'My parents want me to change my name - they've always regretted their choice'

A teenager has shot down his parents' request to change his name because they've spent years regretting their decision. He explained how his parents named all of his siblings after other family members, as per their own parents' wishes.

But when he was born, they decided to go against this tradition and they picked out a moniker they each liked instead as a "middle finger" to their own parents. However now he is about to graduate, they have been trying to persuade him to change his name because they feel it's too childish for the real world.

He said on Reddit: "They named me Sunny. Yeah, the 'girl version' of Sonny. I don't care. I don't think Sunny is girly because it has a u vs an o. But anyway. My parents started to regret my name when I was maybe 10? I don't remember exactly when but I can remember being about 10 and my parents started sometimes calling me by my middle name and only stopping when I told them it was weird and I liked my first name.

"When I was 13 they asked me if I ever went by a nickname and I said no. Last year they said some kids change their names before graduating high school because they want something more grown up and they want to save the added expense of changing the name on their degree. I was like oh, I guess if people want that it makes sense. Then I said it must suck to hate your name."

Still pushing the idea, his parents started suggesting the name James to him with the nickname Jamie. He said: "They asked what I thought of the name and I said I like Jamie but prefer Sunny. Then they asked if I liked the name Luke and I said no.

"In June they asked me if I would consider letting them change my name to something different. They said they feel like they named me as a big f*** you to their families but felt bad that I had such an unserious name for a man. I told them I didn't want to change my name and I always loved the way they talked about finding my name."

READ MORE: People gobsmacked after only just learning how Lady Gaga got iconic stage name

His parents confessed that their feelings towards the name Sunny had changed - and they're worried how the moniker will impact him in the working world. He added: "They said they deeply regretted it. I told them I was glad they made the choice they did and they shouldn't stress it. But last week they got the paperwork for a legal name change and presented me with like three name choices and asked me to pick.

"They said they really didn't want to live with the guilt. I told them I'm not changing my name because of their name regret. I told them how I feel about my name is more important now. They told me I should at least think of their feelings and that I should consider the future and whether I'll be taken seriously."

Commenting on his post, one user said: "It sounds like your parents are more concerned about their feelings regarding your name than your feelings. That name is yours, you're your own person, and if you don't want to change your name because you like it, then don't. Those are their feelings to live with, and putting them on you as a child is unfair and weird.

"I also have a weather name and i still love it, and i'm almost thirty. More power to you!" Another user added: "Your parents sound exhausting." A third user said: "They had their chance to name you. They don't get a do-over just because they have regret. The only person who has the right to change your name is you. I love it personally."