A mother has defended her controversial baby name after trolls dubbed her choice “cruel”.
Ronni Lily isn’t bothered by the fact that her son’s name is illegal in several countries, including New Zealand and Germany.
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In fact, the 27-year-old claims that “there is nothing negative about his name” – despite it being widely accepted as the nickname for the devil.
Ronni and her partner Brad named their son Lucifer in January this year.
Lucifer means “light bringer” or “Morning Star” but is more commonly known as the name of the devil and is banned in some countries.
While the name isn’t illegal in the UK, it certainly raises some eyebrows.
The couple from Birmingham, West Midlands, are not religious and were instead inspired to choose the name after watching the Netflix series Lucifer.
Ronni, mother of four, believes it fits perfectly with her other children’s names: Lola, six, Lincoln, three, and Lilac, two.
“Trolls told me it’s illegal, but we love it,” she says.
“We had an agreement where I had the final say on our daughters’ names and Brad could choose our sons’ names.
“When I was pregnant, he had just watched the show [Lucifer] and we both agreed it was a really cool name.
“Of course we are aware of a certain connotation, but we are not religious.”
Little Lucifer Ashley came into the world on January 20, but his controversial name was chosen much earlier, when Ronni was 16 weeks pregnant.
It was not a last minute decision and no other name influenced his choice over the nine months.
“A family member couldn’t contain himself”, reveals Ronni.
“Not only did she tell us she hated it, but she also said it was an ‘abomination’ to call a baby that name.
Names banned in the UK
The UK has no law restricting names, but names that contain obscenities, numerals, misleading titles or are impossible to pronounce are likely to be rejected when registering a child.
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“She still doesn’t use his full name, but she calls him Luci.
“But my dad loved it straight away – he said it was really different and edgy and I should keep it up.”
“ILLEGAL AND CRUEL”
However, when Ronni announced her son’s arrival and name to an online mothers’ group, she was met with fierce criticism.
Concerned strangers warned the mother her son would be bullied, while horrified parents said it was “illegal” and “cruel”.
Ronni, a trained teaching assistant, disagrees and argues that kids are more concerned about branded coaches than unusual names these days.
When he was born, the midwives told us they loved the name and encouraged us not to change it.
Ronnie Lily
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“Other parents said I named him after the devil, so he will be like the devil,” she says.
“That’s stupid because you can’t negatively label a child.
“His name is unusual but strong and I just ignored the trolls’ comments – what we call our son has nothing to do with them.”
JEALOUS PEOPLE
Ronni even says that other moms are secretly jealous that they didn’t use the name.
“Amid the negative comments and judgments, many other mothers admitted that they loved the name and considered using it,” she says.
“But they let their worries get the better of them and other people pushed them away.
Other parents said I named him after the devil so he will be like the devil
Ronnie Lily
“I’m sad that so many parents have admitted online that they loved the name but decided not to use it due to peer pressure and outdated opinions.
“When he was born, the midwives told us they loved the name and encouraged us not to change it.”
The controversial moniker was banned in New Zealand in 2013, but Ronni insists she had no problems officially registering Lucifer Ashley in the UK.
HELL OF A NAME
In May 2020, a couple won a legal battle to name their son Lucifer after the registrar tried to ban its use.
Dan and Mandy Sheldon were told to leave the room while the officer checked to see if she had permission to register the boy with the satanic title.
The devil’s name as Lucifer was first seen in the King James Bible in 1611.
In more modern versions of the Bible he is referred to as Satan.
The UK has very few legal restrictions on names, although those containing obscenities and numbers are likely to be rejected.
My son is such a cheeky guy and there is nothing ‘devilish’ about his behavior or personality. He is Lucifer, the legend
Ronnie Lily
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“At the registry office, we didn’t have any problems,” says Ronni. “No raised eyebrows or sighs of disgust.
“The registrar simply confirmed the spelling and that was it.
“I’m sure they hear much worse names every day.
“I didn’t think about whether he could get married in church if he ever wanted to.
“I really don’t think there will be any long-term problems, but he has a common middle name that he can use if he wants or needs to.”
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
When introducing Lucifer to strangers in real life, Ronni was met with a mix of positive and shocked reactions.
She says: “Generally people love it, but some gave me nervous giggles.
“Sometimes when people ask, I warn them first and say ‘it’s quite unusual’ or controversial.
“This is just to give them a moment to know that I’m not going to care what they say.
“Ultimately, people like it or they don’t, but their opinion is not relevant.
“My son is such a cheeky guy and there is nothing ‘devilish’ about his behavior or personality.
“He is Lucifer, the legend. There is nothing negative in his name.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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