Would you use a name you love, knowing there may be rolled eyes?

Willow is lovely and not really very eye rolly.

It's the name of a tree, which is a standard inspiration for names.

It's easy to say and spell.

It's quite unusual, but unlikely to flummox anyone.

Go for it.

Another one signing in to say Willow is a beautiful name, and so long as your surname isn't Tree, Branch or Leaf then I'd go for it.

Eden and Amber are also lovely names, I obviously have similar tastes to many MNers on this thread!

There's the name 'Rowan' (presumably as in rowan tree) in Scotland. So why not Willow.

I think it sounds lovely. Very soft and flowing.

And it's practical - no alternative spellings and easy to pronounce.

And when she's tiny you can give her variants of it as pet names which will be incredibly cute. I'm thinking Lolo. Wowo. Illy. Yesss. Definitly go for it. You're lucky to have a name you both love. DH and I couldn't agree on any names

Obviously from my user name I love it! My daughter is a Willow and she is 8 so it wasn't as common back then but I don't think anyone I told felt it was a controversial name. I think it's just a pretty name and we used it after the tree rather than any TV/Film reference. My mum was a bit "what you mean after the tree?", she loves it now and no one can imagine her as anything other than a Willow. Use a name you love and unless as someone else said your surname is tree or wisp I wouldn't worry!

Use it. We love DS2's name but my mother was very vocal at his birth about how unsuitable his name is (it's very Welsh and therefore rare and hard to read/say at first).
She still isn't happy but has mellowed and DS2 is now 1. But, we love it and he suits it perfectly.

I agree with pp that it's not really that "out there".

I mean it is recognisable as a name!

My maternal grandmother kicked off because we didn't use her mother's name for DD1. We'd never said we were going to! Some people will complain about anything.

I love Willow, use it and sod what the family think.

Willow is beautiful.

The singer pink called her daughter it.

Your baby, your choice.

I love Willow. And Willa too.

We named our DD something unusual, though we didn't give a stuff about what the family think. DS got a name that wasn't too common at the time but is now top 10. Guess who's name we regret more?

I did!
All the in law & fathers side hated it!
But I loved it so much I changed her name to it (not to willow) when she was 6 months old, changed it on her birth certificate much to the in laws and parents dismay!

Have to stick with what you love instead of making the mistake I did & having to change it!

Abi x

use it, its a fab name and eye rollers can eff off!!!!

in fact eye rolling (especially from my my mother) only encourages me further go use a name thag I like.... I like Stanley, Norman and Walter, mother isnt keen on any of them...... So we might just call ds3 Stanley Norman Walter McG.....

Willow is a lovely name unusual but not weird or mad like some you see these days I would use it

There's lots of wanky names I hear and was expecting to open this post and roll my eyes at another one.

I didn't. Willow is a beautiful name. Go for it!

CarTroubles - if your inlaws have passed your entire family an ugly surname, you deserve to pick a name for your daughter you love. If they roll their eyes, stuff 'em!

I love the name Willow, I wanted to use it for my daughter but her surname is Worrall so it just didn't sound right x

I think it's a lovely name. Charmingly different, without going too far and just being a bit too much. It was on our shortlist 13 years ago - but my husband couldn't quite get there. Imagine my surprise when a year or 2 later we encountered not only a Willow of the same age as my DD1, but one with the same surname as us!! So it kind of turned out for the best. However, wait until you meet her - as our shortlist for DD2 went out the window when she wasn't quite an any of them!! She was nameless for 4 days, then we suddenly thought of something we had never ever thought of before - and it stuck.

There are quite a lot of Willows now so don't worry about eye rolling

We picked unusual name and didn't give a monkeys what anyone thought and we still love it and he's a teen... Suits him too... Willow is a lovely name go with what you want not what other folk think! :)

Willow is a lovely name and whilst not too common, I don't think it is considered odd either so really don't think you'll get much eye rolling. Good luck!

DOn't worry about what anyone else thinks, if you like the name that's the most important thing!

I rather suspected my MIL wouldn't like either of our DC's names if given a chance to comment in advance (very regional named).

So we just didn't tell them until after the babies were born. She was so excited about becoming a Grandmother that if there were any thoughts about the names I certainly didn't hear about them.

People feel that they can be very very rude with impunity if you haven't actually given it to a child yet. Once the baby has arrived they are more accepting (or at least keep their thoughts to themselves)

My friends brother gave his baby a very marmite name last year. There were some eyes raised in the family but no one said a word. They are used to the name now.

Sod what anyone else thinks. We've had a few eye rolls/"oh that's different" accompanied by a false smile over our little girl's name which is Eden. I don't think either Eden or Willow are names that are too out there.

Oh forgot to say I think Willow is a lovely name x