Baby's name

[Cookiemonster2022]

Hi,
We were looking for a Indian and English name and settled on Neil for our newborn. We went to see some English friends and a lady laughed on this name for our baby. I don't understand what's so bad about Neil as a name. Now I am annoyed and thinking of changing his name. DH thinks this is unreasonable as there can't be a perfect name and people will always have opinions. I am not sure if I should look for other name or just get on with it. Also, his birth has been registered and passport done with Neil. AIBU to think so much about it ?

... posted too soon! Anyway, babies grow into the name and it becomes normal. Your friend want very nice to you. Keep the name, it belongs to your baby.

Ds has a school friend with an Indian sounding surname, first name Neil. It has never occured to me that it was odd. The important thing is do you like it, and is it an appropriate name in the context e.g. not an out there Icelandic name if you're not icelandic.

Neil is a completely fine name, how rude of the lady to laugh. It’s more commonly an older man’s name but absolutely nothing wrong with it. It’s simple and straightforward and works well in both cultures. It sounds like a good choice for your family.

I immediately thought of spaced out Neil in The Young Ones.

Showing my age now!

It's a nice name. Just ignore her. No it's not trendy like Theo or Jude but it's a perfectly normal name. Who knows, by the time he gets to teenage hood there might be lots of baby Neils and he'll be ahead of the crowd!

Neil is fine, she probably was a Gavin and Stacey fan but it was incredibly rude to laugh. His classmates won't think anything of it. When I was working in a school the amount of old fashioned names was baffling, but the children were never teased because the kids don't get the reference.

We were looking for a Indian and English name

Next time someone laughs, stare at them and ask did they intend to be racist?

Personally I would have just used a common Indian name and not anglicized it.

@DropYourSword

I think Neil is a much better choice than some of the absolute gubbins frequently suggested on baby names threads!

Your DH is right - you'll never find a "perfect" name and some people can't resist giving you their negative opinion on it.

Ignore. If you like it, that's all that counts!

I agree @Cookiemonster2022 There is nothing wrong with Neil as a name. There is just a trend at the minute for ridiculous names like Artie, Felix, Freddie, Charlie etc. personally I find those names boring and twee but I’d never say it to a friend. If those people are constantly hearing those names Neil would sound different in comparison. FWIW I know a lovely intelligent kind guy in his mid 30’s called Neil so if you had told me you picked that name I would’ve thought of him and thought it was a nice name.

And any adult that slags off the name based on a tv show needs to grow up.

It’s dated but not in a good way. Like calling a baby Wayne or Craig or Larry.

It also rhymes with Eel?

It’s important to you, and choosing a name is special, so you’re not being unreasonable to think about it this much! It’s not to everyone’s taste, but there’s a reason you’ve chosen it and it’s not really anyone else’s business (unless it’s a cruel name or likely to lead to bullying)

I met a Baby Gordon at the weekend. I was not expecting to be introduced to a Baby Gordon. I definitely had to hide my surprise...but he was very lovely and will quickly grow into his name, as will Baby Neil ♥️

They probably laughed because of the TV show Gavin and Stacey. This is why I'm not discussing baby names with anyone other than my partner. I personally quite like Neil, I've often thought when people are jumping over themselves trying to find unusual names that they should go back to the 70s and 80s as a lot of those names aren't trendy at the moment.

Neil is far better than the godawful surnames for first names trend that is yet to die!

I find Neil a strange name for a baby. However I would never be rude or laugh

You're always going to get a few individuals that dislike your baby's name 🙄 don't let it ruin it for you. A name is a name. To some they sound rubbish, to others they sound great.

There's nothing wrong with Neil! Its popularity tailed off around the 2000s I think but it was pretty common before then - certainly were several in my school in the 90s-00s. It's uncommon now but not unheard of.

I'm a teacher and I have come across plenty of odd names, or ones that could potentially cause teasing, or crazy spellings. But you just go with it. It's their name, it's important to them.

Neil is a lovely name. Honestly, that woman who laughed is a very small minority of adults who think it's okay to laugh at children's names. Compare that one woman to the probably hundreds of people who've met your son and haven't batted an eyelid. And as for other kids, well, as a pp said, they don't have connotations about names.

I used to teach a British Indian Neel, so if I met a mixed race little Neil (regardless of spelling) it would sound pretty normal to my ears.

Neil is a very common name among those aged 50+

I think youre an inadvertent trendsetter. It'll be back when those men become beloved grandfathers

The lesson to be learned here is never share baby names until the baby is here.

@firstimemamma the baby is here!!! Birth registered and already has a passport. They were introducing the baby to friends when their friends were horrible about it.

People are incredibly rude and thoughtless. A woman in the maternity ward pissed herself laughing with her visitor about my baby’s name. Still remember it 20 plus years later. Put this woman in the same category op - both weirdos.

She was rude. But better to your face than behind your back?

@IamJob my apologies! I'm functioning on very little sleep so sometimes misread threads (young child and 8 months pregnant).

It's fine, perfectly nice name. People are weird, Neil as a name is not.