The Gabriel / James issue again. Long rambling post....

[frannied]

Hi,I posted my dilemma about choosing between these 2 names a few weeks ago, but am still in a mess with it. When he was born he was Gabriel, then people (men mainly)started saying he'd be teased (Gay jokes etc). So, after alot of deliberating we decided to call him James, which we did for a month. Then I started hearing the name James absolutely everywhere, and although I'm not into names that make a child 'unique' and all that, I also don't want him to be one of many James in his class. So then I started calling him Gabriel again and DH has been gradually coming round to swapping back. But on saturday I bumped into a friend ( a v. cosmopolitan, broad minded friend)who shocked me by being adamant that my ds's life WOULD be made hell through teasing. So now I'm back to square one and I'm hating and annoying myself by being so indecisive.

My DS is being christened on sunday, so I've got to make a permenant decision or we'll have to change is name by deedpoll after that, if we make the wrong choice.

These are the issues that are doing my head in, and some general questions:-

1)I love the name Gabriel but I wouldn't want to make my ds's life remotely tricky, so should I just stick to James?

2) I know James is in the top 10, but is it really very common?? Do you know loads of Jameses? Is it a boring, non-descript name?

• DS is registered as Gabriel James. Is it ridiculous to call someone by their middle name, or should we just swap the names round and make his life simple? But I feel his name IS Gabriel James even if he is known as James, if that makes sense. Any mums netters known by their middle names - how is it?
  
  *Does anyone know any adult Gabriels - were they teased?
  
  God, what a mess. My poor ds. Got to make a final decision by sunday once and for all.
  Thanks, Fx

[pruners]

Message withdrawn

[fingerwoman]

I have a Gabriel and do not for one minute think he will be teased about it.

so, your friend is a psychic is she? and can know 100% that his life will be made hell? just becuase he is called Gabriel? what a load of old twat

you should call him whatever YOU want to call him.
if you both feel that Gabriel is the name you want him to have and that you like best then call him that.

it doesn't matter what other people think. this is your baby and you get to choose his name.
kids get picked on for a whole load of reasons, and any name can be made fun of.
bah
Ok, I know I am biased on this any possibly overreacting, but really? gay????? wtf?

[cheesesarnie]

i love the name gabriel-gabe for short!lovely

but im bias to james as my ds1 is james!hes only james in his class and tbh honest i dont know that many others.we chooce it as im big fan of james taylor and his song sweet baby james.also my mum and dad choose james as a boys name but had 4 girls!-i got to phone my dad after ds was born to say you have your sweet baby james

both lovely.ignore other people and do what you want!

[MadameCh0let]

Leave his name as it is. It's a great name!

My good friend's son is a Gabriel James! I think he is called Gabe sometimes. I don't think anybody would be rude enough to call him GAY, but who knows when he's older!? Every name can be teased.

Would you be ok with Gabe?.

Look at Gabriel Byrne, the actor, not the chat show guy. Never harmed him.

[cheesesarnie]

pruners-whats his name?

[EllenJane]

Gabriel is a regular name now.. I know of several. If i'm honest, I do find James fairly non-descript.

I would go for Gabriel and call him Gabe. Gay is less obvious with Gabe.

[fryalot]

I love the name Gabriel.

I wanted Gabriel for ds, but dh put his foot down (another reason, nothing to do with teasing)

But... you can have him christened Gabriel James and still call him James if that is what you prefer. Lots of people go by their middle names.

[Bluestocking]

My DS is called Gabriel. The only negative comment I've had about it was from a teenage check-out chick who asked his name, and when told, said "how the hell did they come up with that?" (about which I'm still slightly puzzled - as I'm an older mother, perhaps she thought I was his grandma). Everyone else who has said anything has said what a lovely name it is. I honestly don't think it's a passport to a life of teasing, or I wouldn't have chosen it.

[AbbeyA]

The only Gabriel that I know is now an adult-I think that he has always been happy with it. If you like it then keep it-if he hates it later on he can change to James.

[pruners]

Message withdrawn

[CristinaTheAstonishing]

Gabriel is lovely and he can switch to james later on if he wants to. Back home we used to shorten it to Guh-bee.

[collision]

Gabriel is a great name

James is an OK name

stick with Gabriel

[Tommy]

you could go through every name and try and work out what nick name they will be given at school but you'll never do it.

Gabriel is lovely. As is James.

DS2 is Timothy James and it was several months before my Mum pointed out that we could call him Timmy Jimmy (we don't )

Your baby, your choice of name

[cheesesarnie]

thats ok pruners!i just thought the way you said 'erm comedy name' was funny!

[frannied]

Thanks everyone - I keep telling myself I shouldn't be swayed by other peoples opinions, but then I wonder if that's selfish - to ignore the warnings and give him a name that could make him cringe just coz I like it.

[cheesesarnie]

parents are supposed to make theyre children cringe!doesnt matter what name you give them-plenty of time to make them cringe later

[BigBadMouse]

You know the answer is Gabriel James.

What makes your friend such an expert on the name Gabriel anyway?

[CristinaTheAstonishing]

What is "gabriel like gay" thing?

[fingerwoman]

OP said that some people had said he'd be teased "gay jokes etc"

GAYbriel

pathetic really.

[AbbeyA]

You can't predict what he will be called in the playground so I shouldn't bother worrying about it! My middle DS has a name that can't really be shortened and has always been called his surname by his friends! (We have a surname that people use as a first name).

[Bluestocking]

I bet your oh-so-cosmopolitan friend has had her heart broken by one of the extraordinarily handsome, suave and intelligent Gabriels out there and now can't stay dry-eyed around someone of that name. But don't humour her - you know your DS deserves to be a Gabriel!

[frannied]

I know BigBadMouse,it really pissed me off. He then kept apologising for being 'honest'.