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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to ask you what you think about comments about our baby's name?

118 replies

whichformat · 06/12/2012 21:58

We have chosen to name our baby daughter Ellen after several members of my family. I've mentioned the name to a few people who I'm not likely to see again as a way of testing reaction and had several of lukewarm comments - or no comment at all! They clearly didn't hate the name or ridicule it but just seemed to be very non-plussed. Another woman described it as 'run of the mill'.

We have had some positive comments but the fact that we may be giving our DD a 'run of the mill' name has started to bother me. I'm beginning to think it may not be special enough for our precious bundle. I know it's a name that doesn't have the immediate wow factor like Anastacia or something but I think it's pretty. AIBU to call my daughter Ellen?

OP posts:

seeker · 07/12/2012 09:30

It's lovely.

Why on earth should a name have the "wow" factor?

specialsubject · 07/12/2012 09:32

meets all the criteria for a name: easy to pronounce, easy to spell, common enough that everyone has heard of it but not so common that there will be fifteen in her class. If shortened will be 'Ellie' which is also nice.

She is named for family members, and it means 'light'. What's not to like?

Harper Seven? Blue Ivy?

valiumredhead · 07/12/2012 09:34

When we told dh's aunt what we planned to name ds, she laughed and said 'Oh my God, as if you could name a child that!' then back peddled when we realised we were serious

Ellen is a lovely name :)

ChasedByBees · 07/12/2012 09:37

After reading this thread, if there's ever a DD2, I want to call her Elin (DD1 has a welsh name). Ellen is lovely.

socharlotte · 07/12/2012 09:43

I don't think children will necessarily thank you for saddling giving them a name with wow factor!
There is no such thing as a good name or not, if everyone liked the same name everybody would call their baby the same thing which would be a tad confusing!!

WandaDoff · 07/12/2012 09:47

I think its lovely

It was on our shortlist for DD & it was my Gran's name.

fedupofnamechanging · 07/12/2012 10:15

I think it is lovely too. Elegant and timeless and very pretty.

Remember that not everyone is going to like what you like - it doesn't mean that you are wrong and they are right. I wonder what the children of the critics are called. Chances are you wouldn't be overly keen on their names, because clearly your tastes are different.

MrsAceRimmer · 07/12/2012 10:55

Ellen is a lovely name, I wouldn't choose it as it doesn't go with our surname.
I got so sick of people offering opinions on the names we chose, that I started making ridiculous ones up (Tallulah Pepsi bumsqueak anyone?)
The names we chose are reasonably uncommon in Scotland, but always make the English top 10, usually top 5 so not particularly out there.

Original poster

whichformat · 07/12/2012 11:50

Thanks for your lovely supportive replies everyone. They've given me back the confidence to use the name I love - I really was expecting a mixed bag of comments but nearly all of them have been positive.

As pictish said, perhaps it's a name that you either 'get' or you don't.

OP posts:

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 07/12/2012 11:55

Nothing wrong with it....It's a lovely name. My friends daughter is Ellen and she gets called Ellie :)

goldenlula · 07/12/2012 12:07

Ellen was my maternal nan's middle name and is mine and my dd's middle name. It is a very pretty name in my opinion. Have never thought a name needs 'the wow factor', infact I didn't know a name could because unless you make up a name or go for something ultra rare, most people will have heard most names at some point in their lives.

Whistlingwaves · 07/12/2012 12:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

flyingspaghettimonster · 07/12/2012 12:27

One of the least run of the mill people I know is called Ellen. :-)

EldritchCleavage · 07/12/2012 12:34

One woman's 'run of the mill' is another woman's 'classic'. I think Ellen is a classic name.

And the current trend for often ludicrously unusual names is a fad, which means a lot of the names used will date horribly, and be just as generation-specific as Margaret, or Sheila, or Sally sound now.

squoosh · 07/12/2012 12:36

I'm a bit confused. What did you expect everyone to say, 'oh wow that's the mose beautiful name I've ever heard'?. There is no name in the world that would illicit universally positive comments.

Why do you care that people's reactions were only 'lukewarm'? From what you've said 99% of people have been polite about the name even if you feel they don't actually like it.

Where's the problem?

squoosh · 07/12/2012 12:38

'perhaps it's a name that you either 'get' or you don't'

This is the case with ALL names.

quickdowntonson · 07/12/2012 13:05

How rude some people can be! I think Ellen is a lovely name, and I agree with SybilPuss, you can call your child whatever you damn well like. My DD best friend of 11 years is called Ellen, and she's a great girl. Don't listen to this sort of rubbish.

monkeymamma · 07/12/2012 13:19

I think it's lovely. But there is no one name that everyone will love. Otherwise we wouldn't need all these different names! If YOU love it and it feels right, that name is the name if your little one, and stuff what anyone else thinks.

I didn't want to be 'put off' our chosen name so kept it between dh and I until ds was born. I think a few people close to us are less than keen, or were at first. But after a while the name is intrinsically linked with your dc, and no one would dream of commenting on it.

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