Hi Jennifer,

My husband and I are trying to agree on a girl name. I like the name Leah, but my husband pointed out that with our last name her initials would be L.D. (without her middle initial). He thinks that she’ll get teased because LD is also short for learning disability.

What do you think? Is it really that noticeable or do you think initials are really that important?

Please help!

Thanks,
Raelyn

Dear Raelyn,

Maybe I’m out of it, but I really didn’t associate the initials with the acronym.  Is this common in schools? If so, perhaps it would be teasable, but very remotely. 

Here’s some homework: do some “field research” and ask some kids what they think of the initials LD. See if they make the association.  Always go to the source!

Sincerely,

Jennifer

Jennifer Moss (she/her) is the founder of BabyNames.com, author of The Baby Names Workbook, and Producer of The Baby Names Podcast. Jennifer is widely regarded as the leading expert on popular baby name trends and the naming process, serving as the authoritative source on the subject for national and international media.

Jennifer entered the tech arena in the 80s as a software developer and database architect, and became a pioneer in the Internet industry. In addition to operating BabyNames.com, Jennifer owns a web development agency in central California.