Inspiration for a child’s name can come from anywhere. People frequently use celebrities, prominent figures, cuisine, royalty, and even vehicles to create an impression on a child’s life.
However, naming your unborn child after a tragic disaster or a significant historical event raises questions. Let’s just say it’s a decision.
Earlier this week, a Reddit member known as kittysogood sent an invitation to a baby shower on the famous r/tragedeigh thread.
The illustration contained a distinctive baby name, which may not appeal to all viewers.
“Welp… I just got invited to a baby shower…,” they said with the image, which contained adorable images of stars, elephants, and hearts.
Please join us for a baby shower. “Join us in celebrating the upcoming arrival of a little bundle of joy!” the announcement stated. “We can’t wait to celebrate together!”
Traditionally, parents share their child’s name after birth, rather than before.
This is mostly superstition, but it also prevents other views from attacking and changing their minds.
However, one parent seemed unafraid to announce their child’s name, publishing it publicly and sharing it with their closest family members.
After reading the contentious name, one Redditor replied, “This has to be bogus.” There is no way this is real.”
A second said, “I refuse to believe this is genuine, haha,” while another commented, “OP, I don’t want to think this is true, but if it is, could you PLEASE come back here and update us on how the baby shower went (please go)?”
“You know everyone in the room will be really uncomfortable, waiting for the one courageous individual to burst forth and simply ask the question. It will be funny. I would be interested in understanding the phrasing of the question and the resulting response. I need all of the juice.
So, what was the name of the youngster whose life the Redditor was meant to celebrate?
Chernobyl Hope. Yes, truly.
On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine experienced a nuclear catastrophe known as the Chernobyl Disaster.
The catastrophe remains one of only two nuclear energy accidents classed as the most severe on the International Nuclear Catastrophe Scale, and it is the most expensive disaster in history, costing an estimated $700 billion.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, 31 persons died as a result of blast injuries and acute radiation sickness (ARS) in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
However, around 600,000 ‘liquidators,’ who were involved in cleaning up the catastrophe, were exposed to significant levels of radiation, with several studies suggesting that people impacted by the bomb might number in the thousands.
Chernobyl was a horrific event; thus, no sane person would deliberately name their unborn daughter after it.
However, according to the original Redditor, Chernobyl Hope’s parents were unaware of the catastrophe when they named their child.
“I have a sense they don’t understand what Chernobyl means. I inquired where they got the idea, and they answered, “It just sounded nice????” they typed.
Someone else has supported the individual’s nickname choice, writing, “I mean, the word ‘Chernobyl’ was originally the name of a common mugwort plant, a medicinal herb.”
They concluded with the sentence, “But there’s a reason we don’t name children Adol[f] any longer, even if that name was relatively innocuous before 1939.”
“This is really horrible. They need to be told. Give them a Chernobyl-related book as a baby shower present. “Because no,” someone else responded.
According to BristolLive, the original poster went on to say that Chernobyl’s parents wanted their daughter to go by the moniker ‘Cherry.’
“I’ll let you know when I have an update.” This invitation was given in a group chat and also directly to me,” they stated. “I simply cannot believe they would name a newborn daughter Chernobyl.” I’ll muster the bravery to express my ideas.”
There are very few names that are deemed unlawful in the United States, with certain states having tighter naming restrictions than others, according to USA Today.
In California, birth certificates can only include the 26 letters of the English alphabet.
According to US birth certificates, the following 10 names are also illegal in some jurisdictions.
These include Adolf Hitler, Messiah, @1069, King, Queen, Santa Claus, Majesty, and more. The more you know, right?