Is this name just asking for trouble or perfectly okay?

[KnittedC]

I'm currently 38 weeks pregnant with my first (don't know if we're having a boy or a girl) but I'm not sure whether one of the names we are thinking of is too out there or not. The day we found out we were pregnant I suggested this name for a boy and DP was adamant there was no way; but since then it has sort of stuck and now he is even more keen on it than I am! The name we are thinking of is Grover.

Because we've discussed it back and forth for so many months I'm not sure if I have clarity anymore over whether it's horrible or not, but we both really love it and it just feels right. It also goes well with the surname. What does everyone think - would it be unreasonable to call our son Grover?

Of course, it's possible that after all this we have a girl and this is moot

[NotInGuatemalaNowDrRopata]

Please don't do it. I can see what's happened, the name's grown on you and you've forgotten why it's such a big "NO!"

You'll meet people and they'll say "And what's this little fellow's name?" and you'll say "Grover" and they'll say, "Pardon?" and you'll repeat yourself and they will either be silent or quickly think of something nice to say. Then they'll go home and say "Can you BELIEVE anyone would do that to their child? That poor, poor kid." Children will go home from school talking about Grover. Their parents won't believe there really is a child called Grover in the class.

When Grover finishes university and tries to get accepted onto a grad programme somewhere, his application will be ignored for his dream job because the recruiter will think its a practice one that someone submitted before doing their real application. If by some miracle he gets an interview, the company will be discussing candidates and one of the old school senior people will say "Grover? Seriously? I'm not having someone called Grover working for me. I am not introducing him to clients."

I'm sorry to be so mean, but you have to see why it's not fair. Can you give him a different name and call him Grover as your pet name for him?

[selsigfach]

Makes me think of growler!
It's horrible, sorry.

[pictish]

I think it's fine.

[ArbitraryUsername]

Honestly, grover is absolutely no worse than the kind of names that everyone gets all enthusiastic over on here! I doubt 24 year old grover is going to have a harder time having job applications taken seriously than Rufus, Artemis and Ptolomy who all applied too.

[scottishmummy]

ghastly try to hard media types name.smacks of try too hard to be trendy

[Peevish]

I quite like it. I was probably in my teens, though, before I realised it's an actual American name, and not invented for the Sesame Street character. I would think it was appealingly quirky.

Are you Americans, incidentally?

[GirlOutNumbered]

I laughed when I first heard it as its a Muppet, but actually the more you say it, I don't think it sounds too bad.
I think its quite cool

[Viviennemary]

It's really absolutely awful. One of the worst I've heard on here. Please don't. The teasing at school will be horrendous.

[OutragedFromLeeds]

I've been through this OP, considered both Grover and Elmo and I do still quite like both of them, but they're not useable, they're muppets. Thankfully the crazy fog lifted in time and neither have been used.

DON'T DO IT!

[GirlOutNumbered]

No. I changed my mind.
It's a muppets name.

[PickledInAPearTree]

It's a shocker !

[amillionyears]

If he is cool he will be fine.
If he is not....maybe not so

[stradbally]

IMO you answered your own question when you said "I don't think it's too dreadful". Surely when any name in the world is open to you, you'd want to choose something special and beautiful. There must be other names you're both drawn to which aren't ugly - and I think deep down you know Grover just is, otherwise you wouldn't feel the need to ask others if it's ok.

[KnittedC]

Peevish no, not Americans, we live in the UK.

[HenriettaChicken]

I think it's quite cool. Never watched SS, though. I thought 'Washington'

[CaseyShraeger]

I do think "muppet" but if I suppress that reaction then I like it well enough. I don't think I could get past the muppetiness of it for my child, but if you can then it wouldn't be terrible.

What about Abby Cadabby for a girl ?

[DontEvenThinkAboutIt]

Umm, that is quite an interesting name.

I just asked my DD what she thought and she said:

"you mean like in Seaseme Street"

[loler]

Cool nickname

[Floweryhat]

Elmo would be (infiitessimally) better. Grover makes me think of Rover, groover or Michael gove. To me it just isn't a real name.

[DontmindifIdo]

NotInGuatemalaNowDrRopata sums it up well. You are not naming a tiny baby, you are naming a man who will have to go through life with this name.

What do you picture "Grover" looking like? Rugged, tough, outdoorsy, 'men want to be him, woman want to be with him' type? Well, a man like that can carry off most names.

Now picture your dear first born not being a stand out student - not one that fails, but someone who gets Bs and Cs, someone who doesn't get picked first for every team (not last, just not first) and someone who isn't ever going to be on a 'stella' career path - but middle managment and being really happy with that. Can you picture hearing that the bloke you need to talk to in the planning department at the Council is called "Grover"? I can imagine a lead singer in a super cool band being called Grover (although I'd assume it was a nickname that had some long history behind it), I can't imagine an accountant called Grover, or if there was one, I don't think I'd trust him to do my tax returns.

Sorry, it does'nt feel like a good choice. You're banking on having produced a genius of one form or another for them to be able to carry it off, what if you've produced a lovely but perfectly ordinary man? it's a hell of a thing to carry off.

[BehindLockNumberNine]

Have just asked dh, he thinks it is quite cool! He would not disregard applications for apprenticeships (one of the aspects of his job) merely because the boy in question is called Grover.

I quite like it too!

[Shellington]

Awww, don't though :)

Gregory, Oliver, Victor even - all as a given name - with you fondly referring to him as "Grover" would be OK.

[TreadOnTheCracks]

It's a name for a dog I'm afraid.

[DontmindifIdo]

BTW - whenever I read a thread on here when someone's suggesting an unusual name on here, I want to suggest they read this Guardian article from the parent who went for something a bit more 'out there', and the child not liking it.

Remember, it's not you that has to live with this name...

[QueenOfCats]

Of all the names in the whole world, Grover was the best you could come up with?

It's awful! Please don't!

How about Fox? I had a patient the other day called Fox and all my colleagues commented on how awesome it was!