Your baby's name is 'so weird' ...?

[brandnewcoffee]

Due with our baby girl in just a few weeks. It took us a long time to pick a name that will flow nicely with the middle name as well as the surname and a name we both love equally. My nan texted me this morning and ask if we've picked a name yet so I told her that we have and told her the name we chose is Esmé. Her response was simply 'such a weird name'. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm gobsmacked and don't know what to say back. I know it doesn't matter what others think about the name we chose for our baby girl but it really got me doubting myself and now I'm sat here worrying whether we picked the right name. AIBU?

Esme (the ONS data doesn't record accents) is in the top 50 names in E&W, so far from 'really weird'. It's a rude comment to make regardless. I'd probably stop telling people the name you have chosen since, as you've noticed, people will share their opinion on the name if you are still pregnant, but if the baby has already been born then people tend to just say that the name is lovely.

It’s a nice name! Your nan probably doesn’t know how to pronounce it and doesn’t want to ask.

Tbh, I’m a bit disappointed with this thread. I was hoping for something like Pineapple.

I was just saying yesterday to my husband what a nice name Esme is and why hadn’t I thought of it at the time.

People will comment if you tell them the name before baby arrives but hopefully have the decency to keep it to themselves once it's a done deal.
I'm sure it is a generational thing with grandma, mine is the same, any name she hears that is not the standard Mary/John she thinks its strange. I wouldn't be getting into an argument with an old lady about it though.

If she's the nan of a woman about to give birth, she's presumably in her 80s? It's not unusual for people's filters not to be functioning perfectly at that age, so I'd give her a pass on the rudeness. Let's face it, just because 100% of people say "oh lovely" when you tell them a baby name, doesn't mean they actually like it! We're obliged to say that we do in real life, so it's all a bit meaningless!

Sometimes people who aren't around children much don't realise how many more names are used these days or what names are currently popular.

My FIL laughed when a friend of DH's called his DS Arlo. Thought we'd made it up as a joke. My mother is still utterly bemused by Freya, she likes it but keeps saying 'such an unusual name!'

MIL had no idea that the top 10 names now are names like Olivia, Ava and Isla, not Sarah, Danielle and Samantha.

My father said to me in all seriousness about 2 years ago 'you never hear of kids called Arthur these days'. He was pleased when I told him how popular it is.

Esmé is a perfectly normal name and her peers and their parents will be familiar with it. It's not weird at all.

Me: hi Auntie, fine thanks. Yes, we’ve decided on Ivy Elizabeth
Auntie: oh! Oh no! Why would you do that?

What you've discovered is that you know a rude person.

She may well have meant 'that's a foreign name', which it is, being French. Some people are xenophobic, others have very limited life experience.

I love the name Esme, I wanted it for my DD but DH did not agree.
With the name we did choose for her I made the mistake of telling MIL and she spent the next 2 months trying to talk me out of it and constantly sending references to the name she had chosen to make us see the light and name her Freya (perfectly nice name just not the one we wanted).

It didn't work 🤣😁 she's never said anything since DD was born.

Op we named our son Conrad when I told my mother she said " thats horrible" ffw 11 years she was visiting and announced " I always liked the name Conrad its such a good strong name" her association was now her grandson whom she loved.

It's a beautiful name, please do use it. If I had another little girl I would be tempted to use it for her myself, its so lovely....no chance of that though, I'm in my 60's !!!

It is t a weird name, it’s quite a popular name. I know three Esme’s all under five.

Sorry typo!! Should’ve said it isn’t a weird name!

My nan went on and on about the weirdness of one of my cousins children's names when she was born, said she'd never heard anything like it. The name was Olivia.

And I would put Esme in the old lady name category (not in a bad way, I like it!). Aforementioned nan has an Esme in her friend group along with Margarets, Winnies and Marys, maybe that's why she said weird, because she knows a lot her age?!

Esme is a beautiful name - don't doubt yourself

Ha, my mum told me that she hated the name I chose for my youngest. Still used it though.

Esme is a lovely name.

This is my daughters name, and I think the name is absolutely beautiful. People are just so rude, no one should have any opinion on anyone’s name.

@fairislecable 😂 read in a scouse accent

If in the UK, the accent on the name is more tricky, because it is not automatic on our keyboards.
Obviously, it can be done, just not as straightforward. Probably best to set up a special key, etc. You may find that other people just miss the accent out.
Personally, I was not really keen on the name my DS and DIL chose for grandson, but of course, I never told them that, and anyway, I have got used to it now.

Esme is a great name. It's also a very common name - plenty of people have called their child Esme in the last 10 years.

I like it. Some people panic at the sight of an accented letter.

It's not weird but it's over popular. Maybe she meant weird that you'd picked it for that reason?

Its one of these old fashioned names that is becoming popular again. Surely she must've heard the name before. What an odd response! You and your husband like it, so don't let her put you off.

@NewlyGranny

It's a beautiful name, unusual, easy to say and spell, impossible to shorten.

Does your Nan have form for being rude outspoken? I'd just text back, "You'll get used to it ".

Your baby; your decision. She's had her turn at baby naming already, hasn't she?

Except it can be shortened to Es

my Nan is a very strange, rude person, she always feels entitled to say negative things about Everything I do and the way I live my life, etc. to make me feel bad for some reason but I did NOT expect her to say this about DD's name.
Really? Considering the above?

Next time, I shall keep quiet!
This.
Or rather, expect it and don't let it get to you.

I might be tempted to reply something along the lines of "I didn't expect you to like it anyway".