A biology student made a joke baby name list for his pregnant sister, including names like Viagra, Hernia and Malassezia.
To his disbelief, she chose Malassezia — a name tied to a fungal infection they both suffer from — as the real name for her daughter.
Despite his warnings and alternative suggestions, she doubled down, insisting she loves the sound and that “no one will know.”
A man turns to the Reddit community for support after his sister and her husband landed on a highly unusual baby name, despite months of indecision.
The 20-year-old poster explains in his post, “She was determined to find the single perfect name — even by the time of her baby shower (nearly five weeks before the due date), she didn’t seem any closer to picking something out than she was at the start of her pregnancy.”
Wanting to lighten the mood and help his sister, he decided to gift her a list of joke baby names, alongside a generous present from her registry.
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Stock photo of pregnant woman listing baby names
“We have a really close relationship, and it was in line with both our senses of humor,” he writes, describing how the list included names inspired by medications, infections and even unpleasant animals, all of which could pass as “lovely girls’ names out of context.”
The poster, a biology student, and his sister, a nurse, shared an understanding of the medical world, making the joke list especially fitting for their dynamic. “Some of them were a little bit obscure, sure, but I included some obvious ones like ‘Viagra’ and ‘Hernia’ for good measure,” he adds, highlighting the playful spirit behind his suggestion.
Two weeks after the baby shower, his sister revealed that she and her husband had finally chosen a name for their daughter.
To his shock, the name they picked was Malassezia — one of the joke names from his list. “Outside of the immediate issues (nearly impossible to pronounce on the first try, the ‘a–’ smack dab in the middle of it, the first syllable being mal-, literally meaning bad or evil), it’s also the name of a very common fungal infection,” he explains.
The choice of Malassezia carried an extra layer of irony for the siblings, as both have personal experience with the infection. “One that my sister and I are both genetically predisposed to. One that we’ve both had multiple times throughout our lives. Her daughter will almost certainly catch it at some time!” he writes, expressing disbelief at the situation.
When he pointed out the meaning behind the name, his sister remained unfazed and confirmed she was aware of its origins.
“She said that yes, she knew what it meant, and she knew my list was intended to be a joke, but she just really liked the way it sounded,” he recalls. He suspects her husband may not know the full story, adding, “I don’t think the husband knows what it means — I think he’d reject it if he did.”
His sister’s rationale for sticking with Malassezia was that the name’s obscurity would shield it from scrutiny. “She says that it’s so obscure that no one will ever think twice about it. (Except, you know, when little baby Malassezia turns 14, finds a weird spot on her neck, and goes on her phone to google what it is…),” he jokes.
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Stock photo of mother holding a baby
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Despite his efforts to steer her toward more conventional alternatives, his suggestions were dismissed. “I told her that the name was completely unacceptable, and I was shocked that she chose it. I even suggested some similar names, like Mallory, Azalea, or Anastasia, that would be more acceptable, but she wouldn’t hear it!” he shares, frustrated by her resolve.
The conversation quickly turned tense, with his sister asserting her parental rights. “She said that since I’m not one of the parents, I have no business telling her what she can and cannot name her child, and that I’m stepping way out of line,” he recounts.
He attributes her reaction to “pregnancy hormones,” believing she’ll regret the decision after her daughter is born.
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