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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Do you really think that you just know when you see your baby?

42 replies

AmIGoingMad · 18/06/2013 14:11

Just that really. You might have seen a few threads from me recently wondering about Elodie or Sophie/Sophia and I'm just wondering if, in your experience, you 'just knew' which name to go for in seeing your little one?
We had set name in mind for DS so just went with that but am finding it more difficult this time around.

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BlueStarsAtNight · 18/06/2013 14:21

I guess some people must as a lot of people seem to say it! We had a definite name before having DS as we're very indecisive and knew we'd take ages otherwise. I think certain names make me think of certain features like hair colour for example, but on the whole I don't go in for "knowing when you see them" - I think babies grow to look like whatever name you give them.

YoniMatopoeia · 18/06/2013 14:23

I didn't.

We had a choice of two names.

We asked the midwife to choose

alteredimages · 18/06/2013 14:24

With DD we took this approach but didn't find picking a name any easier once she'd arrived! We also found that all the possibilities we'd picked out didn't suit her and picked a completely different name in the end. The name we eventually chose was one we'd hated during the pregnancy but it just suits her.

Bythebeach · 18/06/2013 14:28

No. DS1 was named at birth but DS2 &3 took 2 weeks and 5 weeks to decide!

MightBeMad · 18/06/2013 14:33

No here too! Had a name in mind before dc1 arrived but were very undecided when she was born and afterwards. Never been quite sure stil tbh!

bulletwithbutterflywings · 18/06/2013 14:35

We didn't. It took a week before we decided. He was just 'the baby' til then.

WhatHo · 18/06/2013 14:36

If I had waited until birth to name my DDs, they'd be called 'Winston' and 'Churchill'

We used our chosen names for both and both have grown into them like Blue says. DH and I are very tall so we didn't chose delicate fairylike names - I think that would have been a deal-breaker for our big, chubby babies.

shushmonster · 18/06/2013 14:47

You will definitely know if it's the wrong name. Ds1 did not suit his chosen name at all. Wrong colour hair for it ! I know it's sounds silly. Don't be in any rush tp pick baby names you have weeks before you have to decide. I 'tried out' several names on DD1 before deciding on something I would never have considered during pregnancy.

Elquota · 18/06/2013 16:45

Another no here!

sparkle12mar08 · 18/06/2013 18:29

We had decided a name before ds2 was born. We were both totally agreed and we both loved it. Yet I took one look at him the second he was born, and it was just there in my head: "Well you're certainly not an X!" Swiftly followed by "What the hell are we going to call you then?!"

So we talked and talked and talked some more and three weeks later eventually settled on my next choice.

MyNameIsSuz · 18/06/2013 18:35

I had hoped so, we went in with a shortlist of six but he didn't look like any of them! In fact he looked so much like one of my brothers that the only name I could think of was that brother's name, which was out of the question. Four days later we gave him a name not on our original list at all and it definitely suits him, though I think several others would have suited him too.

bodiddly · 18/06/2013 18:45

God no, it took 3 weeks!

ImaHexGirl · 18/06/2013 18:53

We had two names and as soon as we saw DS we knew which name he was. He has lived up to that name ever since but maybe that's the way we perceive it. If we'd chosen the other name then maybe we'd have had the same view. Everyone who has ever met him though has said that he couldn't be anything but his name although that could be for the wrong reasons!

hellhasnofurylikeahungrywoman · 18/06/2013 18:58

We had two names lined up for DD before she was born and she has neither of those names. We went with a name we had discussed and liked but wasn't actually on the short list because it seemed to suit her best.

It took us weeks to name DS so he was just 'baby' for quite a while, we couldn't decide on a name we liked. We had girls' names lined up but nothing for a boy. Good job you can't give a baby a complex by not naming him. In the end we stuck a dozen names into a hat and pulled one out!

Sarahplane · 18/06/2013 19:03

with dd we had 2 first names in mind and two middle names but picked once she was born. she ended up with both the first names, one as first and one as middle because they really suited her.

with ds we had more trouble choosing a name. I startedcchanging my mind after he was born and then we ended up deciding on the one we had picked when I was pregnant. I think he was about ten days old before I made up my mind.

LondonBus · 18/06/2013 19:07

With DS I just knew.

With DD I wasn't sure (we didn't have a name picked already) I'm still not convinced we gave her the best name for her.

mrsbugsywugsy · 18/06/2013 19:18

I think babies grow into their names, after all I have never met an adult and thought that their name didn't suit them.

I wanted dd to have a strong name that would suit a girl and an adult woman. if I had given her a name which suited her as a newborn she would have been called squishybum or jigglepops.

NotSoNervous · 18/06/2013 19:19

I didn't, it took me quite a while to get use to DD having a name and not just being baby or bump

Original poster

AmIGoingMad · 18/06/2013 19:45

These are all very interesting. Thank you!

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LeoTheLateBloomer · 18/06/2013 19:48

We did. Sort of. We went in with three boys names and three girls names. We had a girl and tried each name on her. She 'responded' to one of them so we agreed that that would be her name. Then after about 5 minutes of looking at her we both agreed that it was totally wrong and changed it. As soon as we changed it we knew it was right.

Ham69 · 18/06/2013 20:07

No way! Both of mine just looked like a 'baby' and it took me a long time to call them a name without feeling silly! Took about a week to name DS but I only had one name in mind for DD and just went with it. I don't think either of them suited their names particularly but they have both grown into them now!

soontobeslendergirl · 18/06/2013 21:02

No, we didn't know their names when my two were born, what we did see was that the theoretical names just didn't suit the actual human being when they are there in front of you.

I'd be wary of going with hair colour or something when you are naming them. No2 son's name means Dark or swarthy - he was dark skinned and had dark hair......then the bleeder went blond! :o

He has darkened again as he has gotten older but still....

tammytoby · 18/06/2013 21:50

We chose our kids' names as soon as we found out the gender at the 20 week scan!

A name is just a collection of letters and I agree with previous posters that a child/person grows into any name.

farmersdaughter · 18/06/2013 22:11

DH and I had agree on DD name before she was born, when she arrived I wanted to call her Charlotte, DH put his foot down and said we should call her what we agree. I'm glad he did, mainly as I was so blooming tried when the MW asked what her name was I said Anna... It's not Anna, not even close. I couldn't think straight and kept crying.

If in doubt, have a feed and sleep and come back to it several hrs later

Original poster

AmIGoingMad · 18/06/2013 22:28

That's good advice! Probably best to either know for definite in advance, or if not not to make decision while still delirious from gas and air!

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