i REALLY dont like the name my sister has named her baby

[juliaroberts]

i know people will say its none of my business but i will be watching him when she goes back to work and i really cant imagine myself shouting this name out around tesco's.

is there ever a right time to tell someone the name they have chosen is terrible or is it always best to not say a thing.

i can see his whole life being spoilt by this name (yes it is that bad)

But Julia, no one will bat an eyelid at the name Henry. There are 2 at ds's nursery, I can count of 7 preschoolers called Henry that I know of in my small town. Where is it you live if the name Henry will raise an eyebrow, Outer Mongolia?

You are out of touch, Henry is very common these days.

Henry is really popular again now. It's a nice name. Makes me think of smiley Henry hoover too. (Yes, I am sad). I agree, noy so keen on the i, but you won't be shouting "henry with the i at the end. where are you?" will you?

henri seems a girls name to me

agreed wouldn't call a child it. quite a few around at the moment though....

Is the name the OP was so rude about Henry?

yes nab, it was Henry!

Bloody hell! Some people need to find something to do with their time.

I would love to be able to go round any shop shouting Henry but unfortunately my Henry didn't make it home with his twin brother.

Lovely Aunt she is going to be.

not like the name is haemorrid or owt

You are talking such crap juliar

FFS get a grip

'lets face it he will never be one of the popular boys at school with a name like that, he will spend his school days giving out his dinner money.'

Henri isn't a girls' name. It's the normal spelling in Welsh or French of the English boy's name Henry.

Bit pretentious if the family in question aren't Welsh or French of course, but that's their affair.

You are being silly and biased.

Henry is no "sillier" than Archie and Alfie both of which have made spectacular come backs recently.

Would you rather it was Colin ?

O.K. so it is spelled Henri which is technically pronounced "onnree" if we follow the French way of saying it as well as the French spelling.

Prince Harry's real name is Prince Henry, he's just known as Harry and he seems popular enough adding in the fact that he's ginger haired too which is usually a source of amusement to classmates.

Lets just hope his future classmates see him for who he is rather than the way his Aunt sees him as someone to be laughed at (with a stupid name).

Can we not just take juliarobert's word for it that WHERE SHE COMES FROM the name will make little Henri stand out like a sore thumb?

I think it's a fine name. But different cultures/classes/regions have different norms.

Crikey, leave her be!

i really do hope your sister is an MNer and sees how utterly selfish you are being about her child's name, its quite sad really

christ on a bike! It's a freakin' name we're talking about here, not .. I dunno, fruit shoots or something.

Should it matter to the OP - no.
Should it matter to us - no.

Henri is the French spelling and thus perfectly acceptable, although perhaps a tad unnecessary if your sister and BIL aren't French.

However nothing wrong with it at all.

You are truly a weirdy if you think he will be handicapped by being called Henry/i.

I thought when you said he would be handicapped for life by it the name would be Hardon Pantmeister or something. Get a grip and a sense of perspective woman!

Let's try an experiment. Imagine a woman in the aisle next to you at Tesco shouts out "Henry! Get back here!"

Do you:
A) reel back with horror screaming "my ears, my ears!"
B) press a pound coin into the poor mite's hand to help him get over such a horrific start to life
C) carry on shopping because it's a totally normal name.

Methinks c - unless you really are a loon.

I think it's quite likely that juliaroberts, like all of us, exhibits the cultural prejudices and opinions of her region.

Therefore if she finds it an unusual name, so are others in her area/branch of Tesco's/local school.

are = will of course.

But OBM, presumably her sister comes from the same area and DOESN'T think it's a crappy name, so the stats are at best inconclusive!

Henry? It's only henry?

I am bitterly disappointed. I was expecting Harbuckle or Hagrid or something.

hmm visiter. Sister has moved away (to France?), moved back?

My point is that there's no point in tellign her what a great name you think Henry is, because she clearly doesn't think it is one.

Tell her your experiences of getting used to an unusual name, how the child will own it etc by all means. But there seems little to be gained in excoriating her for believing that name will invite mockery where she lives.

YABU to suggest calling him by a nickname and ho[ping it will catch on. My MIL does this to my DD1 and has told her entire side of the family that it is her name. I spend all my time at family dos correcting people. It really not your business. Sorry.

OBM you are indeed wise.

But I think it was the effect of false advertising. If she'd said "I just personally really don't like this name" then fair enough. It was the claim that his whole life might be spoilt by the name that did it for me - I was so geared up for Humperdinck or Hooberman or Humptydumpty!

No-one's life can be completely spoilt by a completely normal mainstream name - it's just not reasonable to claim that. They might be mildly teased or considered unusual, but you'd have to get a damn sight worse than Henry before that became a possibility - I don't care where in the world you live!

Henri is the forename of the Nestle dude.
Now see how many people like it

You are very right, visiter, Trading Standards would perhaps have something to say about the OP's hyperbole.

However, as one whose early school life was blighted by an.. easily-adaptable surname (damn I want to tell you what it is but can't otherwise my creditors fans will stalk me here) I will never underestimate the Power Of A Name.