My close friend hates my baby's name.

[butterbeerfloat]

Just a bit of a rant really.

I'm pregnant again after a miscarriage and since the first pregnancy we've had our boy and girl names picked out.
20 week scan we discovered we're having a little boy ( !) in a few weeks time, and we have been calling him by his name to each other (me and DH) the whole pregnancy. It's what we see him as and know him as and we adore the name.

Anyway a very close friend of mine asked his name and we told her and her DP... they both pulled faces and tried to get us to change our minds?! Kept on suggesting other names, then when I said we're not looking for alternatives, this is his name.. She said reluctantly "no... use it as a middle name instead then maybe?"

Erm. WTF.

It's an unusual name, more common as a surname but certainly not a ridiculous "out there" name. Also even if it were, what right has she got to try to get us to change it!?

I asked my DM and DSis what they thought of the name, not letting on it was the final name, and they both said they loved it despite the fact they're both quite reserved and tend to favour classic names.

When he's born he's still having it, but I'll always know this friend hates it and tbh I've been feeling like shit ever since said conversation. I'm so shocked by this reaction, has anyone else had a similar experience?

Sullivan is really nice and your friend (IMO) was rude to be quite so vocal about it. In her situation I would have perhaps said, oh that's unusual, are you sure, it's not what I would choose; but then when it became apparent that you were set on it, I'd shut my face!!

Just realised why I like Sullivan so much - I really liked Solomon and it goes soooo well with our surname (one syllable, begins with J; in fact I think all three syllable names sound fab with it), but DH wasn't keen. :-(

I don't usually like surnames as first names but I DO like Sullivan. There's a little Sully in my DD's class at school (but I think it's short for something else) and I've always loved it.

Best not to tell people names, IMO until there is a baby attached. Hard to dislike a name when the person called it is an adorable little squidger in your arms.

Did you tell her in a "what do you think?" way?

I think its a bit daft and oversensitive to take the huff or be rendered distraught by their reaction. It doesn't matter if the name is not to her taste, after all. And presumably your friendship is made of sufficiently stern stuff to get over someone being a bit tactless?

(oh and I once had a boyfriend called Sully, in my teens, French and very adorable he was too)

Sorry I'm with someone up thread if she's that close a friend why should take express her opinion.

For what it's worth as complete stranger I agree with her sorry it is "out there" as a first name first thought was Sully from Monsters Inc that is what it will be shortened to and what he'll be associated with.

Up to you obviously but better get used to the comments and eye Brow raising reactions.

I am not normally one for unusual names or surnames as first ones, but I do actually like Sullivan and the nicknames.

Dont worry! A friend said to me when i told her dc's name "that doesnt do it for me". I resisted the urge to say that it had not been chosen to "do it" for her .

Sullivan isn't my style of name but surprised it got that reaction from your friend.

There are far worse names which are much more commonplace at the moment.

"why should take express her opinion"

Well (assuming that's an autocorrect for "why shouldn't she express her opinion"), firstly because she wasn't asked for it; she was told that that was the baby's name.

Secondly, there's a difference between expressing an opinion ("oh, that's a bit out there and people will associate it with Monsters Inc") and actively trying to get OP to change her mind, repeatedly suggesting other names and eventually saying a flat "no" (WTF?) and suggesting OP uses it as a middle name.

There were 44 baby Sullivans in the UK last year so it's not freakishly weird. There were fewer than that of my DS the year he was born and no one's recoiled in horror at his name yet.

VoyagerII, feel free to use it. We are Done with babies and I never had a DS2 to call Wangdoodle .

What do you call a man with one eye??

Has anybody cracked the joke yet?

Sullivan

Im definitely in the traditional names camp my current choices for pfb due in march are all very traditional william, oliver, george but I like sullivan and sully is a sweet nickname.

your friend was very rude

Thank you all for your comments, I'm gonna delete the thread now as I'm feeling a lot better about the whole thing so think hormones were probably contributing a lot to the upset! Thanks a lot for giving feedback though the comments have been lovely to read

Hello !

I'm brand new to mums net but enjoying reading the thread and looking forward to joining in but I wondered if some one could help me.... I don't understand the abbreviations...DC...DH....OP etc etc so it's little difficult to understand who is who !

can someone help me out ?

x

Go to the OP of the page and click 'acronyms', bakerboo.

People are much more vocal with their opinions before a baby is born. Once it's here it's a done deal.

This.

Sullivan is really not a face-pulling name choice. I don't see why anyone would have a strong, negative reaction to it. Bit strange. I can only think her reaction is because your LO isn't here yet..? She'll probably change her mind when she meets him.

Hahaha! OP, my DS2 is Sullivan! He's only 7 months and his name really suits him.

He was either going to be Sullivan or Lachlan but was born on St. Patrick's Day so of course had to be Sullivan

I loved the name when I heard it but also wondered how it would be received. We've had nothing but great reactions!

DS1 can't pronounce it properly so calls him Suvillan but mainly he gets nicknamed Sully (or baby more often than not, poor kid!)

And even cuter, he gets to be dressed as Sully from Monster's Inc on Halloween.