People's comments on my son's names

I have a Robert, we call him Bob for short. I overheard my colleague saying she didn't like the name as Bob was more for an older man but we like it and it suits him. I also love the name Jason. Great names x

If you also had sons called Howard, Mark and Gary fair enough but you don't. I imagine it was done to be lighthearted, with no intention of causing you upset.

Congratulations on your new baby 🎉

Why are you upset some people think of Robbie Williams? He was pretty successful and not a bad person.

Honestly, my first thought on hearing those two names was "oh, I haven't heard of a little Jason for years, it's nice to hear that name again!" And I think Robert is a nice name too with Rob or Robbie for short. I'm old enough to remember Take That but too old for them to have been that important to me. Now if you'd said "my two sons are called George and Andrew" that would have had an instant musical connection for me, because of the generation I come from!

You've been through a lot, and it's understandable that you're sensitive about these comments, perhaps as part of a bigger picture. I'm glad you are getting the help you think you might need. But I honestly don't think you need to worry about the names in themselves. They're both great names and it's only a certain age group that will think of a band, and probably not for ever. The boys' own friends will have no idea.

I think the name Robbie is really sweet and I would never react by thinking Robbie Williams. If anything Robbie makes me think of Robin Williams who I absolutely adore! It's just a personal association! I would try and switch off from it. People always have an opinion and boy don't they like to make it known when it comes to children! Just think of a really good put down next time you hear it... "who is Robbie Williams again"? 🙈

Congrats OP. Ignore folk.

I think its more to do with having both a Jason and Robbie. Bobbie is always super cute for a little one though?

Sorry didn’t realise that would come out as a giant video 😳🙈🙈

For all the TT fans attracted to this thread, this has been going through my head allll day

Op honestly to anyone making the association they will have only the happiest memories and positive associations. Those who thought the band cheesy won’t have known there was a Jason in it!

@SlatsandFlaps is right there was Robbie in Eastenders, and Robbie Coltrane, Robbie Keane, Margot Robbie….

And then there are your Robbie and Jason just as they are in their own right and named for the beautiful reasons you chose. I hope you feel better and the blues pass x

I didn't think of Take That when you first said Robbie. I actually thought of that Robbie on Eastenders! Think he was Sonya's bro?

I did however, think of the horror films when you said Jason.

It doesn't matter anyway! They're hardly bad names! You chose them for a reason.

I have a daughter called Mackenzie and I know some people judge this. Assume we're 'chavs' or purposely giving a girl a name that is commonly given to boys (even though it's a quite well used girl's name in the USA). The truth is, I just loved the name when I first heard it! You know when you're going through hundreds of names and liking a few, but nowhere near as much as that one name you keep going back to....?

Thankfully her name suits her beautifully and I couldn't imagine having named her anything else. She's definitely a Kenzie!

It was my first thought when I saw the names and although I wasn’t a fan it will be the first association for most people who grew up in the 90s, much as if you had boys called Liam and Noel. You will get the odd comment from time to time so it’s good that you are addressing it now. I promise that as your boys grow into their personalities it won’t even register soon.

As the years go by even less people will make this association OP 💖

It really, honestly doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Those are the names you chose because they mean something to you and you like them. That is all that matters.

I think people are just trying to be nice and finding common ground or being funny. Sounds friendly to me. Take That hold fond memories for lots of women my age

I knew you were going to say something about Take That. It pops to mind straight away with those two names and so some people will mention it. I doubt it's malicious. I think you need to expect it, did you not make the connection at the time? I'm in my 30s too.

I think try and accept it's a strong connection, that's just how it is, but then try and inwardly see the positive side of the association and outwardly develop a sense of humour about it.

That is to say, TT mean a lot to many people, especially a lot of women, were a huge cultural movement and to be fair, their music is pretty good! And I'm not even a boyband fan. They wrote a lot of their own songs (thanks Gary!) and people have bought their more recent stuff/ gone to concerts as their material is good quality, not just through nostalgia. Honestly, it's not a bad thing that comes to mind or an embarrassing one.

In terms of sense of humour about it, I don't mean make fun of your boys, I just mean come up with a lighthearted response like 'you won't believe but we didn't even make the connection! The names have personal meaning to us and 'Pray' is a great tune so it wouldn't have put us off anyway!'

As PPs say though, TT won't be relevant to the boys' peers and probably a lot of their teachers etc so it won't come up for them all the time. Even if it does, so what if people assume? Let them!

Beautiful names, congratulations.

Names are such an emotive subject, I suppose it's the one thing we grip to during pregnancy.

I had many, many losses, my daughters are names entirely different names to my list.

I have an ivy, because my wonderful grandmother passed away the day she was born. I still struggle to even comprehend that she didn't meet her. She had been taken In that morning and had a heart attack in way to see me,

Then, given I was told I was infertile, my second arrived on Christmas Day, so she is Holly. And I don't care about the song, it fills me with Love.

Strangely, today I met twins, Holly and Jessica, despite me having a Holly I felt sad all day. I worked nearby when that happened, I will never, ever forget it.

They are your babies, you just enjoy them.

I think you are right that you should focus on your mental health
youve chosen two lovely names and I think you've latched onto something that you feel you can blame yourself for (you mentioned how unique your sons are but that it's the names have made them less so- challenge that thought- it's not true)

….also - next time someone says “Like Take That?” just look blankly at them and say “Who are they?”. (My DD asked who Kylie Minogue was the other day; fame is more transient than we think!)

I've seen Take That twice and didn't make the connection.

My friend's son is called George. Someone said to her 'oh like Peppa Pig'!

Honestly, if you met two brothers called Paul and George, would you immediately think “oh, their mum named them after the Beatles”? The names will mean very little to the kids in their class; my DD is 10 and wouldn’t know who Robbie Williams is!

If it bothers you, introduce them as “Jason and Robert” and then say “we call him Robbie for short”. (I do this with my DD as she often uses her full name at school and there are various diminutives.). It takes away the immediate association where such a thing exists.

Please don’t worry, though. Take That are very much history; the association will only fade. I was a massive Wham! fan back in the day; if you said your boys were “George and Andrew” it would remind me of that, but I wouldn’t assume that was your reasoning.

Notably someone started a thread a few wks back about calling daughter Alabama Rayne…. I haven’t quite got over that..

Alabama is name of Travis Barker’s daughter and Reign the name of Kourtney Kardashian’s son…. So obviously a KUWTK fan….

So much worse things for names to be associated with!

You won’t get mocked for TT

I've never heard of "Take That" because I'm not in the UK but Jason and Robert are timeless lovely names for what it's worth. Jason make me think of Greek mythology.....much firmer roots and foundations than some passing show.