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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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Xmasbaby11 · 22/02/2012 17:01

'I didn't know that was a name!'

Al0uise · 22/02/2012 17:14

I have a 14 year old Archie. When I was pregnant my Mum tried to talk me out of it by saying "I really like Johnnie, people will think he's a silly boy if you call him Archie" Me: "so calling him a slang term for a condom is better?" (apologies to any Johnnies out there. The Pils pitched up and said "Archie" "Archie" "Archie" ? About 50 times, "we"ll call him AJ, we can't call him Archie" then they discovered that Archie Norman was head Honcho at Asda and a Tory grandee - so that was suddenly acceptable.

Fuckers! The lot of them.

WMDinthekitchen · 22/02/2012 17:20

I think some new grandmothers must be washed away on a tide of expectation and hope and when their son/daughter does not choose a name they like, they cannot refrain from commenting.

On the birth of my first DC (DH is Scottish)

My mother - 'What are you going to call him?'
Me - 'Angus'
My mother - 'Is that really necessary?'

Sad
Harleyband · 22/02/2012 17:34

My sister decided to name her DD Chandler- they lived in the American South at the time and it was a popular girls name. My granny, very excited about the birth of her first great-granddaughter, could not wrap her head around the name, although she tried. She kept asking why they were naming her after a ship's store. On the day of the birth, Granny called her friend, "The baby's here!" Friend- "And what are they calling her?" Granny "It's, it's...Haberdashery!"

LucyGoose · 22/02/2012 18:43

LOL'ing at all these!

"Is that really necessary?" My word...

ilovesprouts · 22/02/2012 18:49

my dd has a lil boy called oakley wen she told ppl someone said ooh after the sunglasses, shes due july with a girl olivia- rose

itsatiggerday · 22/02/2012 19:31

DH did his usual memory blank that we'd discussed girl and boy names for private agreement and blabbed them to his family in the middle of a lunch. Cue very public "oh that's lovely" for the girl name and "no I don't like that" for the boy name from MIL.

I definitely felt the upthread response "I don't care!" but I wasn't pregnant at the time so not too emotionally invested and already well practised in ignoring much of what she felt entitled to comment on, so just started talking to someone else and kicked DH to drop the subject. We never changed our minds and have used both names and she'd learned enough about me in the intervening 3 years to pass no further comment except to mention frequently how many positive remarks they get from friends about DD's name. Lovely. Pleased for you.

Mind you they have a habit of naming children after close family members - like the parents' siblings. I don't get it.

CaptainNemo · 22/02/2012 20:07

20+ years ago when SIL told MIL (her step mother) that their brand new DD2 was Martha, according to family legend MIL's first comment was that Martha is a "below stairs name" Confused It was such a ridiculous thing to say I actually think it's quite funny, although I'm not sure I'd feel the same way if it was my baby (and my hormones) involved. At least it meant I knew to be cautious when it came to telling her DD's name, though I think she's mellowed over the years. My mother has already told me that she "really really doesn't like" and would apparently "struggle" with Shock one of the names we're thinking of for DS after my sister (irritatingly) told her what it was. Can't win....

CaptainNemo · 22/02/2012 20:08

Agree Alice Elizabeth is lovely btw Smile

CheerfulYank · 22/02/2012 20:14

"Oh. Oh...well, I guess that's a very "you" type of name."

DS is Samuel Robert. We call him Sam. Hmm

DitaVonCheese · 22/02/2012 20:19

ballroom Be gentle with your SIL - if she's desperate to be pg then I can see why the thought of having her favourite names nabbed might be upsetting :(

I love this thread but it's a bit unsporting not to say what the names are so we can judge sympathise Wink

My mum said "What kind of person names their child after a stagnant lake?" about DS (Mortimer). My dad said "I'll call him Mo" (he doesn't). Meh.

Melpomene · 22/02/2012 20:29

Some crazy comments on this thread.

I agree that Alice Elizabeth is lovely (My dd is Alix Elizabeth!)

MrsJasonBourne · 22/02/2012 21:10

My dd1 is Elizabeth Ann. I couldn't help myself when she was tiny and just kept calling her Lizzie, which has now stuck. Mil does occasionally comment on what a shame it is that we don't call her by her proper name. Sometimes I agree with her.

surroundedbyblondes · 22/02/2012 21:21

When DH phoned my grandmother from the hospital to tell her of the arrival of DD1 and the vital stats, name etc. she said "Ella, what kind of name is that, I've never heard of it before". Crazy old bat!

chobbler · 22/02/2012 21:32

FIL about his own grandson- does so and so have a dog called that.

I was constantly teased about my given names by my classmates as my mum was persuaded by her mother to not give me the name she had originally chosen. mostly because I would have had my father's mothers family names.

When we had DD we were expecting a DS and it took us about 25 seconds to choose the name, as it happened all sides of the family had an Alice so everyone gets to think it is about great aunt so and so but it isn't. we just liked the name and I personally think that, Alice Elizabeth is a brilliant name, but then I may be a bit biased.

LilRedWG · 22/02/2012 21:38

When very pregnant with DS we told my sister our names for both a boy and a girl - to the boy's name she siad, "well, let's hope you have a girl then". We had a boy. Grin

mum2jakie · 22/02/2012 22:35

I love the name in the op.

I must admit, it is really difficult to give a tactful response to some names. I heard of a baby called Rogan Josh recently. Surely, in those circumstances, the MIL would have been justified in questioning why the parents wanted to call their child after a curry??

daphnebubbles · 23/02/2012 09:37

While I was pregnant with my second child, my husband and I more-or-less decided on Amelie from the word go. My mother was incensed and said why didn't we just call her Emily as Amelie was VERY pretentious. She banged on and tutted about Amelie all through my pregnancy until two weeks before the baby was due, I decided she would be called Violet. My mother almost had a fit and kept ringing me up to shout 'But what's wrong with Amelie - it's a LOVELY name! Violet will be shortened to Vi or she'll be called violent...' It's actually nuts that people think they should have anything at all to do with what you name your child!

Crabbylucy · 23/02/2012 11:41

Most people put a lot of thought into choosing their child's name, so other's shouldn't comment. I'm still not keen on my nephew's name, but that's just me and I wouldn't dream of telling my DB or SIL.

LadyWord · 23/02/2012 11:49

Agree crabby. As a lover of unusual names, I often end up gushing politely when someone calls their newborn a very common/top 10 name, when I'm really thinking "YAAAWWWWN!" But it's mean to say anything negative, least of all to a hormonal mum who has just gone through childbirth.

If I hate a name I try to remember the person will grow into their name and make it theirs, so it will become a good name for me, IYSWIM.

ledkr · 23/02/2012 11:56

when i named my dd -Delilah people said "People will all sing that song to her"one day dh said "well yeah but they will look pretty silly bursting into song every 5 mins. A gp also said to me "Oh she will love you when she's older" I wanted to deck her Grin

Diamondback · 23/02/2012 12:00

Dad: "That's an awful name! You might as well call her Flip, or Splint, or Pancake."

LadyWord · 23/02/2012 12:04

Actually Pancake is quite nice for a girl! :o

Hazbo · 23/02/2012 14:13

About my DS's name from my Great Aunt "Thats a name for a boy in a flat cap selling newspapers on a street corner"

My Nan on my DD's name "Where did you get that from, its awful??!!"
MIL to my DH "Do you like the name?"

All said after they were born!

jj21 · 23/02/2012 14:47

On hearing me address my errant DS1 by his full name (including middle name) a (then childlless) friend said,'My goodness, who did he get from. I guess you are hoping for a big inheritance!'

No, we just really like his middle name and now wish we had given it as his first name, as his first name is now really popular and you meet them everywhere.

Friend now has a son who has a very, very unusal family name - and they are hoping for a big inheritance!