AIBU to have thought this was a shitty excuse?

[annabelismad]

I'm pregnant and my due date is in two days. We have one son, Franklin James Wilder. Our surname is a religious building. I LOVE vintage names. Husband less so but he liked Franklin when we chose it and frequently calls him: Franklin, Frankie, Lin and Frankie-Jay when around his East London mates who all have kids called Charlie-Jay, Tommy-Lee, Sammy-Joe and names similar. I've never minded the Frankie-Jay thing and thought it was cute. He chose Franklin's middle names. Now, we are having a little girl. We have a name, Gertrude Isabelle Laura. He loved it and chose her middle names. He also mentioned calling her Gertie-Belle, Tru, Gertie and Gertrude. I love this name. Today, he has come to me saying that he doesn't want to name her Gertrude anymore. When, I asked why, he said that I'm worried about what my mates will think. We should call her Lily-Mae or Lola-Rose instead. She needs a proper girly name. This has wound me right round the bend. When he said it, I just walked off. I think this is a rubbish excuse. His mates wouldn't say a thing! Most of them call Franklin, Frankie-Jay but a quite a few call him Franklin.

I like Gertrude, love Gertie.

It's a fab name.

I think you should choose names you both like...

Poor baby OP. Please don't inflict Gertrude on her Can you seriously imagine a trendy, gorgeous 16 year old girl out with her mates, a boy asks her name and she has to say 'Gertrude'. I think there would be some sniggering.

Olive is cool and due a revival.

I read and read and read but the Op hasn't come back. Surprise surprise. The name shortening/hyphenating really made me cringe.

A girl in the year below at secondary school used to get the piss taken out of her constantly because she had a long ginger plait, was very overweight, big teeth and had a thick black monobrow. Everyone called her Gertrude. So that's all I think of when I hear that name. Either that or a very old, fat, stern German woman wearing a pinny, headscarf and clogs.

just I love Amber, DBs goddaughter is called this and it really suits her her colouring etc

I think her sister is called something like Emma-Jane or Emma-jade.

The mum (god this sounds so judgy) is a total mess (think drugs and alcohol a tad common) but the dad split from her years ago and brought up his kids alone. She got Amber right though!

Why not Margaret? Classic name with lots of nicknames - Meg, Meggie, Marg, Peggy, Pegs?

Gertrude is awful! Dirty Gertie! Its such a chunky girl name and a common joke like Bertha. Why would you do that?

Shiny if not Olive then why not Olivia. I know someone who has this as her middle name but uses it as her "gone by name" in everyday life. Shortened very easy to liv and Livvy though.

user one of my French friends is called Peggy, shortened from nothing. She suits it though

According to NM (the other side) Peggy is tres populaire in France.

I just read a really good book in which the protagonist was called Peggy so it's on my thumbs up list atm.

Gertrude Isabelle Laura Gurdwara is a perfectly lovely name!

Wilder is a middle name, not the surname.

pictish All vintagey names without the goaty element

We actually do have a goat called Gertrude! Her twin sister is Doris. Both names I love but could never actually persuade DH to let me use on human babies.

Mates sounds like an excuse
Isabelle Laura sounds lovely.

Willa?
Old English and frightfully pretty and girly.
Always wanted boys (got two thankfully!) but had either been a girl she would have been Wila / Willa.

I love Agnus for a girls name.

It kind of sounds like the OP is trying a little too hard to be frightfully trendy by buying into the current craze for vintage names but picking one which has not come back into fashion yet. The problem is, giving your baby girl an old lady name is now about as original as hipsters growing beards. And there is a good reason why some names haven't come back into fashion yet...!

Isabelle Laura is lovely. Or if you want to stick with the G, a couple of people suggested Greta, which is very pretty and classy. It would work for a little girl or a grown woman.

Gertrude only works for farm animals. And it makes me think of the Magic Roundabout.

Sorry but in my book you don't criticise a woman's choice of baby name two days before her baby is due.

So shut up everyone, including OP's H.

What? Doesn't he get a say in this?

Lily-Mae and Lola-Rose are awful names. Please don't go there. I don't mind Gertrude, but if your H really doesn't like it, are there any compromise names? Why not Isabelle or Laura as the first name? If he really cares what his mates think then he's a bit pathetic.

Gertrude makes me think of Dirty Gertie from number 30... And cows. Other than that, it's a nice name!