What names did you like but couldn't call your child?

[NachoNachoMan]

When I was expecting, we were discussing baby names. Me & my husband liked the name Sydney for a girl. We had a conversation about names with my brother and sister in law (who were also expecting) and told them we liked the name Syndey.

A few weeks later it was Halloween. My phone rang, it was a withheld number but answered it anyway. I said "hello" & then the voice down the phone said "hello Sydney", followed by a knock at the door. My husband answered it, and there was someone in a scream mask, followed by laughter. The mask came off... and it was my brother! (He has always been a bit of a teaser, thank goodness I'm not of a nervous disposition!)

My daughter was born a few months later, and she is not called Sydney.

So what names have you liked but couldn't call your child?

Lewis was always top of my boys name list but ex hated it and it sounded awful with either of our surnames (which are practically the same)

I've always wanted a DD called either Abigail or Isobel, although for some reason neither made our short list. Its highly unlikely I'll have more dc, but even if I do I can't use either name. Abigail is my nieces name, and ex has a DD called Isabella. I think it would be really weird if dc had sisters called Isobel and Isabella

Genevieve was rejected because it was the name of DH's ex-G. I loved that name.

Also rejected Minerva (though now DD would find the name apt, as a voracious reader), Nefertiti and Cleopatra. DH spoilt my fun. I also put forward lots of flower and plant names, all rejected.

My sister wanted to call her dc2 Eve if it was a girl, until we pointed out that her children worked be Adam & Eve - so she had a rethink on that!

• worked be = would be

Tagdh - my grandads name. But living in North London I couldn't subject him to years of being called "tag-da" !! Didn't want to Anglicise it as my family are from a Gaelic speaking village in Ireland.

Violet -with our surname it could be read as violent.
Seth-husband said it sounded evil.I think it is beautiful.

Tiffany....I think it's a beautiful name and is the name of my favourite soap opera character of all time. Sadly I knew many people see it as downmarket.

Wanted Ruby for a girl but cockney rhyming slang and the last name made it ridiculous

I really like Seth too, DH didn’t but I mainly ruled it out as it was alliteration with our surname

@Floofboopsnootandbork

We wanted Theo after a relative but cant now because BIL and his girlfriend called their son Theodore after the Alvin and the chipmunks character

Better than being Aaaaaaalvin!

Wanted Ruby for a girl but cockney rhyming slang and the last name made it ridiculous

@Ameanstreakamilewide

DS1 would actually suit Donger rather than Danger 😂

Eleanor-but all boys.
Then when dd came along, she just wasn’t an Eleanor.

Bear. My DH (normally the more sensible one out of us) was genuinely desperate to call our son Bear. I thought he was kidding at first, but no, he really meant it.

I overruled him on the grounds that our son would never forgive us. Bear is his nickname. As predicted, he is very grateful to me for putting my foot down and not letting "Bear" go on his birth certificate.

Seraphina & Ophelia,

My exH refused both.

Grace -a nasty woman in the village was called Grace -so that was a no no.
Likewise I liked Gideon for the opposite reason -and it was a no, DD is grateful.

I loved Hugo and then my friend called her dog Hugo -so that was a no no.

I love the name Eden for a girl but it wouldn't work with either of our surnames.

Robyn, but the dodgy drug dealer 2 doors down was called Robin and his GF had Robin Jr a couple of months earlier. We then moved when DD2 was 5 months old so it would have been OK. Last child so never going to happen now, but it was the name I wanted my daughter to have ever since I was a teen.

Lana because of the whole backwards spelling thing... once you’ve seen it you can’t ever forget it!

Sophia because of the obsession with shortening names in this country, and “Soph” is absolutely horrible.

I liked hope for a girl, Zacharias for a boy. As it was, we adopted for they came pre-named!. I've always loved the name Apple after reading it in the tottie book but dh vetoed that.

Beatrice. Because it's the most beautiful name and means "gift" - I had thought we would never have a second, and she was the one that finally "stuck".

It was vetoed by DH and my older DC - I even tried calling my bump Beatrice in the hope it would stick - nope, just had a face pulled by the family every time I used it!

I wanted Gabriel for a boy but my brother, who works with teenagers, literally fell over laughing at the prospect. It kind of lost its appeal after that.

Charles but my husband already has a nephew called Charles so refused.

Elizabeth shortened to either Lizzie or Beth. Fave cousin called Elizabeth so just too close.

Megan - dhs ex. I didn't mind but he felt odd

Several long welsh names as only my family would know who to say/spell them.

If our boys had been girls they would have been Aurora. I also liked Caoimhe (keeva), Noelle and Norah but DH vetoed all of those.

DS1 was nearly Fergus and I wanted DS2 to be called Brody or Elliott but DH said no to them too.