Should you love the name you choose?

[allieballiebee]

Hi

With both my DDs we loved the names before they were born and they seemed right. I'm due in 3 weeks time and have a boys name we love but not a girls name. We've got it down to Naomi and Eliza. He likes Naomi more, I like Eliza more. I did love Eliza but have heard of too many living locally, so it's really put me off. Do you think we'd learn to love the name if we didn't love it when we gave it to our child? Or would we always think - 'yeah it's nice enough' or maybe even come to think 'meh'? I keep going through the baby name book and websites but cannot for the life of me come up with a better alternative.

[Iggly]

Who cares about the other Elizas. Try not to get too hung up on what other people have named their kids and go with your first choice.

[allieballiebee]

DH doesn't really like it though! I could get him to love it I'm sure, If I could muster up enough love for it myself again but I just can't!

[Iggly]

Ah pants.

Well put the books aside for a few days and have a think again at the weekend without looking at lists. DH and I have been looking for ages, then stopped. Today we had a chat and came up with a name we both liked just like that! (we have more time though, am 29 weeks)

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

I thought so. We've been debating names for ages and couldn't agree. Finally, we put the three contenders in a hat and drew one out. DH is delighted, it's the name he loves but I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed. My preferred name is 'allowed' as a middle name but I feel like he's won and my name was only ever debated as a mn as he hated it so much. But we've been round and round in circles and found nothing better.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Naomi Eliza works really well.

I have a Naomi though, so may well be biased.

Both of our dds ended up with 'compromise' names because dp and I were so far apart in our 'loves' of girls' names. We had boys' names sorted within days both times and so, of course, they both turned out to be girls!

But you come to love the name because it is attached to the child you love, even if it wasn't one of your out and out favourites before.

[sassylassie]

We've really struggled with a boy's name (once we found out we were team blue) We already had quite a few girls' names we really loved, but only a handful of boys' names we were quite half-hearted about initially so I know what you mean. This is what worked for us:

• Writing down the different names with our surname (and proposed middle name if you have one) and seeing if we liked how it looked as well as how it sounded.
  
• Walking past a school/around a department store and pretending (in our heads) to call our LO by their proposed name and seeing whether it "felt right". This might be TMI, but DH said yesterday when we were in John Lewis there was a small boy urinal next to the adult urinals and he pictured himself peeing next to his future son and imagined calling him Luca, Jonah or Eric and he said "Jonah definitely sounded wrong"!! :o

[SaffronCake]

Don't make a final decision yet, wait until you see her. For a lot of parents many things about names become clearer when they lay eyes on the baby. I've never ended up calling baby hat I thought I probably would before the onset of labour. There's always been another amazing name that's come to me, or one from the less favoured end of the shortlist which just made sense.

[Janoschi]

How about choosing a name with a lot of nickname potential so you can adapt to suit your own tastes a bit? My DP and I had endless (and I mean ENDLESS) problems coming up with names for our DD but settled for Robin eventually because it ticked a lot of boxes ('proper' name for him, 'nature' name for me etc). But she's hardly ever called Robin now. To her Dad she's Bobbins and to me she's Bean. Both of us happy. Just an idea!

[anewmotivatedme]

Both nice names, especially love Eliza.

I don't know any Eliza's.

I don't know what the issue is with popularity. I have a niece called Olivia, although everybody calls her Liv, both at school and at home. My sister went with the name she loves, and has not regretted it.

[Meteorite]

I prefer Naomi, which is a classic (Biblical) name. I think it will stand the test of time better than Eliza.

Eliza is a nickname for Elizabeth and is part of the current revival of Victorian parlourmaid names.

[allieballiebee]

Thanks. Will prob go with either Eliza or Naomi but still not loving either, hopefully will one day!

[UrsulaWoleffay]

I think names grow on you as you get to know your child, I still doubt my choice of name but DD suits it 100%.

Naomi is lovely.

[halecromp]

My dd is Scarlett and for the first few months after she was born I felt unsure about it but I really love it now

[Ondine]

I loved DS's name and it hasn't been well received at school, with classmates or by anyone much! So in retrospect it wasn't a good choice.

DD name I didn't love, just liked and thought it ticked all the boxes etc. It's been a total success and everyone likes it and compliments her me on it so im not convinced you need to love a name now.