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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you've ever had a bad reaction on announcing your new baby's name?

432 replies

YouDoTheMath · 21/08/2011 20:31

Also posted in Baby Names, but I guess a lot if the ladies there don't have DCs yet.

So - did anyone ever have the gumption to tell you outright that they think the name you chose for your child is awful?

OP posts:
ChezzaB · 23/08/2011 16:26

Ds1 is rowan and both db's called him Roland for a while after he was born as they thought it was funny?????? Ds2 is Sebastian and I love this name but there are a few people who look at me as if I'm so strange but I don't think it's a really out there name. There's one person where I work who thinks I'm a terrible parent because his name is so long. (dp's surname is also 9 letters) but jeez I'm sure he'll have much harder obstacles to overcome in life.

ChezzaB · 23/08/2011 16:27

I've loved all of the names on this thread and they have given me some much needed ideas for dc3 so thanks.

HeifferunderConstruction · 23/08/2011 17:31

Whilst I was preg my DM had an objection to the name

beacause apparently she new someone who was a twat with the same name

mamalino · 23/08/2011 17:51

We have an Elmo.

You can imagine the reactions can't you Grin

It really suits him though.

CheerfulYank · 23/08/2011 17:51

I love those names Spiggy ! I also love James but it was the name of a terribly ex-BF I had. Still, maybe enough time has gone by....

FIL is James, called exclusively Jim, and BIL is James, called exclusively Jamey. So maybe if I went with James at some point he would actually be James.

Megglevache · 23/08/2011 17:58

Yes and they still do- hey ho, I used to get upset now I think, um never mind..... I don't like rhubarb either....

FIL was spectacularly twattish refusing to call our first born son (precious Wink) and their first born grandson (watch it she's hormonal) he told us he's been consulting various publications and scriptures and told us what our baby would be called thus........
The name was Dikshit Gaurav........ should've said in best sarky voice poss "hmmm catchy"...but I diddn't and it was ugly...I was hormonal, what can I say Grin

Tillyscoutsmum · 23/08/2011 18:04

My mother walked into the hospital to meet her first grandchild humming "Waltzing Matilda" Hmm. We tend to call her Tilly or Tildy but occasionally (i.e. when she's in trouble Smile), I call her Matilda. I did it once in front on my mother and she replied with "Awwww, don't call her that, its cruel". No mum, its her name Hmm

With DS she asked me whether I realised that everyone will call him Fungus at school. His name is Fergus

HairyGrotter · 23/08/2011 18:14

That be me CuppaTea Grin

SocialButterfly · 23/08/2011 18:35

I didnt get many negative comments with DD1 (Ava) although no one had heard of it when I chose it, it is a bit more common now thanks to bloody Myleene Klass.

With DD2 (Elsa) we did get more Hmm faces and a few "really??" comments.

I love both their names and they really suit them, Im not so keen on their middle names as DH chose them as a tribute to sportsmen (I know, I know!) They are Fallon and Francesca ( Spanish spelling).

If we had a DS we were going to call him Cesar which got loads of Hmm faces and jokes about child cruelty and reporting us to NSPCC. Hilarious!

diddl · 23/08/2011 18:39

Blimey social-do you only know young people?

Not heard of Ava as in Gardner?

Isn´t Elsa the character in Casablanca?

notagypsy · 23/08/2011 18:53

I took my DD2 to a swimming lesson of DD1 when she was 3 wks old. She was sitting in her car seat and another mum asked me her name. I told her and she said Oh! and turned away!!
She is called Alexis.

FlabbyGleek · 23/08/2011 18:53

Just got back from a week camping at Longthorns Farm - I haven't read the thread so I don't know if the parent is MN'er and has confessed to this but I heard a father chasing after a small child calling 'Belsen'!

Words failed me and I so wanted to ask what the sibling was called!!!

cherrypez · 23/08/2011 19:00

I got "what like a parrot?" and "oh get her to put the kettle on" when I announced DD as Polly. Didn't care, loved it then and love it now Grin

cheapskatemum · 23/08/2011 19:17

From aunt, who I'm pretty sure has Asperger's Syndrome & would never call a spade a digging implement: "What's wrong with good old English names?" when I told her DS4's name. All DSs have Celtic names, they have always been the only one in their class with their name. DH chose them & he's Scottish. I chose their middle names. Nothing wrong with good old English names, but wonder why you chose Kirsten for your DC, Auntie, if that's how you feel?

LikeACandleButNotQuite · 23/08/2011 19:28

I love more 'unusual' names, or ones that may make people Hmm and have three months to gather the bravery to use either Travis / Griff / Jesse / Gus if it's a boy.

ATM, if anyone asks, I say "we don't have any names...will wait and see what it looks like"

PrincessScrumpy · 23/08/2011 19:33

My dad said, when dd1 was 2, "DD has a lovely name... yes, you did well there!" He seemed surprised at my ability to pick a nice name! It's Lydia btw. We know the names for our expected twins are slightly more controversial. I think my parents will be fine but I'm preparing myself for mil's reaction. She's already told me she likes Megan and Molly (it's what she would have named her dc if they'd been girls). Oh well - I don't think she'll say anything to our faces anyway, plus they live a few hours away so will be told on the phone by dh, then she'll have a week to get used to them before visiting the following weekend! They will be Heidi and Kitty (I have a feeling I will be saying "no Kitty is not short for anything, it's a name in it's own right from the 16th century and is a family name on my side!" - we're not mentioning the family name thing to pil as they will be upset we didn't use one from their side, but neither of us are happy with Pat, Shirley, Tracey or Susan!

PrincessScrumpy · 23/08/2011 19:34

We've not revealed names on the grounds we changed out minds with dd1 so will decide when they are born - tbh they are very much decided now, even down to which twin is which as I hate calling them Twin 1 and Twin 2. I'm far happier telling dh which twin is kicking me by using their name.

rockinhippy · 23/08/2011 19:37

Yes & no - we had lovely reactions to DDs slightly unusual name by my usually pretty straight laced & potentially sniffy family & MIL & SIL too

NanIL was horrified when she realised it was of Hebrew origin & refused point blank to call DD by her given name, but a more anglofied nickname Hmm DH preferred the same shortened version, but simply because he thought it suited a DC better

& DD herself preferred it when tiny so it stuck for a few years - but she decided she wanted to use the full first part of her full name by School reception, so DH did as she told himGrin, but several of our old friends STILL refuse & use the NN, which they think is a bit more "rock& roll" but DD now hates Hmm

we've also had - isn't that a boys name, such a shame for such a pretty girl from a rather rude random stranger - which it isn't Hmm - we've only known 5 of others, none with her full name, & 4 were girls, so it CAN be for a boy, but isn't listed as suchHmm

LikeACandleButNotQuite · 23/08/2011 19:40

rockinhippy what is it?

rockinhippy · 23/08/2011 19:48

Eden - NN Edie full name EdenRose :)

rockinhippy · 23/08/2011 19:49

it will probably become common as muck now its open on MN Grin - we've only ever met 2 others & one was named after DD :)

pinkx5 · 23/08/2011 19:50

Princess Scrumpy:

We had exactly the same issue with our twin daughters. We decided on their names very early on and always called them by their names so that we knew who was where and who was doing what - inside me! We didn't go for what we considered unusual names (Elizabeth and Isabella - yes, using different variations of the same name was on purpose as a way to acknowledge their identical 'twin-ness' in one sense and their individuality in another in that the names don't sound at all the same, if you see what I mean?). However, back then - and in our part of the country - Isabella was considered extremely unusual and quite daring! (How I wish that was the same now!) Needless to say, when we called DD3 'Anastasia' we got more raised eyebrows and even more with DD4 'Margarita' and, just a month ago, DD5 'Vivienna'. Judging by the looks we get, anyone would think I'd called them Poo, Sick, Wee, Snot and General Goo. Well, what do you do when you have 5 girls? I'm changing my name to Mrs Bennett...

Have to say that I just love some of the names mentioned on here so far (Minerva is gorgeous) and I don't think they're unusual at all. However, what they are is 'individual' which seems perfectly fitting because each child is an individual, aren't they?

matana · 23/08/2011 19:56

Our son is Ellis and when my DH announced it by text to all our friends, one of their responses was 'Oh bloody great, one of those names that i can't tell by text whether it's a boy or a girl'...

And at the weekend a Chinese lady asked what his name was. When i told her, she laughed and said incredulously "Alice??!"

kellestar · 23/08/2011 19:58

We chose Beatrice, nickname Bea and occasionally B-B [as our surname starts with B] MiL had to take time to like it, now she adores it, but I did get told off for choosing a name that starts with the same letter as our surname, but MiL is a Bridget so she is too!

My parents loved it straightaway. My Gran wanted her to be Beatrix so she could call her Trixie, which is exactly why we avoided it and our neighbours have a little white terrier named Trixie.

We both love it and we get odd looks when we tell people in the street that ask. We do pronounce it with a posh tone though. No Beer tris in this household, she is Bee ahh trees

kellestar · 23/08/2011 20:00

I say Beer tris as we are in the bristol/somerset border and it's funny when people sound the name back to us. Just to think if she'd been a Beatrix she would have been beer tricks, forever!