A TikToker named Meme, who posts as @scaredandsobbing, asked her parents whether they had considered any other names for her before she was born. It's a question many people have wondered about at some point. But the answer her father gave was far from what she expected. The video has garnered more than 10.6 million views and 3,411 comments.
Meme wanted to ask her parents a seemingly innocent question: Had they considered any other names for her? She thought it would lead to a cute conversation, but instead, she learned about a misunderstanding that nearly caused a fight between her parents at the hospital.
Before sharing the story, Meme explained that her mother had a difficult delivery. Both she and her mother nearly died during the process. By the time it was over, her mother was understandably exhausted and upset. Meme had been expected to be a boy, and amid the chaos, her mother asked her father to come up with a name.
He suggested Angie. A fairly ordinary name, right? But his suggestion prompted a strong reaction from Meme's mother. It wasn't because her father had an ex named Angie or because she particularly disliked the name. She had simply misheard him.
Instead of hearing “Angie,” she thought he had said “engine.” Meme explained that her father worked as a car salesman, so her mother thought he was seriously suggesting that they name their child after a car part.
In the stressful moment, Meme's mother reportedly questioned why she had married a car guy and threatened to divorce him over the name. She was apparently worried that he might actually write “Engine” on the birth certificate.
Of course, the couple eventually cleared up the misunderstanding. But it's a story that has clearly stuck with the family over the years.
TikTok Users Find the Story Behind Meme's Name Hilarious
People on TikTok had a field day in the comments. Some shared their own stories about the names their parents had considered, while others poked fun at Meme's name and wondered whether it was short for something.
“I feel Angie suits u better than Meme :/,” one commenter joked.
Others wanted to know what her full name was or whether Meme was her actual name. Another viewer agreed that Angie would have suited her, writing, “Damn, you look and sound like an Angie too.”
Some commenters shared their own stories about their fathers' unusual name suggestions.
“My dad wanted to name me Polly and make my middle name Esther,” one person wrote.
Another shared that her father had misspelled her name from the beginning: “My dad spelled my name wrong. It's supposed to be Denise… not Dennys.”
Someone else revealed, “My name was supposed to be Amber but my dad thought it sounded like hamburger...”
Overall, Meme's unexpected family story struck a chord with viewers, many of whom joined in by sharing their own memorable baby-name stories.
