Everyone laughs at my babies name......thinking of changing it????

If you love the name and it suits him then don't change just because of other people. You are the one that will use it all day everyday so you should love it. Bear is unusual but not odd and prob much more acceptable with bear grylls and Jamie oliver's little one. It goes really well with Alexander.

I love it. The more I hear it the better it gets. Stick with it OP, and congrats on your new ds!

Bear Alexander is a nice name. I've heard a lot worse.

I have a Theodore, and my personal nickname for him is Ted Bear. But I wouldn't have given him that name officially! I like the idea of changing your son's name to Edward, but not telling anyone - that way they will all keep calling him Bear, but if it does cause problems for him at any point he will be able to switch and go by another name very easily.

And imagine how hilarious it will be on his wedding day when he's saying his vows and it finally dawns on all those rude, doubtful friends and family that they've been duped into calling him by a name they hate for all those years!

I've already got used to it while reading the thread. Bear is a good name. Go with it.

Change his name to Edward and let Bear be a nickname. Please, for his sake! Sorry, I don't want to be horrible but life is hard enough in the playground without a very unusual name. Edward with the nickname Ted or Teddy is lovely too.

hellokitty I so agree...Bear is much better than Ted or Teddy.

I would think Bear is a nn, but that's just me. Also i'm so not brave enough to call a child Bear...so if i was wearing a hat, i'd take it off to you!

Actually Bear is much more masculine and cool than Ted/Teddy imo.

Teddy Bear ?!?

So cool

OP, you've got plenty of food for thought here already but I thought I'd add anyway!

Bear is a great name! Yes, it's unusual and some people will certainly "eh?" and "oh!" but that's ok! A friend of mine has a Bear, but on his BC he is Nathan Bear, but been called Bear from birth. I think this is the way forward if you're worried...change the BC either to Edward, or I would just swap the middle name and first name round, don't feel the need to tell anyone, and carry on calling him Bear - but at least he will have the option if he wants a more conservative name when he grows up. IMO Bear is a much lovelier and palatable name than Rupert!

Also, I certainly don't think soft, cuddly toys; I think amazing, strong, beautiful animals! And Bear Grylls got his 'Bear' from Edward, not because of physique or behaviour (from what I gather).

Have you looked on the ONS list to see how many babies have been called Bear recently? This may give you some reassurance (or not!) if there have been others. Having said that, my DD's name isn't on the list, which means she is max. 1 of 2, and I didn't think her name was that unusual!

Let us know what you decide to do!

now I know where you may have got inspriration for his name, the infamous, mn, POMBEAR!

I think it's fine given he has a more common middle name to use if he prefers. If you're still unsure you could just change the order. Between Bear and Alexander he should be able to pick something fitting whatever his future hobbies and career :)

Sorry - by the way, I apologise for seeming harsh, I honestly do.

It's just I had these exact same thoughts when Jamie Oliver called his poor kid this name, and they only used it for a middle name.

It's a cute (middle or nick) name for a baby, but it's embarrassing for an adult man - unless claimed by himself as a nickname.

Love ted and Bear

It's just so, um, emasculating... Hence my comment about the poor bloke trying to pull at 15.

I mean, it's not that one should strive for masculinity by any means. I come from a very, very metrosexual family and my brother is gay. Alpha male-type bravado is vile.

But... really... Bear?! Big old, fluffy soft teddy bears, that you normally find scattered on small children's beds...?!

I mean, it doesn't exactly conjure up 'James Bond' in the suave, sophisticated, wooing-the-laydeez stakes, does it?

To compound it - can you imagine standing up in front of your friends and loved-ones on your wedding day, opposite someone who you'd quite like to respect you as a human and, err, a grown adult man, and say, 'I, Bear, do solemnly declare...'?!

Honestly, I really don't think it's the 'unusualness', per se, that is generating the reactions you're getting from people.

Kids can b cruel at school, but I think it's a lovely name, very unusual. If he's got a fairly average middle name he can always use that when he's at school x

What I meant with bullying was that most bullying is not due a specific thing or name

Bit of a generalisation there Kitty!

if you really love the name then stick with it .however, as you're canvassing opinion on here and feeling embarrassed by his name after only 10 weeks then maybe you should consider changing it .
if you want a name that lends itself to the nn bear but is more unusual than edward have you considered Rupert . you could then introduce him as his name is Rupert but we call him bear giving him more options but enabling the nn bear to fit .

Oh it's BEAR! Well ... that is quite funny, really.

I know a child named Lemmy, one named Fox, and one named Dre. no-one laughs at them. why are your friends/acquaintances so rude? surely the name can't be THAT funny (although ... Cabbagehead (LOL): love it!!!)

I like it. Keep it!

I think your DH should announce himself/refer to himself constantly as Bear for the next six months. Then he'll maybe get a feel for what your son will have to indure, before you make a decision about renaming him.

There is a composer called Bear - Bear McCreary. I'm quite used to hearing his name, so it doesn't strike me as too unusual compared to most people here. In fact I quite like it.

I'll tell you why I think it's a great name. My daughter is called Ursula specifically so that we can call her Bear. It's been sobering reading your thread! Although it seems as though I avoid a lot of the wrath by having a proper name too. And I do like Ursula, we're using it more than we had perhaps intended.