Parents Slammed for Their Son’s Name Choice: ‘Selfish Parents, Poor Child’

Naming a child is one of the first big choices new parents make. It often holds personal, cultural, and sometimes controversial importance. Many parents choose names that reflect family or cultural heritage. Others pick unique names they think will stand out in a good way.

However, this choice can sometimes lead to unexpected opposition, as it did for Dan and Mandy Sheldon.

The couple from Derbyshire didn’t expect that naming their newborn son would become a fight against societal norms and institutional resistance.

Their choice of the name “Lucifer” sparked a heated debate and drew national attention. A registrar refused to accept it, citing potential lifelong consequences for the child.

The Sheldons’ story, (also found in The Sun) shows their determination and unwavering belief in their choice. It highlights the complexities of parental decisions in a world that often clings to traditional and religious meanings.

The couple chose the name “Lucifer” for their baby because they liked its Greek meaning, “light-bringer” and “morning star.” They felt it was a strong, unique name.

However, the registrar’s reaction was far from welcoming.

However, the registrar’s reaction was anything but welcoming.

In fact, the registrar took it far enough and tried to ban the name, stating that it was another name for the devil, adding that the four-month-old little boy “wouldn’t succeed in life” with such a name.

Dan Sheldon, a 37-year-old plant hire company boss, filed an official complaint about how he and his wife, Mandy, 32, were treated by the registrar.

“We were really excited to go and get him registered, but the woman looked at us in utter disgust. She told us he would never be able to get a job, and that teachers wouldn’t want to teach him.”

Sheldon did an interview with This Morning, and explained that the woman even suggested that the name was illegal in other countries.

“She even told us that it was illegal to name a child that in New Zealand and suggested we name him something else but call him Lucifer at home.”

Despite the Sheldons’ attempts to explain that the name’s association with the devil in religious texts had no impact on their son, they faced more challenges.

The registrar then asked the couple to leave the room, stating that she needed to get approval before registering the little boy’s name.

“We were gobsmacked with her behavior,” Dan Sheldon said.

But eventually the registrar gave in and registered the little boy, although it was done with a frown and a clenched jaw.

“Honestly, we just thought it was a nice, unique name. We didn’t expect to get so much grief about it.”

The couple was determined to secure the name they had chosen and filed an official complaint with the local council. After a tense wait, they finally got the news they had hoped for: their complaint was upheld, and they were permitted to name their son Lucifer.

Of course, following the official complaint, the Derbyshire County Council had no choice but to address the situation:

“We apologize if they were offended but it is the job of our registrars to advise in these matters as sometimes people are not aware of certain meanings or associations around certain names.”

But the couple wanted more for their son. It wasn’t just about a name that would raise eyebrows. Despite the controversial religious context, Lucifer also refers to the planet Venus. The Latin name means “light-bringer” or “morning star.”

There is a duality to this name, reflecting the broader cultural and linguistic diversity that can influence name choices.

The Sheldons’ struggle reminds us of the powerful role societal perceptions and religious connotations play in everyday decisions.

Their victory in naming their son Lucifer highlights the importance of understanding and sometimes challenging these societal norms.

But of course, why would it stop there?

The internet also had its say in the story with comments ranging from nasty to positive.

Nasty commenters on YouTube had the following to say:

Absolutely horrible name. Selfish parents, poor child.

Poor child… crazy parents. It’s not about the reactions, It’s about the name…

Also kids are going to give that baby a time because of his name in school!

This carried onto Facebook:

Why would you do that to your own child, no matter what the meaning of the name was, cruel does not even remotely describe it

Setting the child up for life long bullying. Parents are a disgrace.

But there were some positive comments amongst the nastiness too:

Lucifer means Morning Star in Latin. There is nothing wrong in that and We had Christian Church fathers who were named as Lucifer in the early centuries. Lucifer is a cool name.

The name Lucifer is the most beautiful name, but it has so much stigma to it.

Lucifer is a beautiful name. He was an Angel. But the parents need to think that it may be a problem for the kid when growing up or when being an adult.

As society progresses, it is essential to embrace diversity and the myriad ways people choose to define themselves and their loved ones.

Baby Lucifer is destined for big things, despite the negativity bestowed on him by the registrar.

Names hold significant power in society, often shaping first impressions and influencing perceptions. A name with negative connotations, like Lucifer, can attract undue stigma and prejudice.

The stigma around unconventional names can lead to lifelong challenges. Children with unique or controversial names may face bullying or discrimination as others project biases onto them.

In the workplace, unconventional names can sometimes lead to unconscious bias, affecting job prospects and professional relationships.

Names also offer a chance for individuality and cultural expression. Parents like Dan and Mandy Sheldon, who choose names that defy norms, make a statement about personal freedom and the right to self-definition.

Their decision to name their son Lucifer, despite societal pushback, highlights the importance of allowing space for diversity and nonconformity in a world that often favors the familiar and traditional.

Dan and Mandy Sheldon’s story is about more than just a name. It’s about asserting the right to individuality and challenging the status quo.

Their experience reminds us that while names are powerful symbols, they ultimately represent personal and familial identity.

What would you have done?

If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |

When Tara Bjork started her day, she didn’t expect to witness an unusual scenario at the upscale Charlotte restaurant where she worked. But she saw something so surprising that she decided to film it and post the clip on TikTok, where it quickly went viral. The video brought her unexpected fame and applause from viewers but also led to her dismissal.

It was a normal day for Tara Bjork, a waitress at RH Rooftop Restaurant at Restoration Hardware in Charlotte, N.C., until she saw something she couldn’t ignore. It was a man having an unusual dining experience that immediately caught the waitress’s attention.

Intrigued and amused, Bjork decided to capture the moment on her phone. She knew she wasn’t supposed to film while at work and understood that posting the video online could lead to her dismissal. Yet, her curiosity and desire to share the hilarious incident outweighed her concerns.

As she recorded the video, she worried about the possible outcome. On one hand, she thought that no one would notice the video at all, but on the other, she dreaded that it might go viral and bring unwanted backlash. What she didn’t expect was how quickly the video would spread and the overwhelming response it would receive.

When Bjork posted the video to TikTok, it quickly gained traction, amassing over 2.5 million views. The humorous nature of the content captivated viewers, leading to hundreds of thousands of comments.

This overwhelming response was both exciting and nerve-wracking for Bjork. As the views skyrocketed, she knew she might have to face the consequences at work.

The video showed a young man dining with a blow-up doll at the upscale restaurant. The surreal scene caught everyone’s attention, from fellow diners to Bjork’s coworkers. What was more absurd was that the man had ordered a meal for himself and a salad for the doll.

He had hoped people would record him when he first brought the doll to the restaurant, and he saw about six phones immediately recording him as he was sitting down.

The man in the video was Henry Herrera, who took the blow-up doll on a “date” as a punishment. His unusual dinner companion was part of a comedic bit that quickly captured everyone’s attention in the room.

Henry’s thought process behind it was simple yet hilarious. He had lost in his fantasy football league and had to bring the doll as his date. He found the whole experience humiliating. But Henry admitted, “The funny thing is it was my idea.”

Henry’s punishment was different from the previous year’s, which involved sitting in a Waffle House for 24 hours, with each waffle consumed subtracting an hour. He explained that the league wanted to do something different from what they had seen online.

“Last year we started punishments for the last-place finisher in our fantasy football league [sic],” he said. “But we kept seeing [the Waffle House challenge] online, so we wanted to do something different.”

Read the full story here.