I’m a Disney addict & named my kids after characters – trolls say I can’t call a baby after a monster but I don’t care
EXHAUSTED and sweating from an eight-hour labour, Morag Spence pushed one more time.
Then, the midwife excitedly declared ‘she’s here’, Morag breathed a sigh of relief.
When her crying newborn was placed in her arms the proud new mum glowed with pride.
“I saw my little girl's face for the first time and it was amazing,” she said. “The pride and joy was overwhelming. Her birth was a fairytale come true,” Morag, 41, who is a support worker from Elgin, Scotland, told Fabulous.
Morag’s tiny bundle of joy weighed 7lb 9oz and was Morag’s first child.
“During the pregnancy I’d thought long and hard about naming her. I wanted it to be special and a name people would remember. I also didn't want it to be so out there and odd that people would think I’d completely lost the plot.
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“That is why I named her Disney Sarah. A combination of names that is different but traditional and I know no one else will have used.”
Morag is a self-confessed huge Walt Disney and fan.
“I have loved the fairy tales, the cartoons and movies and the amazing characters created by Walt Disney.
“I grew up watching traditional Disney movies like Bambi and Dumbo.
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“I knew my love of all things Disney would inspire me when it came to selecting a name for my daughter.”
But for Morag, married to Gary Spence, 45, a joiner who is dad to Morag’s two boys, it was a different Walt Disney who sealed the deal when it came to selecting Disney as her daughter’s moniker.
“Her dad had a great uncle whose first and middle name was Walt and Disney. He has sadly passed away but Disney and he bonded over their shared names,” she said.
“I'd never heard Disney used as a first or second name and when I was told about her great uncle's unusual name I knew I’d be using Disney as a first name for my daughter,” she said.
I knew my love of all things Disney would inspire me when it came to selecting a name for my daughter
Morag Spence
In keeping to her vow to ensure her daughter had a combination of unique and traditional names Morag selected Sarah as her daughter's middle title.
“I chose Sarah because when she was older if she didn't like Disney or perhaps she was getting grief or trolled for it she could use Sarah.”
Morag’s Disney is now 14 and often gets called Dizzy or people mistake her first name for Destiny.
“Since she started high school Disney has been using Disney-Sarah,” she said. “It’s her choice and it shows my forward thinking worked. She loves her name and loves how I give her the choice to decide what she wants to be called.”
Morag's love of fairy tale names didn't end there.
Her three children all have Disney themed names combined with ‘sensible’ second names.
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Chip Ian Gary, named after the little chipped tea-cup in the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, arrived weighing 7lb 13oz in January 2021.
Then in June 2022 Morag completed her fairytale family with the birth of Sulley Leo, now eight months. He weighed nine pounds five.
He’s named after the blue-furred ogre with horns, purple spots, razor-sharp claws on his hands, furry talons for feet, a pod-like tail, spikes running down his back and shark -like fangs in Monsters Inc.. A monster that is cute, furry and adorable.
“I love these names and the kids adore them,” she said. “It’s always a talking point and people want to know the inspiration for them.
Before the birth of her siblings, Disney and I did a special Disney-themed trip to America.
It’s always a talking point and people want to know the inspiration for them
Morag Spence
“I had to take my daughter to see in Orlando. We did the Bibbity BobbityExperience and the Disney Dream Cruise through the Caribbean and she got to see her name plastered everywhere in Disney World on signs, t-shirts and souvenirs.
“Taking her to Disney World was like coming home for us. She was five years old when we went and it was like a ‘name pilgrimage’.”
Morag says most people love her children’s name choices.
“When I explain I have combined unusual with traditional, everyone I tell admits it's inspired. I know quite a few people who have taken my advice and done similar things when naming their child.
“I know some people will roll their eyes at me for the names but I am not bothered. You can never make everyone happy.
“I feel sorry for those people. The full names I chose are considered and uniquely sensible. I see some children with multiple wacky names and think ‘gosh could your parents not have thrown in a traditional name ‘just in case’.’
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“I think it’s easy for parents to go for totally outlandish and wacky names and not think through how their child will react when they are 10, 15 or 30 years old.
“No matter what, my kids will definitely get a fairytale ending.”
