How important are baby name meanings when making your decision?

[Kirstle]

Hiya - wondered how you all felt about this topic. I love researching baby names /popularity / trends / meanings etc and wondered just how important it was to you that baby was named with a name that had a favourable meaning.

Recently I have liked the name Molly, but the meaning is uncertain, maybe bitter. I dont like this meaning and this would actually put me off/make me think twice.

Just how important is the meaning of a name and has anyone been put off a name they love by a meaning?

I've always found names interesting too but when it came to DD1's name the meaning didn't really have an influence - it means 'ruler of the home'...

DD2's name was chosen because of one of it's meanings; 'wished for child' (she's Miriam) because after a series of failed pregnancies and emergency surgery, we hadn't expected to be able to have a 2nd child.

For us, not at all; we named our PFB Benjamin, which is traditionally given to a youngest child as it means 'son of my old-age' or 'son of my sorrow' (ie. mother died in childbirth). He was born when DH was the grand old age of 34, and I (obviously) survived the labour and birth (although my dignity didn't).

Not important unless they mean something awful. I looked one up once and it meant 'with stinking hair!!!' It did put me off abit!!! Never chose it..