Strange, unique, and eccentric names have come back into fashion for new parents, with monikers ranging from bizarrely-lettered variants to the Millennial-led dog names for babies trend — see short, cutesy names like Max, Sadie, and Bear, as prime examples.
However, one parent-to-be took these trends to the next level and paid the price: relentless mocking on the Internet.
A friend of the parent in question was sent a seemingly innocent baby shower invitation, but after closer inspection, noticed the name, Chernobyl Hope, was especially unique — or, as the Internet dubbed it after the friend posted the invitation to Reddit, “ridiculous” and “offensive.”
It appeared as if the parents were unaware of the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine.
The recipient of this unconventional baby shower invitation posted it to the subreddit r/tragedeigh, where aggrieved Internet users come together to poke fun at unfortunate, offensive, and just plain crazy baby names, particularly where unconventional spelling is involved — hence the Millennial-core ‘deigh’ epithet.
Many replies said they were so uncomfortable with this baby name, they had no choice but to turn to humor to cope.
“I’m sure everyone at the celebration will be radiant,” one user commented facetiously, prompting the reply: “Speak for yourself. If I were a guest at that shower and heard that name, I’d have a total meltdown.”
“I guess it’s a nuclear family,” another user quipped.
“Honestly, if it didn’t have the connotation of being a nuclear disaster, it would be a pretty name,” rationalized one commenter, while another quipped: “Extra points for having the invitation feature an elephant’s foot.”
Wedged between comments making jokes at this family’s expense and users expressing outrage at the name was the only other detail — or semblance of an explanation — the original poster left behind: “I have a feeling they don’t know what Chernobyl meant. I asked them where they got the idea from, and said it just sounded nice,” they explained.
Overwhelmingly, users reacted to the wild post with distaste.
The Chernobyl explosion occurred in a nuclear power plant located in a town (now recognized as being in Ukraine) of the same name, and remains the worst nuclear accident in human history. 31 people died immediately as a result of the incident, per the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but varying studies have produced long-term death tolls ranging into hundreds of thousands of premature deaths as a result of radiation exposure.
“I haven’t ever met another person (aside from a cousin) who has been affected by Chernobyl. I was born sick due to it because my mother was pregnant with me and in the area when it occurred,” shared a commenter.
“It has made my life… not fun. Being profoundly disabled at age 37 due to human error… And an error that never offered compensation for all of us who had their lives ruined by it,” the enraged Redditor continued.
“What a legacy. Naming someone after something that has left people with cancer, going through 30+ surgeries just to stay alive, and losing their quality of life. I’m just appalled. Repulsed.”
Many commenters also offered the original poster advice for dealing with the profoundly awkward situation.
“Even if you think your relationship with them will sour, at least for the baby’s sake, you need to talk to them and suggest they change the name and explain to them what this means, all politely, of course. If they say they will still continue with the name, you can smile and give a thumbs up.”
“Absolutely remove these people from your life,” recommended another blunt reply.
Obscene and ignorant as this name choice may be, in many countries, it’s not necessarily illegal.
In the United States, birth certificate laws and regulations vary by state, but even still, most prohibited names have been disallowed for administrative purposes — monikers in excess of 140 characters and those containing numbers are prime examples.
Some states have outlawed names like Jesus Christ and Santa Claus, but as of now, baby Chernobyl Hope is more than fine the government’s eyes.
