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Original poster

Unpleasant comments you have received when revealing baby name

270 replies

Polkadotfanatic · 17/02/2012 09:49

My friend has just had a daughter (Monday morning, all new and pink and fresh and gorgeous). She has chosen Alice Elizabeth, (imo) a timeless classic name which wont age.

Her mother's comment:

''Oh. Playing it safe are you?'' Hmm
''Well I suppose someone has to use the boring names so the braver people can use the nicer ones...'' Shock

I mean as comments go, it's not the nastiest, but the timing (Alice was about four hours old and friend was in blissed out baby loveness) wasn't great.

Just wondered what, if any negative comments you had when announcing baby name...

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areyoutheregoditsmemargaret · 21/02/2012 12:07

My mum said "It's very Notting Hill," when she heard dd2's name. Told her what the boy's name would have been (we didn't know the sex) and she sighed and said: "What a shame, I really like that." (She then asked me if I was disappointed to have two dds)

JiltedJohnsJulie · 21/02/2012 12:35

Mother, about 12 hours after the birth of DD. Face like a sour lemon "Well, I suppose you can't choose what they call your Grandchildren can you".

What made it laughable is that me and my siblings each have the most boring and most popular names for the year we were born.

Woman from playgroup "oh, so have you made that name up then?".

zumm · 21/02/2012 12:43

Areyou - mothers... So what was the boy's name your mum liked?

porolli · 21/02/2012 12:49

I have 2 sons (and one daughter). DS1 is Gabriel and I've lost count of the number of people who've told me he'll get called 'gay' and be picked on. DS2 is Robin Alexander. My father on hearing this said 'we thought it was such a shame you couldn't have those names the other way round, but I suppose that would be worse with his initials'...(our surname begins with an S)

KnitterNotTwitter · 21/02/2012 12:57

My sister has the middle name Doris after both our grandmothers who happened to have the same name.

When my Dad's mum got told my sisters name she said got in a huff and said 'Oh, I See, you've named her after her other grandmother have you'

My dad calmly pointed out that it was her name too which she eventually had to concede was a fair point.

changer22 · 21/02/2012 13:04

My mum said while holding day old DS1, 'James is a nice name'. 'Yes', said DH calmly on walking into the room 'but his name is x'.

My MIL couldn't bring herself to tell my sister in law DD1's name. Poor woman had to ring up and offer her congratulations and ask 'Er, what have you called her? MIL didn't tell me'. I was confused knowing that the message - name, weight, hair, etc. had been passed on until I realised she just couldn't say the name aloud and then I was Angry.

I think everyone has settled down now.

Kveta · 21/02/2012 13:06

from my sister re: DS - 'that's a very weak name, I don't like it, it's too common, and you can't use the shortened version of it, it's too gay'

my father also made the 'too gay' comment.

parents and sister refuse to use the shortened version of his name too, as it's too 'tacky and common' to use nicknames.

Other sister is known by a shortened version of her name though...

And the name in question (DS's)? Oliver.

Can't WAIT to hear the reactions to DC2's name! (mum and grandma have already been hassling me about what middle name we'll be using, which is fun for all concerned...)

btw, DS was going to be Alice, I think it's a lovely name :) I know 1 Alice Elizabeth and 1 Elizabeth Alice (both under 2) and both are beautiful wee girls with lovely names!

SoozyWoozy · 21/02/2012 13:23

DD1 - Charlotte - 'oh well, you can call her Lottie, I suppose'. 'You'll regret calling her that when she has to learn how to spell it'

DD2 - Rosie - 'Couldn't you give her a proper name? An English, proper name?'

DD3 - Eloise - 'Ellie Louise? No? Ella Louise? El-o-ise. Well, no-one will get that'

All from the inlaws, of course....

insertwittyusernamehere · 21/02/2012 13:25

I had a colleague arguing with me that I was naming my daughter a boy's name. He kept on and on about it being for a boy and I'm not allowed to call her that. Her name's Nicole.

peckaboo · 21/02/2012 13:28

Alice Elizabeth is a beautiful name - really feminine IMO.

When a friend of mine told her in-laws they were going to call DD1 Keziah, MIL and SIL announced that actually they'd been talking about names and both really liked 'Olivia', so they were going to call her that instead. Um, what?

LittleMilla · 21/02/2012 13:28

My DS is called Wilfred, which we shorten to Wilf. My FIL (although MIL and SIL were also bad) were all quite off as an old bloke in their village who died on the day our DS was born was called Wilf. FIL turned up at the hospital with a poem he's penned, printed and framed addressed to Freddie.

Too long passed with them refusing to call him Wilf, plumping for Freddie - even my own mother said she preferred Freddie. My SIL stupidly told me that she'd overheard her mother telling someone at the gym that she was embarrassed of his name Sad. That really upset me.

FIL's finest moment was asking when DS was a week old if we were going to just put Frederick on his birth certificate if we were going to call him Freddie. That's when Iwentfuckingmental.

DH had a word and after an apology, no-one aside from FIL has called him Freddie since. Occassionlly he does now call Wilf Freddie and DH and I look at one another and say "who's Freddie?". Wink

LittleMilla · 21/02/2012 13:29

Just to add, DS is now almost 10 months old and I nearly always get people saying what a brilliant name it is and how much it suits him. Happened quite a few times in front of my in-laws and I smile very smugly Grin.

ChickensHaveNoLips · 21/02/2012 13:46

I would be furious if someone refused to use the name I had given my child. Seriously, I'd be gnawing kneecaps.

My mother didn't like DS2's name. When I told her what we were going to call him, she said 'Well, I don't like that'. I said 'Well, I don't care' Grin. She got over it.

FidoFellDown · 21/02/2012 13:52

I was met with "Are you planning on dying?" when we told my SIL that we were calling dd2 Annie.
My mother hates dd1's name, Nicky. She thought it was Nikki at first and grumbled about reality TV shows for weeks. When we realised and corrected her, she was stunned and very apologetic - "I'm so so sorry! I thought that you were having a boy!" - completely sincerely. She called me Laurence, which is hardly a feminine name!

And when we said that we were giving them all my surname as their second middle name, she was horrified. My middle name is Smith - again, a bloody surname! People can be so hypocritical!

Iamnotminterested · 21/02/2012 13:58

Alice is a lovely name.

MoneyWhereYourMouthIs · 21/02/2012 14:03

My mum's reaction to DS1's name "How pretentious" Within two weeks of being born "Ooh, the girls at the nail bar think he's got a film star's name".Hmm

Debsbear · 21/02/2012 14:05

I wanted to call my son Dominic, but my Dad spent 4 weeks calling him Domino so I gave up - I know he would never have dropped it and it wasn't worth subjecting my son to it.

Doobylou · 21/02/2012 14:17

MIL took my list of possible baby names and stuck a black line through those she didn't like.

Upon us choosing a name (that she didn't like) she insisted on calling DD by another, totally unrelated, name. Still does on occasion.

NeedlesCuties · 21/02/2012 14:23

I'm pregnant with DC2.

DS's name has 4 letters and because of that my dad seems to think that the next child, irrespective of gender, should also have a 4 letter name Hmm

Don't know where on earth get this from, as his own 3 children all have names of varying lengths!

blondiep14 · 21/02/2012 14:37

Oh people can be so rude can't they?!
I sent a text with picture, 'you have another grandson, blah blah, weight etc' to my DM, she replied 'he looks like a Louis' !!!!!
Most of the family hate DS2's middle name, but if he doesn't like it, he can drop it I figure.

Gavi · 21/02/2012 14:43

As the mum of a one year old Elizabeth, I sympathise entirely. I can't count how many times I've been asked 'what are you going to shorten it to?' - er, nothing, it's a beautiful name in its own right and if she wants a nn, she can decide for herself when she's older. Both DS and DD have classic names, I didn't see it as an opportunity to be creative when the poor little buggers have a surname that you have to spell out to everyone!

dementedma · 21/02/2012 15:02

DS is Joseph. "so you'll be calling him Joe then?"
"no, we'll be calling him Joseph".

higgle · 21/02/2012 15:10

DS1 - Jack - was born before it was a common name this time around.

Neighbour "what's his name then?"
Me "Jack"

very long pause ............puzzled look..... "Is it a family name?"

Helenfellows33 · 21/02/2012 15:18

when i told my mother the name of my dd she curled her nose up and said it sounded like a stripper name. my aunt was the same its Scarlett btw.

i hate my name way too boring. people should not stick their nose into your choices.

Mikocat · 21/02/2012 15:25

Currently pregnant with PFB, my gran asked what we were planning on calling the baby and my Mum told her our first choice girl's name, to which her reply was "Well that's horrible isn't it?".

Mind you, she is a very rude old witch.