What's worst response from people about LO name??

On holiday, in Scotland, watching my half-Scottish children play on the beach... DD called her brother's name. Woman sitting near (unaware they were mine), said in RP tones, 'Angus? Oh God, is that really necessary? Can't stand all this Scottishness,' then turned to me and said, 'What an awful name.' I drawled back (in my own RP tones), 'His father and I rather like it, that's why we chose it.' She made a quick exit... Her face was a picture. Sweet!

This is funny, although probably not if you are on the receiving end!

My mother on telling her what we were calling DS3 (Lawrence): 'Well, we never really liked Joseph either' (DS1's name)

Thanks Mum.

When I was pregnant we had a sweep going on what the baby's name would be (obviously dp and I had already chosen it) so after she was born and we announced that her name would be poppy and nobody had guessed it and won my grandma (grandparents seem to be the worst for making rude comments) said that we had cheated! As if poppy wasn't a real name!? And my cousin said it had taken him a while to get used to but now he thinks it's alright! I wouldn't care but shortly after he named his son kaide, which they had made up and is the chavviest name I've ever heard! (sorry if that offends anyone, i know we're not meant to be name bashing)

DS 4 is called Barney (not aged 8) but we were begged by friends not to call him that because he would get teased about being a dinosaur!! To this day not a single child has ever made that link and referred to the purple creature of the same name Most people, in fact all I think, say how they love the name

Oh Lockets that's awful . Rex is a lovely name and I hope the breastfeeding improves soon.

Tigerbomb If it were up to me, it would not be short for Wilhelmina . I chose DD1, DH chose DD2. Billie suits her so

My dad refused to call my DS by his name for over a month and always asked how he was by using his middle name. (Until I hung up the phone on him after telling him to stop being so annoying and rude). Other people actually thought we were joking and were using it as a decoy name until we decided on a real name. His name is Edgar. Carrier of Spears and the name of a macabre author and the director of shaun of the dead - how could it be wrong with that behind it!!!

Bollocks2U I am often asked if Billie is short for Wilhelmina - in my daughters case, no

She gets called Bill and Billie and family members have spelt her name as Billy

Probably the best though is my Mum who, 14 months on, still calls Billie 'the baby' admitted she calls her "fat bum" when I am not there.

DD1 Asha when taking to a birthday party (to me) "Oh, so is it Daddy who is Indian then?" DD is blonde with blue eyes, so purely an assumption based on her name alone. Also, a colleague I have worked with for 4 years "but what is her real name?"

DD2 Billie (Wilhelmina) many people have asked if we actually love her or not!

If we have a boy he will be Solomon.

Ooh there are some lovely names on this thread. Not a single one has made me go [shocked]

All my work colleagues told me I couldn't call me ds his name because it would be mean. I have only had one negative reaction and that was from a stranger in the park who said "oh gosh" and walked off laughing!

Ds is called Arthur. I wasn't sure I had made the right choice but I think I have. I would have liked the welsh pronunciation but couldn't be arsed with a life time of correcting people.

Extended family round a table for 12, complete silence. Just the clinking of forks. Ahem.

glassescase That is hysterical!!! I LOVE your mother!!!!

I love reading about all the names and remember all the fun we had choosing names. Although I won't be having any more now (two daughters age 10 and 5, and DH has had a vasectomy) I am always still imagining what I would call more, imaginary children. It's the most fun bit of being pregnant. My family weren't keen on DD2's name at all before I had her and my brother in law said "Pearl Harbour" (she's Pearl) but they all just accept it now they know her and love her and it's not just an abstract name anymore. You have to choose what you love regardless.

My mother was telling her friend, Maude, about my DD. When she said her name was Chloe, the friend said, in a shocked voice, that she had a cat called Chloe. "Well", said DM, "we had a cow called Maude...".

my DFb's paternal grandmother would constantly tell me how awful DS's name was and comments like 'why on EARTH did you call him THAT? its a GIRLS NAME'
even when i told her it was exP's choice she would still insist I CHANGE HIS NAME.
her critiscism was only ever directed at me, never her DGS who had chosen the name.

He is called Louis btw.

I have an aunt who refuses to call me by my nickname , saying we should all use our PROPER NAMES (i have been known by my nickname since the day i was born) I wasnt too fussed until i discovered her real name was not what she is known as, what a hypocrite !! (as for my nickname on here...well I was too boring and uninspired to think of a good one, sorry!)

Not to mention our Irish heritage!

brdgrl Thanks to you too! Yes... the meaning is one of the things we love so much about it! My DH and I both served in the military, and hold freedom quite near and dear to our hearts!!

Thank you, TryLikingClarity! Yes... We are in North America, so not so common here, but still just as lovely of a name as it ever was! :)

As far as my name, I am a bit hesitant to post it on the web, as it is unusual, but it is one of the names of the Queen Mothers of the Kings of Israel. (One of the good ones! )

Saoirse is a beautiful name, and with a beautiful meaning behind it.

My teenage SD (and following her lead, my SS) don't like baby DD's name (it is hyphenated, and second half of it is my mum's name). So they just don't use it - they only call her by the first half. It really hurts me - I love her name, and chose it for a reason - and it is my mother's name!!

HappyWifeandMum that is awful what your Ddad and stepmum did!

Saoirse is a lovely name! I'm in Belfast so I hear that name a fair bit. Do you live somewhere where that is unusual??

Also, you made me curious to know what your name.... please tell us!

My first name is both Biblical and Hebrew. It is not common, but is not Hepzibah either. I have gotten every response from the delighted gasp of "OH that's LOVELY!!!" with the eager requests that I spell it so they can write it down and add it to their own baby name lists, (I have had at least one child named after me after her mother fell in love with my name!) to the utterly horrid "Oh. THAT'S weird." and my most favorite of all times the sour-faced, smug, VERY sarcastic: "Oh. I'm sorry." Really... REALLY, LADY?!?! I have never even laid eyes on you before, and this is how you respond to hearing my name????!

The absolute WORST response I have EVER had to any of my DC's names was upon the birth of our younger daughter last year. Early in my pregnancy, I had shared with my father that we were planning to name a girl Saoirse. He LOVED it!!! In fact, he went on and on about it for nearly an hour... Told me not to worry one little bit what people thought of the spelling ~ They'd get used to it! Told me over and over how much he loved it, and that it was the perfect name for our daughter!! He was delighted with our choice!

Apparently my step-mother did not share the same sentiment, and must have incessantly belittled it to him, because from that moment to her birth, his opinion changed drastically... and that with little warning whatsoever!! We had not found out what we were having before she was born, so upon giving birth, I rang them to let them know we had a girl.

My step-mother answered the phone and acted a bit disappointed that we had a girl and immediately asked what we named her... I happily responded with Saoirse, followed by her two middle names. My joyful announcement was met with stony silence followed by "Oh." BIG silent pause. "Sooo... What are you going to call her???" A bit taken aback, I replied (as though she hadn't heard me) "Saoirse!" Once again met with stony disapproval and a most dejected "Oh. I was hoping you were going to call her (middle name number one!!!) Right about this point, I heard my father walk by in the background and make a very snide, sneering sounding comment at which step-mother immediately began laughing at most amusedly. When I asked what he had said, she repeated with a tone of triumph that he had just commented that Saoirse "Sounds like a porn star name!!"!!!!!!!!! I was utterly appalled, and worst of all was totally not expecting this from him, particularly after all those lovely comments he had made when originally discussing it with him. He had literally told me to "Listen to your Daddy... THIS is the quintessential perfect name for that baby!!!" Wow. Big shift of heart there, and HORRIBLE manner of expressing it! I was in tears for hours solid, and then for days after that, whenever I would think about it. I am seriously contemplating not calling them at all after the birth of our next baby. Maybe a text. Maybe an e-mail. Maybe have my DH call them. But I do not need to have anymore experiences like that... It was AWFUL!!!

My XMil and XFil hated my daughters name and kept saying it was a boys name. This was 20 odd years ago and I had only ever heard of a Blues singer and a tennis player with the same name. It didnt help that they kept shortening it to Bill!

My DB had a habit of naming his children after the family pets he has a Troy and a Marley. My DM has threatened to call the next dog Adolf