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Baby names

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

Original poster

DS name not sticking! Anyone else experienced this?!

34 replies

Paris2019 · 08/02/2021 04:57

We found out at 20 weeks we were having a boy but after exhausting every list I realised there were no boys' names i loved (whereas I had about 10 girls' names!). There were a handful we liked and eventually DH and I settled on the one we liked best. It's not a very common name, but not an unusual name either. Problem is, at 10 weeks old, I feel like the name is just not 'sticking'! I don't necessarily regret our choice but I simply can't get used to it and I'm wondering whether I should have picked a more common name! I know there's nothing I can do about this now but wondered if anyone else had experienced this?!

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LudoTrouble · 08/02/2021 08:25

I'm still a bit so-so about DS' name and he's 16! I felt like he should have been Ben, he just looks like a Ben.

I don't think I ever would have changed it though, we just got used to it.

Same4Walls · 08/02/2021 08:21

Honestly I think this happens with lots of babies. That's why so many get called sweety, poppet, dot, small person, dude, the baby and about another billion pet names. If you like the name then it will eventually start to feel like his name and the weirdness will fade the older he gets.

MimiDaisy11 · 08/02/2021 08:15

You say there's nothing you can do about it, but you can change it if both you and your partner want it changed. Though you might feel the same with a new name.

Eekay · 08/02/2021 06:20

I found this with each baby. It seemed to take ages before I realised I wasn't Hmm whenever I used their names.
I think perhaps I just found it weird getting used to this real child called "John" instead of the imaginary baby. If that makes sense!

JaninaDuszejko · 08/02/2021 06:13

I think it's pretty common to feel a bit of a disconnect, naming a person is a big deal, even with a name you love. DD1 is 13 now and everyone loves her name (apparently it's cool according to the teenagers) but when she was born a few people mispronounced it and I did have a bit of a wobble about it.

I know more than one person who has changed their babies name after a few weeks so I guess you just need to work out if it's an unusual name wobble due to hormones or if it's a bigger deal. Whst does your DH think?

PinkyParrot · 08/02/2021 06:06

Is it because it is an 'adult's' name rather than a baby's so they will suit it when they are older?

TwirpingBird · 08/02/2021 05:59

My girl is 3 months now and I feel a little like this too. She just doesnt fit her name or something. We did pick it out of sheer frustration really. We are both teachers so coming up with a name we dont have negative associations with is very difficult. With my first, her name just worked. I think with my 3 month old she suits a nickname version of her own a bit better, and I think over time that may be what we gravitate towards. However I tell myself its still a lovely name, and I do like it, so I try not to think about it too much.

bananabob · 08/02/2021 05:52

Yeah I've experienced this, we couldn't decide on a boys name for weeks after he was born and in the end picked one just because we had to. I do really like the name but it just still didn't feel 100% right. He's 1 now and I still can't fully get used to his name and I call him by a nickname most of the time (unrelated to his actual name)

JustAnotherUserinParadise · 08/02/2021 05:19

Is there another name that fits better? Sometimes a person just doesn't suit a name!
My cousin was apparently called Christopher for a few days before they decided that didn't suit him, and he's now called William.