Bear

[DoctorBambino]

Fully prepared for this one to get pulled apart. Me and DH love the name Bear but know it's a bit out there.

We really don't like names like Edward which Bear comes from, just Bear itself.

What do people think?

@DoctorBambino

Very fair opinion thanks 😊

I mean why does a person have to have a 'proper' name not a name they actually use on their birth certificate.

They don't But I think most well adjusted adults assume that although they think for example Dotty is sweet now, the dd might prefer Dolores or Dorothy when older.

A bear is a term used by gay men to describe other men who are big and very hairy. I wouldn’t.

My first reaction is to cringe a bit - it feels very much like a celebrity name. I think this is what puts me off the most, because I quite like other nature names like Forrest, Winter etc. Bear Grylls pulls it off, but his first name is Edward. I think it's sweet as a nn for a little boy but really not sure about it as a full name for a grown man. It's very cutesy and I think you'd have to be pretty 'manly' to make it work. I have similar issues with cutesy girls names, to be fair e.g. Millie.

But it’s not for the sake of the birth certificate. It’s for the sake of giving the child a choice, so that if in later life they don’t want to be known as Bear they can use Edward, Theodore, Rupert or anything else you’ve chosen. Alternatively, they might want to follow Zowie Bowie’s example and opt for something less outré, like Duncan.

Why do birth certificate names have to be so official? It seems so outdated an idea to me.
Because it gives the child options I suppose. My name is Charlotte. My parents called me Charlie as a baby. I much prefer Charlotte as a grown up, but I liked having the option of Charlie or Lottie as potential names as a teenager. It kind of gave me versions of myself to explore. If mum and dad had put Charlie (or Lottie) on the birth certificate, I wouldn't have had those options.
I don't know, "my name's Charlotte but I am known as Charlie" seems a lot easier than "My name's Charlie but please call me Charlotte."

My baby was called Bear. It is one of his middle names and he now goes by his first name. He was Bear until he was about 3. It is a lovely name.

I think it’s pointless having a different name on a bc and only ever see that suggested on MN if you do that the child will be known as the name on the BC when they go to school etc so really pointless

We don't like using long names we will never call them just for the sake of a birth certificate.

Yeah, I think that's a weird concept too. If I deemed a name inappropriate I'd go back to the drawing board, not choose a name I have no affection for, so I could call my child the name I really like as a nick name.

The kid may actually end up being called Edward by some people and you'd sound like a knob if you corrected them since technically they would be right.

My Son has a "what were you thinking?" name and he LOVES his name. He's 9 so he may change his mind, but he owns it well and I know he feels very confident about it. I was told he would be bullied for it. He said when they play 'Mums and Dads' and they change their names for the game a lot of the kids pick his name, I asked his what he would choose if he could choose any name in the world and he said the name he has. I honestly do think though that if my child ever felt he had outgrown his name I wouldn't feel hurt if he wanted to change it.

Having a longer more provencial name at least gives your child a choice as they get older. You won't be exerting your will on them by giving them a daft name. Not all adults are super confident. Some just want to swim with the tide and not have to have their celebrity name announced to the world when they start a new job or make a new relationship. Edward on the BC and Bear as a nickname would give them options.

@DoctorBambino

Very fair opinion thanks 😊

I mean why does a person have to have a 'proper' name not a name they actually use on their birth certificate.

So the child can have a choice, rather than being saddled with a cutesy nickname type name when they're an adult, which they may utterly hate

I think its ok if you are rockstar parents but if not I wouldnt. Although I do quite like it.

Hahaha @Orangestarfish Millie was our choice for girls name. I'm not doing well here am I 🤭

I personally don't like it but I don't think it's horrendous.

I don't know any Bears but I know a Fox whose older sister is Honey. To me, Honey is far worse than Fox. I also know a Tiger, who really suits his name

I don't understand why calling children, especially girls, after birds and trees is ok (Holly, Willow, Robin, Wren are all popular at the moment) but calling boys mammal names is not.

Makes me think of Stephen Bear.

I’m sorry but not good. You’ll look like you copied cheryl Cole and Liam Payne.

Why not look at names that mean bear or that sound the same? It would be fine if he was going to a bougie private school with other children with out there names but at the local comp ‘bear’ is going to be ripped apart.

I know a guy who called his son blue and he’s now in year four and has been made fun of for his name at every holiday club he’s ever been to.

Just because it sounds cool doesn’t mean it’s a good name. Bear is a lovely nickname but he needs a Christian name that he can use in public.

You should Google Stephen Bear (who calls himself Bear) as he has been in the news lately 🙈

I don't love Bear but I agree with your reasoning - cute when they're little, becomes totally normal as it is 'their' name and will probably sound quite cool when they're a teen. And hopefully when they are an adult, everyone else is an adult as well and don't get concerned about things like whether or not they like someone else's name.

Also I hadn't heard of the gay connotations and tbh wouldn't see it as an issue.

I get people's point about having a choice but if he hates Bear, he could just go with whatever name he wants. Otherwise at school he will always be his official name and then have to correct people.

Thank you for your story @Anotheruser02 that's how I feel too!

Re the celebrity comments we are very un-celebrity people. Very normal, both quite introverted, not at all rock star or hipster or anything like that. We just genuinely love the name. I do find it off putting that Cheryl Cole used it but she's pretty outdated now, I'm hoping people will have forgotten about it 😊

Uhoh off to Google Stephen Bear now

Call him Barry, with Bear as a nickname.

In fact, you could go the whole hog and officially name him Fierce Barry (a common, recognised name, MN reliably informs me), with the everyday nickname Fozzie Bear....

I know an adult man called Bear, I've never considered it to be odd or cutsie or anything, it's just his name and it just suits him. He's from Fiji and I thought it might be a common Fijian name as I've never heard it before on anyone else, but anyway it doesn't really matter... people just grow into their names I think and no-one (usually) thinks twice about it

Daft.

Honestly? Ridiculous. Imagine a grown man going for a job interview and viewing called Bear. He will spend his life "explaining". Sorry. Maybe as a pet or nickname bit please give him a reasonable name.