Should we choose a different name just because many others hate it?

[JennyC520]

So, we have been thinking of names and one day the name 'Winter' popped up as a potential name for our little girl... and it just sounded right... you know the feeling?
Winter Lily -last name-
Winter being 1st name. Lily being middle name.

It just felt right for us, we looked at each other and knew we wanted that name BUT the in-laws hate it... and some friends/siblings I've spoken to are not too keen/have no opinion on it.

Should we choose another name or just pick whatever we like?
Winter isn't that awful a name is it? People are called Summer and Autumn, why not Winter?

*she'll be born in December.

If you love it use it. Winter is ok as a name, there's worse seasons to be named after.

I do think with Lily it sounds a bit like a glade fragrance though.

Call your daughter Winter if you love the name! It is easy to say, to spell and not overused as many other names. I'm less keen on Lily but middle names rarely get used so she'll probably be Winter Surname mostly anyway.

DD has an unusual name that others hated... since she was born a very succesfull singer has the same name ... so not so odd .., go for it. Ill grow on her.

Thanks for so much input guys. I think a lot of people are perhaps thinking that she'll announce her name like 'Hello, my name is Winter Lily -Lastname-'. Obviously when she tells people her name she'll just use 1st and last name, no one says their full name! So, she won't sound like a plant or candle IMO :) No one ever asks for your middle name anyway!
To clarify, we chose Lily as a middle name because I am Chinese and Lily can be translated very easily into a Chinese sounding name, so in turn, her middle name Lily would become her Chinese Character name :) (most Chinese people use their Chinese name as their middle 'English' name) So to us, it makes sense.

I don't agree with comments how Winter is not a name. You can say that about A LOT of names yet thousands of people use them and think it's normal, why? Because people have used it throughout the years and have gotten used to it, hence it became a name. Surely Winter can become one of those names :)

I'm not worried about the name not sounding appropriate for the office. what's an appropriate office name? Are we all to chose old fashioned/regular names forever because of this? There would be very little variety in this world then.

Thanks again for the opinions. There is still a lot of time for us to think of names if that's what we decide to do (although my mum is already talking about her granddaughter using the name 'Winter'). I had no idea picking a name would be so tough!

If the 'Winter Lily' thing doesn't bother you then that's fine OP. Go ahead

But I don't think people are misunderstanding and thinking it's double barrelled or that she'll use both. They think that, on the occasions the two names are used together, they simply don't work.

I'm not sure I quite get the Chinese name thing since presumably Winter, as a noun, has a Chinese equivalent and therefore can be easily translated itself. But if it's tradition not to use the same name as your English and Chinese names then that's fair enough .

If so many people in RL hate it, and if so many people on here have explained why they, too, don't like it - then why bother posting for opinions if none of them bother you?

I think if you do choose to give her this name you just have to accept that she will have a name most people won't like. If you might be OK with that but I think you also should consider how she might feel, difficult.

I really like Winter!

Better than another Isla/Eva/Gracie/Olivia .

Most of the opinions are actually positive!

I think go for it. I know a girl called Winter, never batted an eyelid and I'd far rather hear a Winter than another Eve or Amelia.
Win or Winnie are nice nicknames too.

The Chinese name thing, sorry I didn't write clearer. Lily sounds like a Chinese name, not the literal translation (which would sound awful :P)

It seems the opinions are 50/50 ish, so not bad actually which I'm pleased with since we really do love the name Winter.
But anyway, good news, father-in-law has started liking the name!
I think we'll go for it! :D Perhaps we'll reconsider Lily since most people seem to have more of an opinion on that as a middle name. But yay, Winter!

I like the name Winter OP, go for it!

Moral of the story though, don't discuss potential names with anyone other Than your DH and then just announce as a fait accompli when baby born. No one one would be sorted as to comment then, as they will now associate name with squishy scrumptious new baby!

Thanks for the advice ClaireFraser! Learned my lesson now! So much to learn with 1st baby!

I love Winter. Seriously, if you like Lily have you thought of having two middle names?

Thanks for the explanation on the Chinese name.

When exactly is she due? As (depending on whether you use the meteorological definition of the astrological definition) many people believe that Winter doesn't start until 21st December. (As was explained to me by the mum of baby Autumn who was born - 13 days overdue - on 5th December.)

Not a fan personally (particularly when mixed with Lily - and I love Lily as a name) but there are at least 3 girls in Dd's primary school class with far sillier names so she won't be the only one.

And I'm never going to be a fan - my two have very very classical names,

I love Winter and I say go for it, whatever others think. I would be strongly considering it for our February baby if it didn't clash with our surname.

I love the name! If we were expecting a winter baby it'd be riding high on my shortlist for sure. (As would Summer or Autumn... Spring just really doesn't work the same way!)

Definitely go for it - sounds like you both really do feel strongly about it too.

Fully expecting some quizzical looks from people when LO arrives (whatever we choose I'm sure it'll be a marmite name) - but you're both invested in it, and it is your decision.

A colleague was telling me the other day how she and the whole family were really when her granddaughter's name was announced. Little girl is now 7 and in colleague's words - "That just is her name. You couldn't imagine her being called anything else." Wider family and friends will get used to it and will fall in love with it as they fall in love with her.

Use Winter, OP!

When my DD was born there was a Winter Grace born at the same time....it was August...

I think if you like the name, go for it!

Winter Grace is a beautiful combination. But it feels wrong to name a summer born child Winter.

Counting back 8.5 months maybe........

I like the name. She sounds cool already. We didn't til anyone what our ds name was until he was born, although we picked it soon after 20week scan. Both DM and pil were the only ones who questioned the name, despite everyone one else saying they loved it. I think they both had preconceived ideas we would use a traditional family name or certain royal baby name (it was not that unusual in top 50 of name list). Moral of story, don't share names until baby is born.