An Australian woman's gripe about how she was duped by her husband into naming their baby daughter after his favourite football team has gone viral.

It turns out that the die-hard supporter of English Premier League giants Arsenal had sneakily suggested the club's name - spelt backwards - to avoid being found out.

Ms Clare Smith, from the suburb of Blacktown in Greater Western Sydney, had her quirky letter published in a local magazine.

"We chose our daughter's name, Lanesra, because it was unique and romantic," she wrote.

"It wasn't till she was two that my husband told me it was actually his favourite soccer team, Arsenal, spelled backwards!"

A photo of the short excerpt made it onto online forum Reddit, and has since racked up over two million views.

It was also shared widely on social media by fans of the London-based football team, who hailed the amusing subterfuge employed by Ms Smith's husband.

Others, commenting on the Reddit thread however, did not share her view that the name was romantic, with one suggesting it sounded like a popular Italian pasta.

"Kids at school will call her Lasagna," wrote user MeAsaHorse.