I named my daughter after the coronavirus pandemic – people say it’s crass, I think it’s dead cute and timely

MUM-OF-ONE and hair salon owner Jodi Cross, 36, shocked people when she named her daughter after the pandemic.

Jodi and husband Rob, 36, a commercial electrical business owner, are proud parents to 10-month-old Lockie.

The mum says she’s been described as ‘mad’ for choosing the unique moniker but isn’t fazed by the comments.

Speaking exclusively to Fabulous, Jodi, from Bedford, reveals why she wouldn’t change little Lockie’s name for the world…

SAT UP in my hospital bed last November, cuddled up to my newborn daughter, I was full of joy.

She’d arrived a small but healthy 5lb 2oz in just 38 minutes and the coronavirus pandemic was still in full swing with Omicron gripping the nation.

“You’re lucky she didn’t arrive during the lockdown,” said one nurse. “Mums weren’t allowed to bring in their partners and the rules were so strict.”

What they didn’t know is I’d named my girl after the pandemic.

My husband Rob, 36, and I decided to call her Lockie – directly after lockdown.

People are floored when they find out. They quite often think I’m joking and lots say that her name is inappropriate.

Lockdown may be a time many want to forget but we’ve decided to celebrate it because if it wasn’t for the restrictions she wouldn’t have been born. 

Her dad and I went to school together between the ages of four and 15.  

We were in the same class and knew each other as friends.

We lost contact, then 20 years later in November 2019 we swiped right on each other’s Tinder profile.

I thought it would just be a catch-up meeting at the local pub and we’d talk about old friends and school but instead, we fell head over heels.

In March 2020 when lockdown hit, and having both been divorced, we decided to throw caution to the wind and move in together. 

I discovered I was pregnant at the end of January 2021.

“If anyone criticises our name choice, we simply tell them we can’t change it – the universe simply won’t let us.”

Jodi Cross

In August last year Rob asked me to marry him and we got engaged. 

We’d both done the big white wedding so Rob suggested we run away and secretly get married at Gretna Green, Scotland. 

I bought a second-hand cream dress on eBay and we said ‘I do’ when I was seven months pregnant without telling any of our friends or family. 

A month later Lockie, the result of our lockdown love, came screaming into the world.

When we announced our daughter’s name there was even more surprise than when we sent our wedding video out.

One friend said she’s just grateful I didn’t call our child Covi – short for Covid.

I joked that I could have called our baby Corona, Virus, Latty or Flow.

Others loved the name, and everyone adored the story which goes with it.

If anyone criticises our name choice, we tell them we can’t change it – the universe simply won’t let us.

We love Lockie and it fits her perfectly.

I know some people think it’s crass but frankly I don’t care!

I also know there will be no other girl with a name like hers.