Would you use a name you love, knowing there may be rolled eyes?

[CarTroubles]

The name is Willow.

Not particularly controversial!

But I know all our families will be a bit......eye rolly. They'll think it's hippie hilariousness. Possibly think its too silly a name to lumber a child with.

They probably won't say anything much to our faces, maybe the occasional "Oh, that's........ unusual.....why Willow?" with a fixed glassy smile.

But I'm cringing at the imagined snorts of derision that will happen behind our backs. What adds to it is that we have a ugly surname that doesn't really go with it AT ALL. So I can just imagine them all going "Willow ThatSurname???? Really??"

We love love love the name. But I don't want people to laugh at us! DH doesn't give a fuck, lol. But I don't have his confidence!

Willow isn't that unusual these days and is pretty tame compared to some of the names girls have at my DD's high school. Some of the have definately made me goggle but then I've met the girls and can't imagine them being called anything else now. Wouldn't it be boring if we all used the same names? You'll only name her once so make it one you love xxxxx

As a teacher I've come across quite a few Willows and it's not one that has ever struck me as at all pretentious or wacky. I love the name.

It's a butter brand; it's a film; weeping willow....think of the associations before you give a seemingly innocuous name. It's a cliché, but children can be cruel.

Willow? As in Buffy the Vampire Slayer's intelligent researcher? Of course you should name her Willow. And set Buffy on them if they do the eye-rolly thing :-)

It's a pretty mainstream name these days.

I know two grown women called Willow and they are both lovely! DH doesn't like it otherwise it would be top of my list for DC1 when they arrive in Feb!

Supermam but all of those associations are harmless? BTW I've worked 18 years in tough secondary school, I'm not being naive. I'm saying kids won't remember the film, the butter isn't "the brand" and won't register and the tree is mild.
I have a very very common name and which is a brand of grocery and got mildly 'joked' about it (much more obvious link tha willow). I was bullied about other stuff. If there's bullying there's bullying, if there's joking theres joking. The horrible thing is it just depends if there's a bully there - giving a kid a typical name will NOT protect them.

And willow is pretty normal tbh.

One thing I have learned as a parent is that whatever you do you'll be judged and eye rolled at. You might as well start not caring now!

I think it is a beautiful name ... it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I called my youngest daughter Ella, back in 1992, and I got loads of strange looks and pauses in conversations. I never once regretted choosing that name :)

It's beautiful! It's your decision and your baby. Go for it or you'll forever regret caving in to opinions that just don't matter.

People feel free to bitch about names and give their unwanted opinion when it's just discussions about names.

But once you present a little bundle with the name attached, who cares if Ms. Judgy's eyebrows disappear around the back of her head?

FWIW I choose unusual but not completely outrageous names for my DD's (although I did get slightly carried away with their middle names, ahem). But, apart from myself and DH I didn't share my chosen names with family and friends until I actually proudly presented baby 1302 with a "Ta-da! This is ...."

Good luck!

I have a 5 children one of which is Willow and I receive more compliments about her name than any of my other children, most people seem to love it as much as I do!! Her name is Willow Violet x

mumma5 that sounds just beautiful:-)

If you'll pardon me sayin!

Thank you xxx

I think Willow is a lovely name. I've only actually met the one and she was really nice.

But even if it was more unusual if you love it and it cannot be considered cruel (Wayne Kerr's parents I'm looking at you!) it's unlikely you'd regret giving a child a certain name more than you'd regret not giving them a name you love.

It's a shame your surname isn't Catkin. Sod the haters. You have to call her her name forever, so you might as well like it!

Ladybunnyfluff Umm, theres an electronic test equipment company of that very name;!

www.waynekerrtest.com/

Posted too soon! My mum is also claiming she can't pronounce it (it's Aidan bty so hardly usual!). Stick to your guns op, willow is a lovely name and you might regret not using it in favour of something you don't love.

How do you mispronounce Aidan????

You shouldn't care what other people think! Willow is lovely......delicate, feminine.

Willow: just to mention that in my area of SW London I have met three dogs called WIllow. Seems fashionable for dogs at least

My mum recently told me - after two and a half years - that she wasn't sure of the name we chose for our daughter but now she couldn't imagine her by any other name. If you love it go for it. Family will accept it eventually and who cares what people outside of the family think? Incidentally when we chose the name we had no idea how popular it was until well after the fact! I didn't look at any of the popularity charts beforehand but I don't care - I still love it even if people think we only picked it because it was popular. Ultimately your baby, your choice.

Willow rocks #buffythevampireslayer 😀

Willow is a lovely name. The film is 30ish years old now, Buffy is 20 so neither are going to be super relevant to kids who aren't even at school yet. (For me those would be reasons to name anyhow!)

Willow Fairclough?

You won't be alone. It's number 41 in the top 100 names.