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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

DM not keen on our name list

65 replies

demureandgraceful · 07/08/2019 19:25

Me and DP are due to get married in the new year. So far the names we like are Levi Matthew, Conrad Erwin for boys or Ophelia Innogen, Eira Guinevere and Victoria Elizabeth for girls. DM is not keen on any of those names and has not failed to let me know so. I am somewhat disappointed that she did not like the names we picked. Is there anything genuinely wrong with them.

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Oldbutstillgotit · 07/08/2019 20:48

I seriously cannot understand why other people expect to have any input to babies’s names ! When did this become a thing ? ExH and I announced DC’s names after they were born and that was it !
Save yourself any grief OP and only discuss with the baby’s Dad .

Original poster
demureandgraceful · 07/08/2019 20:46

Thank you for all the insight. I do think I am never going to please everyone and though I would like some in put I must prepare not everyone will love them as much as we do. They are a reflection of both me and DP and as long as we are happy people will just have to get used to it. I feel bad my mum never had her turn choosing a name but that is not my fault. I did say I will let her pick their Chinese names as I trust her taste and she will know better then me when it comes to them.

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PalindromicUser · 07/08/2019 20:44

Not her baby, not her business. You’ll know when you actually get pregnant not to discuss names with her.

We deliberately wound MIL up when it was our turn. She still made it clear that she disliked the names we chose.

And your DP has great taste. Conrad is an awesome name, but it’s possible I’m biased Wink

BackforGood · 07/08/2019 20:40

On a personal taste level, I agree with your Mum. I'm not keen on your choices, but I have had my turn at naming children, just as your Mum has had her turn.
Never a good idea to try to 'get approval' from others - people will never all agree, but if you offer up the names then it is an invitation to comment on them. Best to just present the ready named baby once they are here.

diddlediddle · 07/08/2019 20:32

@demureandgraceful in that case, I like Erwin. In fact I like all of the names a lot except Innogen and Levi.

Lobsterquadrille2 · 07/08/2019 20:32

Hi OP, I love all your names. If DD had been a boy, she would have been Conrad - I think it's the single best boys' name. She is Miranda and the cat was lumbered with Cordelia - almost Ophelia. I do agree with the Innogen comments though - everyone would assume it was Imogen misspelt.

Choose the names you love and don't mind what anyone else thinks. They'll get used to it.

notso · 07/08/2019 20:32

I think it's lovely that you seem to have put some meaning and thought into the names.

I don't necessarily like all of them but none of them are especially horrendous.

I think Eira isn't always pronounced correctly so that might be an issue.

Otherwise to go against MN opinion I like to know my family's thoughts on my children's names. I'd rather know what they think than have them pull faces and talk about the choices behind my back once the baby is born.

NotSoFrankly · 07/08/2019 20:27

Erwin is a name. My only association with it is that it’s the first name of a convicted murderer Erwin Monaghan who used to write a column about prison life for the Guardian. (I once introduced him at a literary festival after he was released after 20 years of a life sentence and wrote a book, but the details of his pre-prison life and his crime were not yet in the public domain — he published under the name Erwin James — and every single Guardian reader I know asked me whether I’d asked him what he’d done time for. I didn’t.)

saraclara · 07/08/2019 20:25

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innogen

saraclara · 07/08/2019 20:24

@ChampagneCommunist Innogen IS a name. But unfortunately most people will think like you and assume the OP made a mistake.

Original poster
demureandgraceful · 07/08/2019 20:23

@TheCatsWhiskers thank you so much

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Original poster
demureandgraceful · 07/08/2019 20:21

@diddlediddle it would only be the middle name so will not be used often. Yes Erwin is a name. It's a German name and my grandfather's first name.

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TheCatsWhiskers · 07/08/2019 20:21

It's you and your partner's choice.

If it helps my mother chose my name which I love, her mother hated it. I am so glad she went with her heart and it kind of makes it special that she did that. My GM was quite a formidable woman!

I have a friend called Guinevere, her mother was told by in-laws that she should have been called another name and said thank god they didn't listen to her!

BTW, I love all the names you have in mind.

diddlediddle · 07/08/2019 20:18

Please don't use Innogen. Yes it's clever to know that's it's the original form of the name but seriously the poor child will have a torrid time!

Is Erwin a name? Hate Levi but that's personal preference. Also, not sure I would put the two most common names together (Elizabeth Victoria) when the others are all so unusual - mix it up a bit?

But essentially, do whatever you like - it's nothing to do with your family or anyone else.

Original poster
demureandgraceful · 07/08/2019 20:17

@ChampagneCommunist also love your user name

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Original poster
demureandgraceful · 07/08/2019 20:16

@ChampagneCommunist Innogen was the original spelling I had in my Shakespeare play book though both are acceptable

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Original poster
demureandgraceful · 07/08/2019 20:14

@Awwlookatmybabyspider actually she kind of did on my dad's side. My gran and dad decided my name after she gave birth and was too weak to put up much of a fight. She did not mind it but would have at least liked to be part of the process. She was once again complaining about this and listing the names when she said I best make sure to agree with DP on names before birth etc which is how the convo came up

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ChampagneCommunist · 07/08/2019 20:14

Innogen isn't a name. Did you mean Imogen?

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 07/08/2019 20:12

I don’t think it’s weird to talk about names of future kids.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 07/08/2019 20:11

What’s it got to do with your mother.
Did your nan interfere when your mum was naming you.

Original poster
demureandgraceful · 07/08/2019 20:10

@ncweds it came up in the convo after my mum told me names she liked.

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Original poster
demureandgraceful · 07/08/2019 20:10

@MyFartWillGoOn it was not a full on family discussion. I mentioned them to my mum as she was telling me the names she would have liked to use. No different to DP telling his DS one of the names I liked and he did not (he did warm up to it and it grew on him like a fungus or it would not be on the list) of how it would sound in yorkshire which did put me off it till we agreed we would just use a nickname

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ncweds · 07/08/2019 20:08

I hate all of those names. Some of them are nice but none of them are nice together.

Also super weird that you're discussing imaginary children's names with your parents
Odd odd odd

MyFartWillGoOn · 07/08/2019 20:05

Sorry if this is just me but so weird to have this discussion when aren't pregnant, aren't trying to get pregnant and yet are having full on family discussions on names?

Maybe just me 🤷🏻‍♀️

OtraCosaMariposa · 07/08/2019 19:53

I never understand why people get their family involved with ‘signing off’ names. Her view is irrelevant.

Totally agree. Much simpler to have the baby and then announce the name