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People Share Their Unfortunate Name Stories After Amy Schumer Changes Her Baby’s Name Because It Sounded Like “Genital”
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People Share Their Unfortunate Name Stories After Amy Schumer Changes Her Baby’s Name Because It Sounded Like “Genital”

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The names our parents give us can define what kind of people we become. Some kids are given very unfortunate names that can lead to a lot of bullying in the future. And the sad thing is, some parents don’t even realize it until it’s too late. Fortunately, some correct their mistakes early on.

Comedian and actor Amy Schumer and her husband Chris Fischer had their first child in May 2019 and named him Gene Attell Fischer. A very interesting name, don’t you think? Well, the parents eventually realized that their son’s name sounds like the word “genital” when said out loud and officially changed it to Gene David.

Schumer’s story inspired others to share their own unfortunate name stories. As it turns out, lots of people have run into problems because of their names! Read on, dear Pandas, and let us know in the comments if you’ve ever had any issues with your own names. Bored Panda reached out to celebrity expert Mike Sington to hear his opinion about Schumer’s situation, so be sure to scroll down for our interview with him!

More info: AmySchumer.com | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify

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    This is comedian Amy Schumer. She had her first child in May 2019

    Image credits: amyschumer

    Here’s her husband Chris Fischer holding their son who they named Gene Attell Fischer

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    Image credits: amyschumer

    Schumer named her son in tribute of her close friend Dave Attell

    Image credits: amyschumer

    However, the couple eventually realized that their son’s name sounds like the word “genital” when you say it out loud

    Image credits: amyschumer

    The parents thought it was best to protect their son from future embarrassment…

    Image credits: amyschumer

    …so they officially changed his name to Gene David Fischer

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    Image credits: amyschumer

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    Schumer openly joked about her mistake and took things in stride

    Image credits: amyschumer

    Comedian Schumer gave her son his unusual middle name “Attell” as a tribute to her close friend, fellow comedian Dave Attell.

    38-year-old Schumer announced that she and her husband changed their kid’s name on the latest episode of her Spotify podcast Amy Schumer Presents: 3 Girls, 1 Keith.

    “So do you guys know that Gene, our baby’s name is officially changed? It’s now Gene David Fischer. It was Gene Attell Fischer but we realized that, by accident, we named our son ‘genital,’” Schumer told her cohosts on the podcast.

    A guest on the show, actor and comedian Claudia O’Doherty added that her mom had noticed that earlier: “My mom was like, ‘Amy’s called her son genital.’ And I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And then, she was right.”

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    Meanwhile, Schumer’s friend Attell seemed to take the news pretty well. He was happy that the toddler now has his first name, even if “Attell” is now off the table.

    “She may have prevented her son from years of suffering”

    Celebrity expert Mike told us that he thinks Schumer made the right decision to change her son’s name. “The kid would have been teased and bullied in school if classmates had found out his middle name,” he said.

    “Amy meant well by naming her son after a friend, but she didn’t think it through when the first name was considered with the middle name. By making the change, she may have prevented her son from years of suffering. Changing her son’s name was a bold move, and I admire Amy for doing it,” Mike told us that Schumer helped her child avoid a lot of potential pain in the future.

    After learning about Schumer’s kid’s name, lots of people shared their own unfortunate name stories

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    Celebrities change their names to make them more memorable or to simplify them

    There are plenty of celebrities out there who have changed their names to make it big. For instance, music legend Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara, wrestler Randy Savage was originally Randall Mario Poffo while actress Olivia Wilde had the unfortunate last name, Cockburn. By why do celebs change their names?

    “Historically, celebrities have changed their names for one of two reasons: to make them memorable, by selecting a unique name, or to make them easier to remember, by simplifying a complicated or hard to spell name,” Mike told Bored Panda.

    “The practice is much less common today, when uniqueness seems to prevail—look at all the wacky celebrity baby names like Apple, Blue Ivy, North West, Saint, Chicago, Cricket, and Birdie. Occasionally, a celebrity has no choice. The Screen Actors Guild does not allow two actors to have the same name. So if your name is already ‘taken,’ you have to change it to something different!”

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    Jonas Grinevičius

    Jonas Grinevičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

    Read less »
    Jonas Grinevičius

    Jonas Grinevičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

    Ilona Baliūnaitė

    Ilona Baliūnaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

    Read less »

    Ilona Baliūnaitė

    Ilona Baliūnaitė

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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    TheKnightOwl
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As someone who grew up with a surname that is also a colloquialism for genitalia, I thank Amy on her sons behalf. It's not just kids that are brutal, adults can be too.

    rkararhayder
    Community Member
    4 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    Makes $140 to $180 consistently online work and I got $16894 in one month electronic acting from home..GVC.I am a step by step understudy and work essentially one to two or three hours in my additional time.Everybody will complete that obligation and monline akes extra cash by simply open this link……myhomebusiness2.tk

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    Helena R
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When I got married my initials changed to HRM , I fairly often get called 'Her Royal Majesty' at work

    Daria B
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have a colleague too, from France, whose surname happens to coincide with the king Saejong 세종대왕, when transcribed in Korean.

    Load More Replies...
    Lisa T
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A couple of decades ago, at a mum’s group where we all hung together with our babies/toddlers, we were talking about first names and surnames etc. A good friend of mine asked a mum her surname, she said Hunt. My friend said “Lucky you didn’t name him Mike” and the mum goes “oh, my older son is named Michael” (she was serious) and we were holding our breath, waiting for her to walk away, before we almost went our pants with laughter

    Load More Comments
    TheKnightOwl
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    As someone who grew up with a surname that is also a colloquialism for genitalia, I thank Amy on her sons behalf. It's not just kids that are brutal, adults can be too.

    rkararhayder
    Community Member
    4 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    Makes $140 to $180 consistently online work and I got $16894 in one month electronic acting from home..GVC.I am a step by step understudy and work essentially one to two or three hours in my additional time.Everybody will complete that obligation and monline akes extra cash by simply open this link……myhomebusiness2.tk

    Load More Replies...
    Helena R
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    When I got married my initials changed to HRM , I fairly often get called 'Her Royal Majesty' at work

    Daria B
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I have a colleague too, from France, whose surname happens to coincide with the king Saejong 세종대왕, when transcribed in Korean.

    Load More Replies...
    Lisa T
    Community Member
    4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    A couple of decades ago, at a mum’s group where we all hung together with our babies/toddlers, we were talking about first names and surnames etc. A good friend of mine asked a mum her surname, she said Hunt. My friend said “Lucky you didn’t name him Mike” and the mum goes “oh, my older son is named Michael” (she was serious) and we were holding our breath, waiting for her to walk away, before we almost went our pants with laughter

    Load More Comments
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