When Linda Dagless from Norwich in England became pregnant in 2002, she and her boyfriend Bradley Wheeler struggled to find the name of the little girl who was on her way. The inspiration came from an unexpected source.
– I was pregnant, sat on the couch with my boyfriend and tried to find a good name. Then I noticed an ad for Ikea on the TV, writes Norwich Evening News.
– I had seen Ikea commercials both on TV and in magazines, and have always thought that they have nice furniture. I thought “Ikea” would be a nice name for my baby.
The boyfriend said it was okay, as long as he got to choose the middle name. Thus, the baby was christened Ikea Jasmine Dagless.
It went well in childhood, but when Ikea started school, the bullying started. And it lasted for many years.
This is what she does today
– In primary school, I was often called “flat-packed”, since my name is Ikea. The bullying was shocking, and I had to change my name when I was twelve years old.
Thus, she changed her name from Ikea Jasmine Dagless to Jasmine Ikea Dagless.
– I did not want to get rid of the Ikea name. That was the name Mom and Dad chose for me. And my friends and family still call me Ikea, or “Kea”, which is my nickname, says Jasmine, who is now 19 years old.
Despite being named after the furniture giant, she has never visited an Ikea store as an adult.
– I was taken there when I was an infant, but have not been there since. I really want to go there sometime, she says SurreyLive.
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