If you’ve always wanted to be a parent, seeing those two lines on the pregnancy test can be one of the happiest moments of your life. You can’t quite believe that you’re going to be cooking up a bun in the oven, and you just can’t control your emotions. On the one hand, you’re over the moon with excitement. You probably jump up and down with glee and hold on to your belly and protect it like precious cargo. On the other hand, you start to sweat profusely and freak out at the fact that you, someone who can’t cook toast without burning it, are going to be in charge of a tiny human. That can be pretty stressful. While it’s important to make sure that you kit your nursery out with all of the things you need to look after a baby, it’s also important to think up a name for your little one. This isn’t an easy choice, and one mom-to-be soon found herself in the hot seat when the internet went in on her choice of baby names. Dividing the internet Although most parents choose to keep their baby naming process a secret, more and more moms and dads are choosing to reveal this name in extravagant ceremonies or cute little online announcements. One mom decided to do that for her first and second child, but she had no idea that these photos would soon make their way onto a public internet forum and divide those who saw it. Like many other moms, she had whittled down her potential names to one final name, and she wanted to share this with her closest friends and family. However, when it was shared on the internet, people soon decided to share their own thoughts and feelings on the matter. It’s safe to say that most people weren’t impressed.

A tough choice Welcoming a little one into the world is full of excitement and stress, and it’s fair to say that naming your child is one of the most stressful tasks you need to tick off your to-do list. That’s because a name isn’t just there for a few weeks. Naming your child becomes a legally binding contract that goes on record and sticks with them for the rest of their lives. The last thing you want is for your child to resent your choice, and you need to make sure it fits. So, many mom-and-dads-to-be often spent weeks and even months scouring baby books or trying out different names. They write down their favorites, and they either share them with their friends and family, or they decide to keep it schtum until their little one arrives. Either way, it’s a whole lot of pressure.

A tale of two halves Of course, to truly understand why the internet went in on this mom-to-be, we have to go back to the beginning. This story is actually a tale of two halves and takes place over the course of around seven years. The first picture was taken in 2012 when McKinli Hatch and her husband Devan decided to share their baby-naming process with the world. McKinli had already welcomed a son into the world with a former partner, and she loved the fact that her son had an unusual name. She wanted Titan’s little sister to follow in his footsteps and wanted to show their friends and followers how they eventually settled on her name. Seven years later, however, McKinli recreated this chalkboard moment when she discovered she was having another baby.

Back in the day Yes, McKinli and her baby-naming process first came to our attention in 2012, when the mommy blogger shared a photograph on social media. This was an official announcement of their soon-to-be daughter and the name that they would provide her with when she eventually made her appearance. McKinli clutched her growing stomach as she posed in front of a chalkboard, and she couldn’t wait to see what those closest to her thought about the name they settled on, and the names they crossed out in the process. Yet, she had no idea that this photo would soon make its way out of her social circle, and get everyone on the internet talking. After all, she picked a rather unusual name.

Having a girl As well as sharing their news on social media, McKinli also decided to post professional photos on her blog. She uploaded the results of a family photo shoot on Mommy’s Little Sunshine, and she also decided to explain their choice in name. Because McKinli loved her own unusual name, she wanted her baby girl to also stand out from the crowd. She didn’t want to pick a name that anyone else would have when their daughter went to school or work, and so they eventually came up with various different options. These included: Taylee, McKarty, Nayvie, Maylee, and Lakynn. To start with, both McKinli and Devan both wanted to call their daughter Taylee. However, when they realized that it was more common than they thought, they went with another option.

Choosing the one Eventually, McKinli and her husband settled on the name Laikynn Kay Hatch. They were over the moon with their decision, but they didn’t realize that their chalkboard announcement would cause such a ruckus. As more and more people learned of their baby name, they were a little confused. It was certainly original, but many wondered if it was perhaps a little too original. It was unlike any other name out there, but it seems as though McKinli was happy with her choice. In fact, she chose an equally unusual name when she discovered she was pregnant again in 2019.



Not the only one

Of course, McKinli isn’t the only parent to choose a strange name for her child. Over the years, the world of baby names has found itself in the midst of a revolution. Traditional names are becoming less common, and it seems as though parents are now in a competition as to who can create the most unusual baby name. Of course, McKinli isn’t the only parent to choose a strange name for her child. Over the years, the world of baby names has found itself in the midst of a revolution. Traditional names are becoming less common, and it seems as though parents are now in a competition as to who can create the most unusual baby name. This trend is becoming more and more popular, and everyone has their own thoughts on the matter. Because of this, it’s not surprising that McKinli was overrun comments about her two choices.

Celebrity names Many people suggest that the changing tide in baby names has come from the celebrity world. After all, it’s no secret that those in the public eye choose new and exciting names for their kids. Over the years we have seen the likes of Blue Ivy, Gravity, Pilot Inspektor, Sunday Molly, Apollo Bowie Flynn, and Zuma Nesta Rock grace the world with their presence, and everyone has had their say on the strange names. Has this trend since trickled down into the everyday world? Well, it seems as though it has.

A growing trend Yes, more and more parents are choosing to name their children names that stand out from the crowd, and McKinli isn’t the only one. In November 2018, a Texas mother found herself in the midst of a bitter battle with Southwest Airlines when cabin crew mocked her daughter’s unusual name. When they came across the collection of letters, they just couldn’t stop themselves from posting a photograph of her boarding pass on social media. As you can imagine, the mom wasn’t happy. But what was her name?

Something unusual Although we don’t condone Southwest Airlines’ actions, there’s no doubt about the fact that the name on the boarding pass was something unusual. The Texan mother had decided to call her daughter “Abcde.” To most of us, this is the start of the alphabet, but to this mother, it was her child’s legitimate and legal name. Instead of pronouncing it the way we would if we were reciting the alphabet, the mom claimed that her daughter’s name was pronounced “ab-si-dee.” That’s definitely one we haven’t seen before!

Cropping up again After the social media buzz of McKinli’s first chalkboard photograph, most people online thought that the mother had disappeared from view. However, in the first few months of 2019, she cropped up once again, and her chalkboard was certainly in tow. Although she didn’t look like she had aged at all, McKinli had already brought Laikynn into the world, and she was preparing for another child. Because of this, she knew that she had to decide on another name. The chalkboard announcement was the only way to do this.

Having a boy After welcoming a little girl into her life just seven years previously, McKinli was over the moon to discover that she was going to be having another boy. This would mean that her little family would be overrun with boys, but she was convinced that she and her daughter could keep the men in line. However, she knew that her new addition needed a similarly unusual name to fit in with the rest of the family. Once again, she laid out a few options for her fans. McKinli and her husband toyed with the likes of Taysom, Ollie, Grayson, Asher, and Tatum.

The ultimate decision In the end, McKinli and Devan decided on the name Tatum. They loved this name more than any other on the list, and it tied their son with McKinli’s first child, Titan. Yes, the mom looked positively glowing when she announced the name through her chalkboard method, but once again it didn’t take long for her names to take the social media world by storm. Soon enough, everyone had seen her options, and it’s fair to say that people had a lot of thoughts on the matter. For the most part, they were just as baffled as they were the first time.

Sharing on Twitter But if McKinli didn’t share these photos on her blog or for the whole world to see, how did they end up being the center of attention? Well, this was all down to one Twitter user. Although we don’t know his full name and we can’t showcase his Twitter handle because it’s not actually PG, he does go by the name of Followers For Algernon on the social media site. He had been following McKinli’s baby-naming process over the years, and he was pretty intrigued by it. However, this was not in a good way.

Take it away In fact, he posted the two photographs on Twitter and noted that “Someone needs to take the chalkboard away from this lady.” It seems as though he wasn’t alone in this thinking, because his tweet soon amassed thousands of likes and retweets. The man posted the tweet on March 30th, and it’s since racked up over 62,000 likes and nearly 9,000 retweets. Of course, it didn’t end there. Those who wanted to get in on the action decided to have their say in a thread that would later become legendary. They needed to get their thoughts out.

Their own options Because the world of social media is incredibly helpful, many Twitter users decided to comment with their own baby name suggestions. While these weren’t serious suggestions, it’s fair to say that they resonated with people around the world who couldn’t quite believe what McKinli had called her child. More than anything, they couldn’t believe the strange and unusual options that were already on the list before the mom and her husband eventually settled on the chosen one. While not everyone would go with @HeyItsHigbe’s options, we’re sure there is someone out there who has since added Plympdustii to their baby name list.

Why the Y? Many people on Twitter also had a lot of thoughts about the fact that McKinli obviously has a favorite letter of the alphabet. While we might all have a letter that speaks to us more than most, @AFeralDavid suggested that McKinli had a real soft spot for the letter Y. After all, she had used the letter within almost all of her naming options and seemed to try and slot it in wherever she could. However, we don’t think that An Influential David was congratulating the blogger for using a previously underused letter.

The pronunciation Like all names, the pronunciation really matters. Despite the fact that a name may seem simple, the spelling can make all of the difference. One woman decided to give McKinli some more options of baby names if she were ever going to have anymore children. Yet, with these names, the pronunciation was everything. Sure, the name Vase looks like the vestibule that you’d put flowers into, but there are actually rather different ways of pronouncing it. She hoped that McKinli would understand, considering she was all about unusual names.

Changing their name Most of the people who decided to comment on the tweet weren’t too impressed with McKinli’s choice of name. Although this was largely because they thought the names were a bit too strange and wacky, it was also because they were thinking of the children. As @warneagle stated within this tweet, they wouldn’t have thought twice about legally changing their name when they were able to if they were called Jayci. Well, it seems as though we’ll have to wait for Laikynn and Tatum to get a bit older to know whether they like their names or not.

Clapping back Of course, not everyone was happy with the comments that were coming from the people who saw McKinli’s photos on social media. One particular woman by the name of Jayci just couldn’t keep her thoughts to herself when she saw @warneagle’s tweet. After all, she wasn’t the one who chose her name! She wanted to remind people that they had to make fun of the parents who chose the name, rather than pick up on what life will be like for the kids who are born with strange names.

Not fair Although a large portion of the social media world decided to mock McKinli for her choice of baby names, there were others who came to her aid. They noted that choosing the name for any baby isn’t an easy choice and one that requires special care and attention. So, they told the online universe to keep their opinions to themselves and to let the mom call her son and daughter whatever she wanted. After all, it’s a hard process, so parents shouldn’t be judged for their chosen name.

Baby number four After welcoming her first three children Titan, Laikynn, and Tatum into the world, McKinli and Devan were ready to bring a fourth child. They announced in the cutest way that she was pregnant for a fourth time in December 2017. Her followers would have to wait until July 2018 for baby number four to be born and begin gracing her Instagram page like the rest of her kids. Mckinli chose to do things a little bit differently with this pregnancy, though.

Struggling for a name She wanted to wait until the birth of her fourth child to learn the gender. This made deciding on a name even more difficult, because it meant that she and Devan would have to find two names – both for a boy and for a girl – that the two of loved. It’s hard enough coming up with one name, so you can imagine the struggle of deciding on two. She turned to her followers for help, and admitted that she preferred unique name ideas.

Welcoming another Finally, in July 2018, McKinli shared the first photos of Baby Hatch, as she called the little bundle of joy. She wanted to wait until her family was able to come meet the baby before she released the name and gender to the rest of the world. Just like that, the Hatch family grew by one and was now a unit of six. Thankfully, McKinli’s followers only had to wait a day before she exposed the gender and name of the newest addition.

The announcement Her fourth child was a boy! As much as Laikynn wanted a little sister, she was just as excited to welcome a baby brother. But what was his name going to be? Well, McKinli and Devan decided to choose Madden. It was certainly unique, but it wasn’t quite as out there as names like Laikynn or Titan. People certainly had things to say about baby Madden, but McKinli did not receive the same type of reactions she was used to.

Less hate than before As her luck would have, people seemed to be okay with the name Madden for the little guy. They paid McKinli compliment after compliment on how beautiful her new baby was. Many followers even said they loved the name for a boy. There was even at least one person who commented that they also had a son named Madden. Finally, it would seem people were laying off the Hatch family and their unique baby names.

A tough decision Naming any child is a big decision, but did McKinli deserve the reaction she got to her own kids’ names? Well, it seems as though the internet is still divided. There are some people who believe that the mom should be allowed to name her kids whatever they want. However, there are other people who believe that the trend of utilizing strange and unusual names is going a little too far. In our eyes, as long as McKinli and her kids are happy with their lives, then that’s all that matters!

Obvious love for her children As a matter of fact, this family does appear to be as happy as can be. It is so obvious how much McKinli cares about and loves her children and she really knows how to show it. From things like matching outfits, to decorating their rooms, to just spending time with her littles ones, she proves that she adores these kids. Perhaps that’s why she chose such unique names: to show the world how special they really are.

Meet baby Khaleesi Game of Thrones, which is slated to return for its eighth and final season in mid-April, is one of the most influential and popular shows in the entire world. In fact, it’s the single most pirated television show in history. Its influence isn’t only limited to the medium of television, though. No, parents the world over have actually begun naming their kids after characters from the show! From little girls named Daenerys, Khaleesi, and Arya to boys named Theon and Tyrion, Laikynn suddenly doesn’t seem so odd anymore, does it?

Who is it really for? One question looms large over this story – who are parents like McKinli really doing this for? Are they giving their children unusual names like Laikynn truly for the children’s benefit, or for their own? Standing out is nice, but children can often be cruel, and having an unusual name may be enough to get bullied. It makes us wonder whether McKinli truly gave this possibility any thought when she made her naming decision public. It may have gotten her 15 minutes of fame, but her kids got a childhood of misery.

What it actually means Interestingly, baby names and the larger trends they represent have gotten some serious attention recently. Many parents don’t want names that are “too popular” as they want their kids to “stand out,” but that has actually gotten increasingly easier in the past decade. In the 1950s, for instance, 25 percent of baby boys had been given one of the 10 most popular names. By 2007, that figure shrunk to only 10 percent. This is yet another facet of American culture becoming more focused on the self than on society’s norms.

The Me Generation Part of the shift towards more unusual names may be attributed to the fact that the people becoming parents in the greatest numbers these days are millennials. They were the first generation to be brought up on the message that standing out is better than fitting in. They believe they’re special, and were told not to care about what others thought of them. It only stands to reason, then, that this attitude would be carried over into naming their children, and their cavalier approach to same.

Going the other way Of course, the United States has always been a country where the individual was placed above everything else, which is why the most crazy or unusual names can often be found there. In other Western countries, however, that isn’t the case. Many countries in Europe place the community above the individual, and as such have lists of “acceptable names” for parents to choose from. If a parent from Denmark, for example, wishes to name their child something not on the list, they have to get special approval from the government.

Who are they hurting? The thing about bullies, especially the online ones, is that sometimes they are just being overly sensitive and offended. At the end of the day, who are McKinli and Devan hurting by choosing to calls their kids these names? While some of the people were defending the kids who will grow up with these “bizarre” names, this doesn’t really seem like a reason to attack a mother online. The kids will grow into their names and learn to love and appreciate them.

Plenty of parents These days, plenty of parents are coming up with some of the most out-there names imaginable. Even McKinli’s name is pretty rare, and she sure seems fine with it. Kids can be cruel and bully others for things like this, but hopefully the Hatch kids are going to be just fine because their mom is raising them to be strong and confident. Names like Paris are pretty rare, and look how Paris Hilton turned out. She ran the school when she was a student and is now doing just fine for herself.

Being kind on the internet People are obviously making fun of the mother’s decisions and choice names for her kids, but in reality, they are also making fun of these kids. They are innocent in the matter and may grow up to love their special names. If anything, McKinli’s story should teach people a lesson of being nice to others on the internet. There are real people on the other hand and may get really hurt by what others are saying about them.

Not letting it bother her While people have consistently criticized and mocked McKinli for her baby names, she has kept her head held high through it all and hasn’t let it all get to her. She is a strong woman who isn’t going to let a few internet trolls get to her. After all, plenty of people showed their support for her creativity. So she likes unique names for her children? It’s not a crime, yet people like to have something to complain about.

An influencer Of course, any post or picture can go viral, but when you have a lot of social media followers, you’re more likely to get the extra attention. She is a fitness competitor and business owner who seems to be made for social media – Mckinli is a blogger and Instagram influencer with over 68,000 followers. That’s a lot of people who are taking a glimpse into her daily life, and many of them are more than happy to offer their opinions on her posts.

Putting your life online Mckinli seems to really enjoy posting pictures from her daily life and sharing them with her many followers. She posts pictures of herself and of her family, sharing her life with complete strangers. This kind of publicity is not for everyone, but Mckinli seems to enjoy it. However, it comes with its fair share of drawbacks. Sometimes, people can be nasty on the internet, and feel that they have the right to express their opinions, just like they did with her chalkboard.

Blog to business We mentioned that Mckinli first posted pictures of her baby naming chalkboard on her blog. For several years, Mckinli ran a blog called Mommy’s Little Sunshine where she posted pictures of her life as a mom. People noticed the outfits her daughter was wearing, and wanted to know where they could get clothes like that. So, Mckinli started a business selling children’s clothes. It evolved from Mommy’s Little Sunshine to Kynn and co. Now, Mckinli has also started a women’s clothing line called Mckie Rae.

Kynn and co. The children’s clothing company, Kynn and co, is of course named after Mckinli’s daughter Laikynn. It’s a business that little Laikynn helps her mom with, too. She is part of selecting the designs and styles and is also one of the main models for the clothing items. In some ways, having a unique and memorable name can be beneficial. Mckinli and her family sure have come a long way since she was choosing a name for her first child!

What’s in a name People place a great deal of importance on choosing a name for their children. In some cultures, names are chosen based on their meaning. In others, children are often named after relatives or parents. There is some disagreement among researchers about whether or not a child’s name will have an impact on their life. However, it’s clear that having kind, loving parents is the best thing for a child, and it seems that Mckinli is doing all she can to give her children the best life possible.

Stranger than fiction If you thought McKinli’s shortlist of baby names was a sight to see, you have clearly never seen the names that never made the cut to appear on her photograph. Among them were such gems as Kamree and Nykee, which might have at least landed the kid some endorsement deals later on in life. Also on the long list was “McKamey,” which we’re honestly not sure is pronounceable by normal humans. All things considered, maybe Lakynn actually lucked out with her name. It could’ve been far, far worse!

Internet famous Despite having more than 68,000 followers, we wouldn’t go so far as to say McKinli was famous. Rather, it would be more accurate to call her “internet famous.” With the rise of the digital age also came a new kind of fame. This micro-fame thrust otherwise ordinary people like McKinli into a limited limelight. They’re not movie or music stars. They’re usually just average joes – and jills – who got a moderate amount of fame, usually for something specific. It’s now that much easier to become famous – but it does have its drawbacks.

How fickle fame is When you put yourself out there for the entire world to see, you should never forget that fame does have a darker side. While McKinli undoubtedly has a devoted following of people who genuinely care about who she is and what she does, she also has an army of cynics who dismisses and makes fun of her. She could then be considered to be something of a cautionary tale – a modern-day iteration of “be careful what you wish for.” She wanted to be famous, and succeeded, but it came with a price.