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Baby names

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Original poster

Has anyone ever chosen a name for their child then gone off it after naming the child?

25 replies

dreamingoflavender · 27/08/2013 21:49

I am torn between Hannah, Anna, Harriet or Poppy for a girl but in a sense it doesn't hugely matter as I like them all and always have.

My boy name however is more of a 'Marmite' name and while many people love it, others pull a Hmm face. My primary concern is it might make him a target for bullies (some have said it will.) I can't however think of any many other boy names I like.

I'm worried about naming him then regretting it. Has this ever happened to anybody?

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Artijoke · 27/08/2013 22:38

I sort of regret DS' name. I liked it when pregnant but wasn't 100% sure, then I started to go off it but DH still keen and as I could not think of anything else I agreed to stick with it. My MiL had a terrible reaction when we announced the name and that shocked me and I started to go off it. DS is 3 months now and I still worry about the name and sometimes feel uncomfortable saying it. I wish I had gone for something more classic (one of my girls has a name from your list).

lola88 · 27/08/2013 22:56

My friend picked a girls name but had a boy luckily as now she says she doesn't know what the hell she was thinking with the girls name and hates it.

Sadie204 · 27/08/2013 23:22

With all 3 of our DC we've chosen a name for both genders 'just incase'. Each time we've been quite happy with the name we've used but have come to really dislike the other names so much we haven't even considered them with the next child.

KristinaM · 27/08/2013 23:24

My SIL named her DD Juliet and she went off the name, so she renamed her when she was a year old. We all thought she was mad but it wasn't a problems, everyone got used to the change very quickly . Not that I'm recommending this as a plan. I don't know how it's worked out with her passport etc

MichaelBubleBath · 27/08/2013 23:32

Friend renamed her child after a week.
Acquaintance renamed herself at uni then reverted back to her real name Grin

I have gone off my dc1s name in the last decade Blush but only cos I do not like the nn she goes by.
I chose a name for dc3 then went off it while pregnant and chose another.

hashtagwhatever · 27/08/2013 23:38

I think go with what you have, if you don't and choose another name just to please others you could end up hating that name.

what is the boys name?

Original poster
dreamingoflavender · 27/08/2013 23:54

I thought I'd put it - sorry! Sebastian :)

OP posts:
hashtagwhatever · 28/08/2013 00:23

perfectly good name. go with it

RoadToTuapeka · 28/08/2013 09:39

I have met a couple of young Sebastians lately. I think it's a nice name BUT I dislike some of the nns, eg Seb, which makes me think 'sebaceous'. You could try for Bastian as a nn and head off the 'Seb'?

Original poster
dreamingoflavender · 28/08/2013 18:43

I really don't like Bastian but I do like Seb, so won't be going down the 'Bastian' route! I think Bastian sounds like a place!

OP posts:
TripleRock · 28/08/2013 18:46

I like Sebastian and Seb. Go for it!

ClartyCarol · 28/08/2013 18:47

Bastian is too much like 'bastard' imo!

Sebastian is fine, I know of a couple.

Layl77 · 28/08/2013 20:52

Love Sebastian! It's just as its not over popular where you hear it all the time and you're not as used to it. Don't let your MIL put you off! Sebby is cute

Bowlersarm · 28/08/2013 20:56

I like Sebastian. I don't think it'll make him a target.

Fwiw I have three DSes. Our girls name changed each time! So guess it is probably possible to change your mind once you've named a child.

Yika · 28/08/2013 20:57

Sebastian is a beautiful, classic and I would have thought quite uncontroversial name.

Iwantacat · 28/08/2013 21:28

Love that name. So cool.

PlateSpinningAtAllTimes · 28/08/2013 21:32

I love Sebastian, was on our list for DS

User9987634234 · 28/08/2013 21:39

Sebastian is a lovely name - I know a two year old Seb (and the first boy I kissed was called Sebastian so it'll always have a place in my heart!)

I can't imagine why it would cause bullying? I think it's about 50 in the top 100 boys names in 2012 so a lot of people must like it, but it's not overly popular that you'll have loads of them in one class.

Fwiw, we gave DD a quite unusual name (as in not even in the top 1000!) and for the first few weeks I worried we'd made a mistake as some people were either open about not liking it or immediately trying to make it into a common nickname instead (one we didn't want to use Hmm) However, I soon loved it as it really suits her and she has 'become' the name.

If you love it go with it, and don't worry. Naming is so hard though and first time round anything would put me off a name - try not to ask for opinions if there's only one you like!

FixItUpChappie · 28/08/2013 21:53

I like Sebastian a lot - DH vetoed it on our list when we had our second. I am of the "Bastion" nn persuasion though

phoolani · 28/08/2013 22:11

Sebastian's fine; I'm not a particular fan, but I don't think he'll be bullied because of it. When pregnant with dd, we could only come up with one name we both really liked so we basically started calling her that well before she was born, which was a bit of a mistake because by the time she came out it seemed inconceivable to change it...and now I'm not a huge fan of it because it's way more popular than I thought it was. It does suit her tho and I still like it, but I'm not sure I'd give it to her if I could choose again. With ds by contrast, he only got a name because we had to give him one within the time limit to be registered. It came to me in a flash and is a real marmite name - people either cooed on hearing it or grimaced and did a kind of choking thing - and I love it, love it still 4 years later! So I guess I'm saying wait until he pops out and see if sebastian suits him! You have (from memory) 8 weeks to try it out!

sleepingbeautiful · 28/08/2013 22:19

I don't think it's a marmite name, it's a normal name. There is a very cute one in my baby/toddler group. No one there has ever remarked on it as an odd name.
I prefer Seb as nn - the other just makes me think of Camp Bastion in Afghanistan!

I do wish we had taken longer to name our twins because I love DS's name but feel a bit meh about DD's name still a year later. DH was all in a rush and emailed everyone and registered them the same day we thought of names. If you're not 100% sure, I'd plan to call a DS that name for 2 weeks and then register once you've got used to it and are happy.

WhispersOfWickedness · 28/08/2013 22:22

Sebastian is lovely! Smile

gotadifferentnamenow · 28/08/2013 22:33

Sebastian is lovely. I don't like any of the abbreviations for it but you don't actually have to have a nn. Honest. My son doesn't. Hardly anyone I went to school with did. I don't understand the MN obsession with nicknames.

MrsMinkBernardLundy · 28/08/2013 22:39

I was prepared for it to be something terrible.
Sebastian is a good name.

Wait till you see him/her though it might not suit.

My mum was going to call my sister Persephone. thank goodness she didn't. she would have got calledPercy phone by all our rels.

noodlebum · 29/08/2013 11:35

I like Sebastian! And also Anna & Harriet best from your girls list :-)

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