents as they choose a moniker for their little one.

It’s a Common Name Issue

Other commenters chimed in with their email addresses, and to be honest, they’re pretty funny (sorry).

First, there are many sharts@companyname.com out there.

“My name is Sue Hartlove, so my work emails are always shartlove,” wrote one person.

“I’m Sara Hartman AKA shartman!” said another.

“I have sharter. I love it,” said an eternal optimist.

And then there were these:

• “I worked with a Patrick Ecker at a previous job…”
• “dbhag was my email at school.”
• “Thanks to my husband, I’m now twerkmeister.”
• "Tara Watt. She kept with the traditional naming convention. No one ever forgot her email address."

My previous initials (BAC or blood alcohol content) and current ones BAM truly pale.

As for Hart, “I’m living for the comments,” she said in an interview with Today.com.

That makes two of us.

How To Avoid Giving Your Child an Awkward Email Address

To be fair, email wasn’t as ubiquitous in the late 1990s when Hart was born. (Those were the days, weren’t they?) These days, we hold it in the palm of our hands and use it to email colleagues three cubicles over. So, here are some tips for people choosing names in modern times:

• Consider all three initials. This one isn’t precisely new, given the popularity of monograms and initialed LL Bean backpacks, though it may be even more critical in the age of email. You may want to opt for initials that can be monogrammed or used for an email address without being followed by jokes.
• Say the first initial and last name together. See above.
• Think about pairings. Sam and Ella sound eerily like salmonella. Jack and Jill may be a bit too cutesy, but you do you.
• Google is your friend. You might also want to Google the name to see if it’s infamous for cult leaders or criminals (though you can’t always predict how a name will evolve through the years, like "Karen").
  

And two other time-honored things to keep in mind:

• Popularity. Also, consider whether the popularity of a name matters to you (Social Security releases the most popular names each year.) Do you want your child to be one of many Liams or Olivias? As a mother of a child with a top-10 name, I decided this factor didn’t matter much to me.
• The Jr. debate. One partner may want the suffix Jr. in their baby's name, while the other prefers an original name. There are pros and cons to either—having a namesake can be sentimental, though a child may get medical or housing records mixed up. (My other son is the fifth of his name, and my husband is the fourth—he liked being a namesake, so I chose to go with it as long as I got to name baby No. 2.)

Ultimately, picking a name can be stressful—and most parents choose one with the best intentions. But it’s always a good idea to take a few extra steps for the sake of the child who will bear it for a lifetime.