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

Bear Alexander sounds lovely. If he decides he does not like his first nam, he can always change it.

I love Bear. It think it's brilliant. Please please don't change it!!

dream me and dp were just discussing that also, were both early twenties and at school people with unusual names were cool, and amongst our younger cousins 10-15yos the unusual names are cool.

Dp is a boring fart when naming our dcs so I said, what does he think of Bear, he hmmed for a moment and then said, nah that's cool, I like it a lot.

And so do I, stick with it op --steals Bear for list of names for next dc--

I don't think it's because it's "unusual", it's because it's a very specific noun which may turn out to be completely unsuitable. 'Bear' is mostly a nickname that has been acquired because it suits the person, either by character or physique (cf. Mr Grylls and that Stuart chap that somebody mentioned they knew). Nicknames of this type evolve. It's different from a traditional pet form or shortening of a name.

BaldricksTurnip - no, when I worked with her she had a very sensible professional job, and only admitted to being 'Mouse' after completing her probationary period. It was rather a conservative company, I dont think she'd have got an interview if she'd applied as 'Mouse'...

You know what, Ive been thinking about this thread.

WHen I first read the name I thought good lord that's brave!

BUT have given it some thought and you know what that is a f**kin AWESOME name.

Be confident in your decision, tell people it proudly. He will be remembered for his name, and that's a good thing.

I love it! I mean really love it. Well done yoU!

Are children actually picked on for their names these days? There are so many unusual names in soaps and american TV that it seems to be seen as something cool. My son has at various times been picked on for; being a nerd, doing Karate, not liking pokamon to name a few, but never for his name!

This thread had had me helpless with laughter - brilliant, brilliant mumsnetters at their most eloquent best
(and OP, Bear is lovely)

OP I think your son has a lovely unusual name please keep it.

A zephyr is a type of breeze or wind, and Zephyrus is the Greek God of the West Wind. I really think that is the more likely name-sake...

OP - sorry, I think this kind of baby-naming is really self-indulgent.

If you're pissed off, annoyed and embarrassed by the comments after 10 piddling weeks !! - how on earth do you think your DS is going to put up with a lifetime of it?

Im another for Bear, i think its really nice.

It is more difficult to change it when he is older.

Keep it, I like it! I don't see the point in changing the bc but keep calling him bear. If he really hates it when he's older he can change it then. Who's to say he wouldn't hate Edward? I vote for keeping Bear.

My favourite nickname for my ds is 'bear'.
One of the presenters on Channel 5's 'Fifth Gear' is called Bear - he was featured once when they were testing family cars!
As somebody else said I don't think there is any such thing as an 'unusual' name in London - anything goes! Maybe in less cosmopolitan circles people are less adventurous.
As for your decision, I can't decide either! Prejudice is prejudice...

"Also i just met someone called Zephyr, named after a sewing machine."

Or perhaps after the car?

Haven't finished reading thread yet but had a bit of a snigger at bearcrumbles dissing orson as a name cos it means bear and then sniggered some more when he/she came back and said they liked bear as a name
Op do what you like. There are weirder names and if you bring ds to be a confident chap then there's no reason he won't be able to pull it off.

It does depend on the child though, a confident/good-looking/popular child can probably carry off almost any name, but what if your child isn't like that? A less confident and popular child will be likely to get bullied a lot as a result of a very 'different' name.

Its a hell of a risk to take imo, so I really do think its a good idea to change the birth certificate. I actually like Bear as a nickname, so I would carry on calling him Bear and either do as I said already and change the bc to Edward, or I would swap the middle name and first name around so he is Alexander Bear.

I was initially a bit aghast that someone would give their child the name Bear when you posted it Kate

Actually, I quite like it, especially with the middle name you've given him

Just asked DD what she would think if a child in her class was called Bear - she said it's "awesome"

Keep it! It's lovely

gosh i think that's fine. You ought to hear what my cousin has called their baby, now that really is a shocker.

The positive comments are heavily outweighed by the negative ones, and there are diverse reasons behind the negative opinions - not just one.

i knew a boy called Zebedee, he got called Zeb sometimes or Dee, it never seemed to cause him any problems, i may look him up on fb and see where he is now!

i think its fine, i think Bear ALexander sounds really nice actually and he has options with his middle name that can be used in full or shortened etc if he wishes when older.

you say it suits him and your parents are now used to it and other people will get used to it and tbh if they dont its not their business.

i think its fine and fwiw my boys, well the elder 3 who are 7, 9 and 12 didnt see the issue, they know plenty of kids with 'unusual' names and it just doesnt phase them :)

I know a 44 year old called Bear... well actually he's called Stuart but he really suits Bear and nobody laughs at him.

He is about 6'4" and built like a brick outhouse though.