To think it's rude to comment on someone's choice of name like this?

[ThatWasMean]

I don't know if it's just pregnancy hormones that are making me feel this way so I may well be being unresonable and probably quite silly but I thought I'd ask anyway.

I'm expecting a baby girl and me and DH have already picked the name out for her. It's not a common name and in fact has never been a popular name in the UK, however it was fairly popular in the US at one point. Even though it's unusual I wouldn't say it was unheard of and it's certainly not weird or out there by any stretch of the imagination.

However there have been a couple of occasions where we've told people what we're going to name her and they've just outright said "that's a horrible name!" .

I get that it's their opinion and everybody has names they don't like. There are lots of names I don't like however I realise that other people do like them and I would never dream of telling someone that I think it's an awful name if that's what they were going to name their baby. I would just smile politely and nod.

I should add we haven't had all negative comments, there have been lots of lovely reactions too but I was just surprised that people felt the need to tell us they think it's horrible after we tell them that's what we're naming her.

Would you tell someone if you thought their chosen name was horrible?

Hmm. I have to admit that if 3 separate friends told me the name I'd chosen was horrible it might make me reconsider a bit. It's not something a friend would tell you lightly so they must have felt very strongly about it.

Do you value your friends opinions? Or do have very different tastes to you normally?

What's the name, OP?

Back to the subject though, is it possible that people may have felt that you were inviting their opinions because your child is not yet born? Despite you not having explicitly asked for an opinion?

Seconding recommendations to not tell anyone the name before the baby arrives. Much better to say something like "if it's a girl we're calling her Tinkerbell, and if it's a boy we're calling him Sue". Almost any name would sound good after that.

I bet it's nevaeh

Wading in to add to all the tell them to fuck right off posts. And to put my guess forward - is it Payton?

Darcy?

Kennedy?

I think it's very rude. I would always find something positive to say about it, like "that's unusual". After all, I would consider my opinion to be irrelevant.

I immediately thought Darcy!

Amity is a lovely idea but spoiled for me by Amityville Horror..

I thought Tabitha too. As I have a baby DD called Tabitha and have experienced similar.

Pahhhh just read the whole thread to find out the name.
Need to change my name to 'nosey parker'

Britney?

OP If I've got your hormones there is something seriously odd going on but I share your reaction. There are two people whose business it is. And only two.

Have you googled it to check that there aren't any weird connotations. Beyond that, you should be fine.

But it is not a great idea to share names before a child is born because people feel more free to comment. I've told my FIL the boy's name for our DC2 (not sure if we are having a boy or girl) and he doesn't like it, but he told me after we had DD that her middle name should be her first and vice versa, so I think he would comment whatever the situation.

OP you must have realised surely you cant start a thread like this without people being extremely nosey mildly curious as to what the actual name is?

Tabitha (which I like) is pretty mainstream, though! Honestly, I'm always astonished by the curtain-twitching conservatism of some threads about names on here. As I said up the thread, my son has a name which in this country is so unusual it didn't make into the stats for his year of birth, and other children haven't raised an eyebrow.

My old NCT coffee mornings featured babies/toddlers called Maud, Soren, Ace, Thiago, Ferdinand, Lasairfhionn, Mercy, Magnus, Ursula as well as hosts of Poppys, Millies, Jameses etc.

Ok, if it's Nevaeh they have a point but they shouldn't have been so bloody rude about it.

Andrewofgg OP If I've got your hormones there is something seriously odd going on but I share your reaction. There are two people whose business it is. And only two.

That's right, only two. Yours and This Thread's. C'moooooooon already!

Madonna?

I think sometimes some people genuinely struggle to think of a baby as "real" before he/she arrives. So they make insensitive comments and remarks because to them it's still all hypothetical.

I agree that it's rude though.We gave DD1 a fairly unusual (at the time) name, and lots of people just couldn't get their heads around it. She's now 14 and it has become very popular, even common.
DD2 has a much more "traditional" name, and we were met with expressions of disappointment when we introduced her to people. You can't win!

Seriously though, tell us the name!!

ps mine are Caitlin and Rebecca - now your turn!

OK Moxon who's going to get SurveyMonkey on the job to name OP's baby?

Oh I give up.

Somebody has actually guessed correctly since my last post. So I'm going to put you all out of your misery for that.

It's Dana.

If you don't like it then fine, it's not to everyone's taste I admit. It's not a popular name in the UK, there were only 45 recorded births in 2012 according to this site but I still wouldn't say it was a weird or out there name or anything like that.

Maybe I'm being stupid but I can't picture her having the piss taken out of her for the name Dana.

Please don't be too mean .

Dallas? Randy?

ThatWasMean Can't believe you caved. Wimp.

I quite like it. Feels more Irish than American to me.

Certainly not worthy of your families reaction though!