'My mum says I gave my baby the worst name imaginable – the whole family hates it'

There's a seemingly endless list of options to choose from when it comes to baby names, and in some cases families have their own traditions to follow, such as naming children with the same first letter. Whatever you choose, the decision is ultimately yours, but that doesn't mean that everyone has to like the name you pick - as one man found out the hard way.

In a post on Reddit, the dad explained his family always name new babies after their grandparents. After his wife gave birth to a baby boy, the couple should have named him either Jack or Parker after either of his two grandfathers - but they decided to ditch the family tradition and named him Hollis instead.

The dad argued that his wife's side of the family doesn't have any naming traditions so he didn't feel comfortable forcing his own family's tradition onto his son. On top of that, neither he or his wife were fond of Jack or Parker as names, and instead decided to go for one they both liked.

The man faced severe backlash for defying the family tradition, especially from his mum, who condemned the choice as the "worst name imaginable". He said on Reddit: "She told me we had no business breaking a long-held tradition in our family and there's a reason those traditions are there so foolish people can't name their babies the worst names imaginable. She also said my in-laws must be so smug thinking they'll have at least two 'stupidly named grandkids'."

The situation escalated when the man sharply told his mother to "shut up", inciting her to chastise him for his "rudeness". Nevertheless, online commenters are largely defending his choice.

One supporter stated: "If your mother wants to have a say in naming a baby, then she should have another baby. She was unnecessarily rude and disrespectful to you, your wife, your in-laws, and your child." Another sympathiser said: "It's as simple as this: if the kid isn't theirs, they don't get to decide the name. If they have a naming tradition, it doesn't matter. It's still not their kid, so it's not their decision."