Naming a child is a stressful task, as you're sticking your baby with a name for the rest of their life - a tough 'ole job.
Well, according to the author of The Little Book of Bogan Baby Names, the name you give your baby could have an impact on their job prospects later in life.
Speaking on Mamamia's podcast, the author said that employers have told her of their aversion to hiring someone with a 'Bogan' name.
What is a Bogan name, I hear you ask? Well, apparently a 'Bogan' is a slang term used in Australia and New Zealand to describe a person, generally from an outer suburb of a city or town from a lower socio-economic background, viewed as uncultured or tacky - YIKES.
The author explained that she spoke to a number of employers, who explained that they cannot help but second-guess the employability of a person whose name is spelt in an unusual way, which may be deemed tacky.
"One CEO of a particularly big-name company said to me, 'I cannot help but look down on names that are misspelt'. Obviously, no one will go on record, because it sounds like discrimination."
Let's be honest, it sounds like discrimination, because it is discrimination.
The author claims that parents are naming their kids with the hope that it will make them stand out, when in fact, it may actually work to their disadvantage in later life.
"People are really trying to set their children apart, in an online world where we're trying to brand our kids, whether it's their Facebook page name or their Twitter handle or their website name," she explained.
She continued, mentioning that "a child having to spell their name every day of their life, it's really crippling. It's really awful for them."
The author highlights a number of names in her book, that she considers being "Bogan names", such as Rebel, Wynter, Braelyn, Harleen and Jack Daniel.
According to the author, "You've got your classic Bogan names, like Sharon and Barry, those are your true blue Bogan ones. They've evolved so much now, there's just completely made up names now and people mash names together, so they stick two names together to create a new one."
We would like to point out that while some of these names are pretty darn unusual, we don't dislike them (how's that for being politically correct?).
What do you reckon, mums? Have some names gone a bit too far?
