Mum criticised for wanting to name son 'Charles' - because of her awkward surname

Nowadays people can get a lot of heat for naming their children something too unconventional. But one mum who wants to name her son “Charles” is getting a lot of backlash, despite it being an ordinary name.

On the Reddit thread Am I The A**hole (AITA) a 31-year-old man asked if he was wrong for pushing back against his wife wanting to name their son Charles, after his wife’s now deceased brother.

“A few weeks ago her brother unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack at the age of 35,” the man wrote. “We were both shocked and devastated.”

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“Melissa now wants to name our son after her brother. I would not have any issue with this, if her brother’s name wasn’t Charles,” the man continued.

Turns out, the couple’s last name is Manson - the same as the famous cult leader and criminal Charles Manson.

“I told her I was not okay with naming our child Charles Manson, and she insisted that nobody would notice or care. She is calling me an a**hole for disrespecting her brother like that. (Note that her brother’s last name was not Manson, that is mine and Melissa’s last name),” the man wrote.

Over 1,000 Reddit users jumped into the conversation to give their opinion on the unfortunate naming situation.

Most people agreed that the man was not in the wrong for trying to protect his future son from bullying or difficulty going through life with the same name as the serial killer.

The man said the reason his wife thought it was OK to name their son Charles Manson is that “most kids do not even know who Charles Manson is these days.” But people disputed the claim, saying serial killers are often the focus of modern podcasts or documentaries.

Some offered other suggestions to keep Charles in the name without making it the child’s first name.

“I think middle name is fine. On most documents outside of government ones you don't have to put your middle name,” one person wrote.

“How about as a compromise using Charles from another language? Example KARL. That way she gets to honor her brother but it's different enough from Charles that people won't have negative connotations,” another person suggested.

One person, who claims they have the same name as a prolific serial killer, said that while they were teased as a kid it’s also a conversation starter and people often remembered them or wanted to speak with them because of their name.

The man did not follow-up indicating whether he had convinced his wife to consider a different name.

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