“I think I was just brought back down to planet Earth very, very quickly—of how nasty this world can be,” Hague admitted on her YouTube channel, reflecting on the trolling that followed her daughter’s name reveal. “I know it’s unusual and unique and not going to be to everyone’s taste, so when we announced it, in my mind, it’s a beautiful name. And then two seconds later, I was like, ‘Oh my God!’”
Despite the online hate, Hague and Fury stood firm. For them, there was never any other option. “There was only one name for our little girl, and it was Bambi,” Fury explained. “When Molly was young, she only ever wanted to call her daughter one thing and that was Bambi… and I’m not going to be the guy to say no. I love the name anyway.”
The couple—who have since split—eventually disabled comments on their announcement post to shield their daughter from further unsolicited criticism.
‘Great minds’
Hague and Fury aren’t the only ones who fell in love with the name Bambi. Months earlier, 25-year-old Sydney influencer Indy Clinton revealed she had named her daughter Bambi Valentine. At the time, she believed the name was entirely unique.
“I was convinced it was unusual and that nobody would use it,” Clinton told Daily Mail. “Good on Molly-Mae though—looks like great minds think alike.”
Like Hague, Clinton’s fondness for the name came from her lifelong love of Disney’s Bambi. She often read the storybook to her two-year-old son, Navy, before the idea suddenly struck her. “I was reading the book to Navy one night and it came to me. I sat up and yelled, ‘What about Bambi?’ and from then on it stuck,” she recalled.
‘My Bambilicious’
Clinton, who has three children, had originally planned to name her baby Paloma. But when her daughter arrived in October 2022, her “big brown eyes” and “sweet, curious nature” instantly reminded her mother of the iconic animated fawn.
“She couldn’t be a Paloma now—she’s my Bambilicious,” Clinton said.
Much like Hague, Clinton also faced backlash. Critics online dismissed the name as frivolous, with one commenter writing, “Brilliant stripper name,” while others reacted with little more than a confused, “Bambi?” followed by emojis.
Yet plenty of others adored the choice. “How beautiful she is! And what a gorgeous forever name you have gifted her. Welcome to the world Bambi Valentine,” one user gushed on Instagram. Another added, “So cute, love her name!” while a third wrote, “She’s gorgeous, love her name—congratulations.”
Clinton brushed off the negativity. “People will criticize anything these days, so at least give them something to talk about,” she said.
Calling Bambi part of a bigger cultural shift, she argued that “unique names are the new trend,” pointing to other modern choices like River, Bear, Forest, Stormi, and Wolf.
“That’s her name, and nothing is going to change that,” Clinton declared.