Girl named 'Ikea' forced to change her name because of cruel bullies

A teenager called Ikea has spoken out about how she was forced to change her name after school bullies nicknamed her “flat pack”.

19-year-old Jasmine Dagless was named after the Swedish furniture store after her mum saw an advert for the company while pregnant.

But she now goes by the middle name chosen by her dad, while keeping Ikea as her middle name.

Jasmine, from Norwich, said: "I used to get called flat pack quite a lot at primary school.

"The bullying really shocked me because young children don't know about Ikea. I legally changed my name when I was in secondary school.

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"It's only legally that I get called Jasmine. My family still call me Ikea, or 'Kea' for short."

Jasmine, an NHS admin assistant, said that her mum agreed to the name change - despite the family enjoying perks from Ikea after her birth.

She said: "When I was younger my mum got a letter from Ikea that basically said we could get furniture and toys free of charge.

"I got a few toys and my mum got a sofa."

Her name was changed when she was aged 12 in 2014.

Despite changing her name, Jasmine stayed loyal to the store by furnishing her flat with a branded six-drawer chest - and is considering buying a built-in wardrobe from the store.

She added: "I went to Ikea when I was one or two but as an adult I've never been - I really want to go."

It’s no surprise Ikea didn’t feature on the recently released list of the most popular baby names in the UK, but at least it’s memorable!

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