Did you/would you go for a 'safe' name so as not to upset ...

[wonderingifiam2013]

Parents and in-laws?

I know people have strong views on revealing/not revealing names before baby arrives but both DH and I do not want to share our names before baby arrives. We don't know the sex and want to introduce baby to everyone by his/her name.

With baby #1 we were bombarded EVERY time we saw family members with name suggestions and questions even though they knew we wouldn't reveal the names we had chosen.

This time it's only just started (well past half way rather than just conceived last time! ) and isn't half as bad as last time ... yet!

But ... my inlaws were introduced to a baby the other week who had a name we secretly loved, although not top of our list, and totally slagged it off and asked why on earth you'd call a baby that?

Now the name we like for a girl is quite 'safe' although not overly popular ... whereas the boys name we both like will be greeted with shock/horror ... which both of us giggle at as it makes us want to use it even more so!

Therefore - are we being stubborn in wanting to use a name we know the family won't like and should we go for a safer more traditional name?

[SJaneS]

Exactly Fondant Nancy - Cassius is a great name and he's unlikely to be the only child with a more unusual name in his class (my DD's class includes a Ludo, an Artemis and a Wilf). Go with your convictions!

[squoosh]

Let's hope we're all as tolerant in 30 years time when our darling grandchildren are being named Doreen and Keith.

Best start practising our 'that's a lovely name darling' faces right now

[louise3louise3]

Aurora is a very pretty name! Go with your instincts. You'll always find someone who doesn't like a name you've picked. When I was pregnant with twins (and didn't know the sexes), I mentioned to my mother that I really liked the name Anastasia. I've loved that name since I was small and I also went to school with a lovely girl with that name. My mother went on and on and on about it, saying how much she disliked it, so in the end, I decided against it. Now, I also liked it because it's Russian. And my twin daughters, were conceived via egg donation in Russia as I had an early menopause. So we'd thought about having Russian names as a nod to this, although we have not shared this with our family or friends. So we chose names that were slightly unusual (you'll not find them on pens/pencils/mugs etc) and my aunt hated one of the names and wasn't too polite. Although it's classically English. I can't mention them on here in case someone recognises me. About a year after they were born, I was watching tv with my mum and the name Anastasia came up. And I said, oh how lovely that name is and how I wished I'd used it. And, yes, mum said, oh what a pretty name. Dotty old bat had forgotten completely. So lesson learnt.

[AmpullaOfVater]

Doreen and Keith



"But .. but... they'll be bullied at school! Why don't you go for something less silly, dear, like Ludo or Calliope?"

[anaotchan]

I'm not telling my family, but I've been asking close friends for their opinion on my shortlist, because I trust their taste.

The way I see it, the most important thing is not whether I love the name, because it's my child who'll have to live with it all his/her life, not me. So I feel it'd be really selfish of me to give them a name I love, but that many people think is ridiculous or chavvy or old-fashioned, etc.

Ideally I'll find a name that I love, and that is usually well received!

By the way "Aurora" is lovely! One of my best friends is called Aurore, I don't recall anyone ever making fun of her name (but then it is more common in my country, I guess).

[Tommy]

not at all! Our baby - our name.
We didn't know the gender with all 3 pregnancies and didn't tell anyone our names.
DH told his mum that we were going for an old testament prophet name for DS1. /She thought we were going for Obadiah so was quite glad when Daniel appeared

[MortifiedAdams]

Aurora is beautiful.

We told MIL we were considering Harry if DC1 was a boy and she laughed in our face at such a silly name. Therefore we decided there and then that her opinion wouldnt count regardless. SIL was pregnant at the same time and all her favourite names were all top ten, ours, well, not even top 100. No.matter, both girls totally suit their names now and noone has ever aaid anything to our face.

I did once say to SIL that my dds bame was old ladyish (not in a negatove way) and she said "phew, I thought that too but didnt want to say", which obvs means she thinks old ladyish is a bad thing

We would pick (for any future dc) a name we live irrespective of family opinion.

[LilRedWG]

When I told my sister the name we would use if our baby was a boy she said, "well let's hope ypu have a girl". When said baby was a boy she announced at a family fathering the DS's name still hadn't grown on her.

[Lutrine]

I told one person our names, a new friend I'd made who was also pregnant, because she shared hers too! No one else knew, and we still haven't told anyone our boy name in case we have a DS next time!

[LilRedWG]

Should add that DS was over one when Dsis made the second comment.

OP - your baby, your choice.

[Blueberryveryberry]

Aurora means Dawn, not very popular in Spanish I think.
I think you should think of your DC name on a cv, if it looks good then use it.

[KoalaFace]

Thanks for all the thumbs up for Aurora. I've already told DH about my change of heart and he's happy with it I feel all giddy, like I've claimed something of mine back.

[KoalaFace]

Oh and I love Cassius!

[Ezio]

I do remember there was a thread by a woman, who was imminently due, and her DP wanted to call the child "Washington".

I wonder what happened to her actually.

[squoosh]

Yay, go KoalaFace!

[Ezio]

Koala, its a beautiful name, and it will fit a very beautiful girl, so screw it you want it, you make it happen.

[ringaringarosy]

The woman in the local shop asked my daughter what her baby sister was going to be called in december,ahen my daughter told her,the woman laughed and said no seriously have you thought of any names?and then told me all the names she thought i should choose which were bloody awful.

[SweetieTime]

Koala lovely that you feel like that, it is obviously the right thing.

I am currently pregnant with b/g twins and EVERYONE asks what we will be naming them. We have a short list of 2 names for both but will not be telling as we know family will not like, especially the boys names. I don't care, they will have to get used to it. Our babies so we name them what we want.

Hope you do the same OP

[Ezio]

What was the name she laughed at?

[Dramamama]

My dd is called Isabella and we naturally have called her bella for short EVERYONE calls her that apart from my dm who insists on calling her izzy because she hates the name bella....how can you hate a name that literally means beautiful?! Anyway shes been forced to call her bella now as dd won't answer to izzy as shes not used to being called that.
Bottom line call your children names you love everyone else will have to fall in line eventually

[MissStrawberry]

Having read this thread I realise I am still annoyed and hurt that someone was about my daughter's middle name. I still can't see what the issue was.

[Weegiemum]

My 2 dds have fairly mainstream names - not old lady chic and not boring, they are Katherine (13) and Rachel (9). I've loved dd1s name all my life and she's very happy with it, dd2s name is after dh's grandma, who died 3 weeks before she was born. The last time Grandma showed any emotion as she faded away was the last time we saw her, when we told her (she was the only one who knew) that it was a girl and her name was Rachel.

Ds doesn't have an unusual name either, not really, he's Aidan. However, same grandma was a very knee-jerk Northern Ireland presbyterian unionist, and it took her 3-4 days to say the name - because it's a "catholic" (mouthed, not pronounced audibly!) name. We didnt care, it's a lovely name.

[DoItTooJulia]

My ds1 has a very 'quirky' name (not liked on MN) and an unusual middle name. Some of my and DHs family were aghast, but I didn't care.

When ds2 was due everyone was sooo nervous about what we would choose I think they were expecting something much more out there than we chose. It's still not a run of the mill name mind you, but more ordinary than ds1. We still have raised eyebrows over it though.

You simply cannot please all the people all the time. We had a job agreeing between the two of us!

Go with your gut and sod the rest of 'em!

[Dramamama]

Btw LOVE Aurora and Cassius and agree cass is such a cool nn, my pe teacher at secondary school was called cass and all the girls fancied the pants off of him

[googietheegg]

Aurora is a fab name! It was a very close second choice for our dd!