We've found the name but scared of people's reaactions

[Joeybee]

Baby #2 is due in October. I already have a son, Stanley.
I'm fussy with names
Nothing in top 50
Nothing with strong R or W sound (clashes with surname)
Not ambiguous to say/spell
Vintage or classic name
Has nickname options.
Middle name will be Elsie

So after a LOT of researching a name came to me out of nowhere. It's very unusual and a vintage girl name. I love it and Husband does. However when I look it up on websites, it seems to be a name people either love, or hate.
So now I'm doubting myself.
Do I just go with the name that feels right, and that meets my criteria and brace myself for a few possibly insensitive/negative comments OR just go back to the drawing board again?

(Not keen on Elsie, by contrast. Think it's rather trendy atm)

I love it. I’d use it if I were given the opportunity to turn back the years and have another daughter. Not overly popular or old ladyish like so many recycled names.

I am also not that keen on Elsie. But when is she ever going to say her middle name out loud 🤷.

It really doesn't matter whether people are keen on Elsie or not.

They're using it to honour DH's grandmother.

@Shockers - it was me who pointed out several pages back that Araminta sounded like the old chewing gum Arrowmint... Adding an a to the end of the word doesn't deflect from that, it's just a fuck awful extra and ugly sounding syllable on the end of a name that has enough syllables already. Aminta would be hugely preferable to Araminta - or just Aramint. Araminta is just too many slightly ugly, short syllables stuck together to make a too-long, ugly word.

Sorry- it was only a lighthearted observation...

True, oooermissus, but I'm sure the op would find another way of honouring her GM, if her GM had a name she disliked. My DD has my late mum's name as her middle name, but I wouldn't have used it if it was something awful.

But anyway, the op likes it enough to use it, so that's that. And I really don't think it matters if it goes with Araminta, as she will almost never have to say the two names together.

I love the name Araminta.

But then I grew up familiar with the name.

Adding an a to the end of the word doesn't deflect from that, it's just a fuck awful extra and ugly sounding syllable on the end of a name that has enough syllables already. Aminta would be hugely preferable to Araminta

With all due respect, what are you on about?

Araminta is an established, known (if not well-used) name.

Aramint / Aminta are just random made-up words?!

Fair play if you don't like the name - but I hardly think you're going to convince the OP to opt for a random collection of letters, suggested by a total stranger on the internet, over an actual, well-established name.

P.S. who knew the letter 'a' could inspire such rage in a person. Loads of girls names have an 'a' on the end.

Actually, if you look it up, Aminta was the original name, it is not made up, and Araminta the newer version. Still, if people want to add stupid extra syllables

It’s a very old name, so the phrase ‘newer version’ is odd.

It’s much more popularly used than Aminta which isn’t particularly nice.

Ah, so it's a popularly used not well-used name, then! Amazing.

Popularly used = well used.

To be fair, though, names generally seem as nice to people as the first person they met with that name.

Aramint and Aminta sound ridiculous, far worse than Araminta.

Sakura - well, I would certainly choose none of them! I think extending the name to four syllables is the reason why it comes across to some people as posh or pretentious. To me, it just sounds ugly. Mind you, with that many syllables, Araminta is guaranteed to find she spends most of her life being referred to by various nicknames, or more or less renaming herself with her favourite nickname, anyway.

@walkaround why is a multi-syllable name so objectionable to you? Many classic names are as long, if not longer than Araminta.
Isabella is a currently popular name, foe example.
Not everyone feels a need to shorten a name with more than a couple of syllables. In my own experience no one in any of my many classes at school used a shortened version of their name except for a couple of Anthonys and a Jennifer. No one has ever suggested shorting my own name, perhaps because I have always introduced myself with my full name.
Araminta is in my opinion a delightful name and as an Australasian myself I agree with the OP that it will be accepted without comment (and may influence others to use it!)

Wow some people are so mean! I def think you should go with it. One of our children has an unusual name and we waited till she was born to tell everyone. They were all nice about it- not sure we'd have had that response while I was pregnant but harder to be rude in front of a little baby! That would be my tip. (I really like Araminta for what it's worth.)

I think extending the name to four syllables is the reason why it comes across to some people as posh or pretentious

What’s with the interminable obsession with class?

The name was derived in the 18th century when longer female names were common - Georgiana, Henrietta, Virginia, Arabella, Isabella, Magdalena, Cecilia, Theodora etc.

I don't mind it and do understand wanting to honour a relative with a middle name. Personally I wouldn't choose Elsie no matter how emotional the connection, but the name Elise is the same letters and same meaning and seems more in keeping with Araminta, so that's what I'd go with.

Oooooh Araminta Elise is beautiful! Really beautiful.

I love it!

It's a bit of a mouth full so expect lots of 'how do you spell that '.
Stanley and Elsie are lovely names.

I don’t understand the reaction to Elsie as that’s beautiful & really in line with most people’s choices / current fashion of vowel heavy names.

Araminta (which my phone wants to correct to ‘a ram in here’) is a name I personally hate. It’s just very OTT but it’s definitely a name & messing about with the letters wouldn’t improve it.

Any common name will be deemed boring & unusual name will be hated by many - you’ve found a name you both love & that’s great. I’d only try to deter you if you were going for something ridiculous that would negatively impact the actual child. Someone in here wanted to call their girl: Tree