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

[YouDoTheMath]

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?

I was in a soft play centre with dd1 yesterday - we met a boy called Ikea. It was spelt like that (there was a sign in sheet and I looked when I signed dd out). Not sure how I'd react if anyone I know chose Ikea for their baby.

I have ruled out Niamh - my great grandfather was Irish but even so, I cannot be bothered to spell it out for everyone. dh still loves it but we've found other names.

Erebus you forget you have to cater for those who simply cannot spell. You can pick a standard name and still people spell it wrong. dd is Lydia, which I thought was fairly traditional and easy to spell - apparently not.

My Mum, on hearing of our name for DS2, said, "Isn't that usually a surname?" and flared her nostrils in her characteristic way. Imagine she and her friends had a good old gossip about what an 'unusual/awful' name it was!

Princess, I've had to spell Leo for people!
I think, in some cases, people ask you to spell the names incase you have choosen a ewneek way of spelling it? I hope.

I work in a day nursery and have seen some, er, unorthodox names in my time. Some of them you wonder what they were thinking. Cosmo, chyna, Indya, Tuesday, Tequila to name but a few.
I thought I was going for a normal name with David for DS, but he is the only one in his school, I chose Hazel for DD as I kept hating girls names when I heard scallies shrieking them in the street. Eventually Hazel was the only girls name I didn't hate, but it turns out she has Hazel coloured eyes so it suits her anyway.
In naming children I advocate the supermarket test: Imagine yourself in the supermarket shouting the chosen name. If you would feel stupid shouting it, it's a bad choice of name.

We have a slightly unusual name for our dd. I often get 'I thought you said your child was a girl' comments as it is very close to a boys name pronounced the same way. My MIL even said that she was still getting used to it. We like the name. It is popular in other areas of the world, it is a biblical name, and has an interesting biblical story behind it. I spell it for a lot of people but at the end of the day, we think it is a really nice name. We have had people love it or hate it...

Not had any direct negative comments about DDs name, but only had 3 people say they like it since she's been born and she's now 4 so I'm guessing most people either don't like it or are indifferent. Shame. It's at the lower end of top 100.

There are plenty of people who like it on MN though so it can't be that bad!

A surprising number of people thought my DS2's name was Ruby - it's Reuben, but to be fair I did dress him in a lot of orange and green for the first few weeks!

BIL said "But he's not Jewish!"

I recently came across a boy called Y2K. Guess when he was born!?

I cant believe the registrar allowed that to go through Bubba!!!

I love some of the more unusual names on here, not keen on others, but would never comment negatively on any choices made. It is after all, the parents choice!

Both mine are in the Top 10 names, my daughter was No1 name for the year she was born, yet in primary she was the only one in her year. She has two others in her class in Comp.
My son was no2 name for year he was born, yet again, hes the only one in his year at school!

I love Welsh names, both mine have Welsh middle names, but are easy to pronounce.
If ds had been dd2 her name would have been Niamh- people would have to have learnt to spell it as I love the name!!

Whats your DDs name Zozzle?

A kid at my ex primary had the name CJ - school saw the birth certificate to check.

DH has seen SO many Harley Davison's its unreal

Mummnotmachine - I'm not in UK, but I was also shocked that there was no control to stop that level of idiocy!

TalkinPeace2 - Another one I came across was BJ! Just BJ. I guess we can be sure he wasn't named after how he was conceived!

Ooh ReebleBeeble I just had to post to say that Olwen is such a beautiful name!

I hate my name, it's a bit chav and 80s but my parents love it so I feel mean to criticise. Plus it gets spelt wrong all the time when it's a very simple english name. My american colleagues have taken to emailing me addressed to my surname though which is very weird as it's definitley not a first name in the UK and I hate it even more than my first name!

My sister came off worse though as her name is spelt incorrectly alternatively. Plus we both have the same initials and number of syllables in our names

Its mad- I think UK registrars can actually refuse to register certain names if they deem unsuitable (am thinking Adolf?)
I suppose though even if refused a birth cert in their chosen name theres nothing stopping them calling their child it anyway!!

I think trends are different in different countries as well.
Ive seen programmes from other countries with teenagers called names I assiciate with my grandmothers generation.
Its been nearly 10 years since I had a baby and dont know what the current "trendy" names are, but havent heard of many Ethels or Doris lately?
(Although Ethel is quite sweet!)

Mum's reaction to DD was "oh I don't like that, I shall call her Katie".
Which, nothing wrong with her name, but it's not Katie.
Her name is Caitlin.

After the daggers she got she's never actually done it though.

Mumnotmachine - the current trend seems to be scullery maids and great-uncles in brown cardigan type names. Won't last long I'm thinking.

My FIL hates my childrens names and calls DC4 Veronica.

Her name is Sadbh.Its not even her middle name.He calls Laoise Lily,also nothing to do with her name.

I read that they have been several children called superman. I read an article about names in new zealand, and there was a girl called tallulah does the hula from hawaii!!!!! And they have had a couple of number X bus shelters!!!!!

I think it is rude to comment on anyone's baby name, to their face or behind their back. I think most people regert it once they do it...or at least they should.

All you have to do is think, 'how would I feel if someone said that about my new baby' I am not just talking about saying you don't like it but also things like 'oh, so-n-so just named their baby that' or 'my cat was called that' What you are really saying is that you are more concerned about yourself than the baby or the mother introducing it. My SIL said when discussing my chosen baby name, Johnnie (also my fathers name), "sounds like a condom". Now I don't think she would ever say that now he is born nor would she like to remeber she said it in the first place. That's just one example of why you should check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Oh Bumwiper, I adore Irish names, some of them are gorgeous- I just cant pronounce them!
Sadbh- I guess the Si of Siobhan gives the Sh sound- so am guessing this is pronounced "Seev" or See-vah?
Ive seen Laoise before (lovely name) That "Lee-sha" isnt it?

mumnotmachine Sadbh is pronounced Sigh-iv,Laoise is pronounced Leee-sha.I also have Niamh and Caoimhe.

Is it pronounced shee vah?

no Sigh-iv.

I am saying it out loud trying to write it phonetically.