So, (D)M has just told me she hates our proposed name for DC2.

[Spoutlet]

It is the only name that DH and I both agree on and I'm annoyed that she and F are being so negative about our choice. She launched into a rant about how the poor boy will be open to ridicule at school, it's a dogs name and they just don't like it. They'd prefer a name like Jack or Thomas. We probably shouldn't have mentioned it, but she asked and I knew they'd probably be a bit weird about it and would rather get their weirdness out of the way before DS arrives. The name is Otto, by the way. I did have a little reservation about using it, i.e. we have no German heritage, but I was starting to overcome this as we do really love the name. I'm now wavering! So, thoughts on Otto, please. Apologies for the mini rant!

FWIW, I like your choice.

But the moral of the story is never, ever, ever, ever announce the name before the child is born. Then say, "This is Otto".

It can be hard enough choosing a name that both of you like, without trying to please everyone else in the whole, damn world.

Gosh, I'm afraid I'm with your Mum on this one. But the key thing to remember, it's not my choice, it's not your Mum's choice. It's your choice.

Give him a good middle name because I think potentially he may want to use it when he's older. Especially as it is not a family name and you have no German heritage.

I think Otto is nice. I don't think mil liked any of our names. Her taste is totally different. I ignored this

Haven't read the whole thread but would Jasper rather than Casper work better with your surname.

TBH I don't think Otto is that bad - I work with kids and we inevitably hear some corking names but once you get to know the child you just get used to them and they grow on you until you can't imagine them being anything else.

If you both love the name then use it - your parents have had their go at picking baby names!

belgo, my bf's son is Eric. He is 11, so she was way ahead of the curve

As Kewcumber said, she chose her children's names, now you have the right to choose yours.

I don't like it, sorry. It sounds like it is a shortened version of something else. However if I did like it then I would use it, regardless of others opiions.

I dont know. I dont dislike it but I'm not sure I like it either.

Fwiw - I know 2 couples in America with sons called Otto. Maybe it is starting to become popular?

I asked one of them if they have any German connections and they looked at me like I just fell out the sky.

If you like it, go for it. It's not as bad as Jack, Harry, Thomas etc imo

go for it, i love Otto. it was on our shortlist but we had a girl. we also liked
Conrad
Names come and go in germany as well by the way-my mum Anna was the only Anna in her class, now it is everywhere on both sides of the sea, so I say pick Otto before the vast multitudes copy you :D

chandon is right. Best approach is to call from the hospital and say "You have a little grandson. Otto Frederick"

Then all they can say is "Ooh lovely. We're thrilled."

I know my mum wasnt that enamoured with our name for DS but she never said it as we employed the above tactic, and once they meet them, it just becomes their name and no-one gives it another thought.

I think you should stick with Otto as it's what you like. doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

When I was pregnant with dd2, an aquantaince asked what we were going to call her. I said, "Mary Jane" (names changed to protect the innocent ). She said, "I prefer Jane to Mary.". I smiled and said, "I wasn't asking for your opinion."

But then I'm a bitch thick skinned.

I don't like it I'm afraid, but then it's not up to me! It's your choice entirely, of course.

DS is Max (also a dog's name apparently!) DM very quietly before he was born said she wasn't sure about it, but we went with it regardless. It's now probably her favourite name ever, because of the person it's attached to. Otto is unusual but I rather like it.

Once you have actually chosen a name you like discuss it with no-one!

This is the one loud and clear lesson of all baby name threads.

I've loved this name since I was a child but DH has vetoed it. The lack of German connections would worry me a bit. Being bullied at school over names would not so much. There is so much more diversity when it comes to names these days.

I haven't read the whole thread but I like the name and as previous posters have said it is your choice.

I had the same problem with my mother and our choice of name for dd2 - Elspeth, Elsie for short . She really hated it however once Elsie arrived and she'd told a few of her cronies friends the name and got positive responses she came round. 7 years on I couldn't imagine her being called any thing else.

TBH I don't like it, but that is by the by.

I always try to think what the nicknames will be when they grow up, And I think Otto will end up as either 'grotto' or 'oddo' in the school playground.

If it were me and I was head over heels in love with this name I'd put Otis in the birth certificate and bring him up as an Otto. He then has choice of switching, and the odd person who really can't get their head round the name can call him Otis.

Gosh, lots of replies and an even split between the ayes and the nays! I'm still vacillating, of course, for the reason I mentioned in my opener. But, I/we do still love the name...

Thanks for the suggestions, most of which DH and I have already discussed and rejected. Hugh is a name used for many generations in my family, which is why I was thinking Hugo - DH, however, remains against this option . DH really wants Caspar. Whilst I love this name, our surname begins with C and ends in S, so I think it sounds slightly ridiculous. I know discussing names with people prior to the big arrival is daft. I wasn't asking for her opinion, she just asked if we'd thought of any names and I, stupidly, told her.

So, the upshot is, we're no closer to finding a name. Thanks all .

My Mum had a hissy fit when I told her ds2 would be called Dylan if he was a boy. She thought it was terrible - way too new age/hippy/alternative

But Dylan he was and he couldn't have been anything else - he's 8 now and she loves the name - because it's him!

But yes, I wish we hadn't had the name conversation with her - she didn't like Matilda either, if he had been a girl!

The ridicule my DM imagines an Otto would get, is ridiculous imo. I have a name that every other girl born in the 70s has, but children will always find something to pick on - I was flat chested, had spots and eczema throughout my schooldays and was mercilessly ribbed for this! I also think that children are very accepting of names.

it's your baby not your mum's!

(and she will have to get used to it anyway)

to me it doesn't have German connotations, but I do think it's Italian for 8

as for alternatives:-

Huxley?

There were 100 baby Ottos in 2010 according to the baby names app and it is steeply increasing in popularity. I quite like it myself, its nice to hear something a bit different and unusual.

"My step dad is Austrian and said Otto is an old man's name over there."

Yes, it is still a VERY unfashionable, old fashioned, comical name in Germany. I have just looked up the name on German naming forums (speak German myself) and it is really not liked much at all. So, whilst it IS a very German name, it is currently not a very highly regarded name in Germany.

There is also the famous comedian, Otto who has made several films named after him. In other words, it has very comical connotations to many.

"I also think that children are very accepting of names."

Not when I was growing up they weren't
[bitter]

Using the surname "cooks" as an example, i don't think Caspar Cooks sounds ridiculous. Have you tried running the actual combination past a trusted friend?

I don't think it matters that the name isn't popular in Germany. If you live in the UK, then it matters what people here think, and they will assume a germanic connection with a name like Otto, and that might seem strange to people if you don't have that connection.