Meet the mums who called their babies Bambi like Molly-Mae – who reveal how others react
FORMER Love Islanders Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury broke the internet by announcing the very unusual name for their new baby.
The happy couple plumped for the Disney-inspired Bambi, and it has proved to be very divisive among fans.
Influencer Molly-Mae is said to have set her heart on the name when she was young and she told fans in a video on her YouTube channel last year that they will either “love or hate” it.
While she and boxer Tommy, both 23, have received some positive feedback, Molly-Mae has now disabled the comments function on her name-reveal post.
Prior to the birth, she told fans on YouTube: “It’s a really really unusual and a different name, I do not know anybody else with the name.
“I’ve not seen any other girls with the name before, it’s that different.”
READ MORE ON BEING NAMED BAMBI
But we have done some research and found five mums who also named their baby Bambi. Here they explain why, and how others react . . .
‘My family is part Italian and bambino is Italian for baby’
KIDS’ design store sales boss Talia Geraldi, 30, named her girl Bambi Blu. She and partner Glenn Foot, 35, a former pro boxer, who live in Sunderland, are also parents to one-year-old Kisses. She said:
“I was determined to come up with an unusual name for my baby. By the time she was due I’d narrowed it down to Tiger Lily or Bambi. My family is part Italian and the Italian word bambino means baby.
"Naming a baby is deeply personal and I knew I’d know the right name for my little one when she arrived.
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"I don’t know another so couldn’t believe it when Molly-Mae announced her little girl was called Bambi.
"My daughter’s name shocks, stuns and divides opinion. It’s controversial and everyone has an opinion. Half my family and friends love my daughter’s name, half don’t and loads are just utterly perplexed.
"I’m asked if it is a nickname or a joke. But I don’t care.'
‘People loved it or hated it – it was a Marmite moment’
EVENT planner Joey Nealon, 38, credits husband Ben, 40, an advertising director, with picking Bambi as a name for their four-year-old. The couple, from Shurton, Somerset, are also parents to six-year-old Austin. She said:
"Ben has always loved the name, as it was made famous by Disney. But when we told people our daughter’s name, it was a Marmite moment. They loved or hated it.
"When I said it was Ben’s idea they looked even more stunned. Many spluttered: “But it’s a deer’s name.”
"I have been trolled on social media with people rudely asking: “Who in the world names their child Bambi?” My response is: “I do!”
"Bambi’s teachers admit she has the most unique name at her school. She is kind and loving, like Bambi in the movie. She adores her name and collects Bambi-themed items. We’re off to Disneyland at Easter and she can’t wait to meet a Disney Bambi.'
‘I was afraid people would laugh at me – or nick the name!’
FORMER nanny Katie Holton, 32, from Ware, Herts, wanted a unique name for her now seven-year-old daughter with Robert Laney, 33. She said:
"When I discovered I was pregnant with a girl in April 2015 I knew she wasn’t going to be a Lily, Daisy or Olivia.
"As a nanny, I’d cared for so many children with more traditional names and was determined my little one would be unique.
"My top two choices were ‘Disney’ and ‘Bambi’. I didn’t tell anyone, afraid people would laugh or criticise or even worse, nick the name.
"Bambi was born in October 2015 and when people saw Bambi on the name label above her hospital cot there was tutting, tittering, lots of ‘Oh my gods’, as well as people who loved the joy and fantasy her name suggested.
"Bambi’s brother was born in March 2021 and I named him Bobby Buster. His name has caused as much outrage as Bambi.
"Some people tell me I have saddled the kids with unprofessional names. One relative asked, ‘What happens if she wants to be a lawyer or doctor?’
"I wasn’t concerned.
"My advice to Molly Mae is let the trolls wear themselves out. Bambi is a great name and your child will define their own version of Bambi."
‘I’m a big Disney fan but hadn’t actually seen that movie’
CARER Sophie Watson, 29, from Newcastle, is a single mum to Bessi, six, Bonni, five and three-year-old Bambi. She said:
"All my daughters have names starting with ‘B’ and ending in ‘I’.
"Bambi was the logical choice to keep my theme going when she was born in December 2019.
"I am a massive Disney fan but hadn’t actually seen Bambi. I just loved the way it sounded.
"Now we watch the movie at least three times a year.
"She loves the fact she can spot Bambi themed merchandise in shops - and it saves us a fortune on personalised t-shirts.
"Her big eyes and brown hair make her a perfect Bambi.
"I’ve never had anyone tell me to my face they think the name is trashy. I’ve defended Molly-Mae’s name choice on social media. As a fellow mum to a Bambi we have to stick together.'
‘I was inspired by a model – I loved how unique the name was’
NAIL technician Phoebe Hind, 26, lives in Portsmouth, with partner Neale Goodeve, 35. They are parents to Bambi Lou Goodeve, two, and, like Molly-Mae, Phoebe had the name in mind from a young age. She said:
'Having Molly-Mae as a new member of the Bambi Baby name club is amazing. My phone lit up last night when she revealed her baby’s name.
She’s got great taste and as a fellow Bambi mummy the name gets my thumbs up.
Molly shouldn’t listen to people who criticise her beautiful name choice.
My Bambi was born in August 2020. Her dad and I had shortlisted Bambi or Bunny for her name. When she arrived, I knew Bambi was the perfect choice.
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I know about the Disney movie but when I was 17 I started following an Australian model on Instagram called Bambi and I just loved the name and how unique it was.
Everyone in our area knows Bambi and celebrates her name.'