If you asked MN for an opinion on a name and they hated it, did you still use it?

[TheNameNerd]

I'm just curious to know if the mostly negative reception dissuaded you or if you still love it and used it?

I didn't ask MN but over the years I've read that her name is down-market, chavvy, and that no adult with that name will be taken seriously.
She's a politics student at a good university, in line for a first and has been given the opportunity for an internship with the EU parliament.

We'll stick with it I think.

According to mumsnet ds1’s name is too popular and will date (Hebrew name that’s existed for eons) and ds2’s name is a nickname- not a proper name. I never asked mumsnet for opinions as the reason different names exist is because people have different tastes!!

I've recently learnt the hard way not to mention my shortlist to anyone! My (usually very lovely) MIL was scathing about one of my preferred names, there's no way I could use it now.

If you're interested, the name was Basil. Lovely, botanical name for a boy, old fashioned but not too much, originally means King. She was scathing about it. Her alternative suggestion was Rex ...! A dog name imo!

So, yeah. I love the baby name threads on here but I'm not putting up my shortlist to be torn apart hehe

When pregnant with DS and discussing names on Mumsnet, a popular poster said the name I had chosen was "wet, weak and wishywashy".

I used it anyway.

DS is 16 now and I still absolutely bloody love his name. So does he. Funnily enough I think it's a really strong name.

Basil is a great name.

Thank you for the validation :D

I've never asked Mumsnet for thoughts on my names (though I love to give my option on others'). My DD's name is quite polarising on here, some love it but I'd say most dislike it, think it's ugly especially the pronunciation we use.

Her middle name is absolutely reviled on here, so much so that I'd never even admit what it is. 😆 I love it however and it has a cultural relevance to me that most Brits (I'm an expat here) won't share.

Honestly I don't mind what others think, the comments probably make me like her names even more, frankly!

its not exactly hated on MN but it has certain associations that would put some people off it and that has been commented on along the lines of “ sounds like a x”. However, those associations are quite demographic specific and not really applicable to us ( and also have hugely weakened over time) so we went with it and never an issue.

It wasn't hated by the majority, but there were some negative comments that made me feel very protective of the name and that's when I realised how much I liked it! I was reading comments and thinking 'well you're wrong' and then I realised how invested I was in the name 🤣

@salamithumbs same !

My youngest child's name is probably the most hated name on mumsnet.
I named him 12 years ago, before I came on here and read how unpopular it was.
If I'd read those opinions before I named him, I probably would have thought twice about it, but I'm glad I was blissfully unaware.
It's a different style name to my older children's names, but one I loved and still do.

He suits his name perfectly. He loves his name, and despite being non verbal (due to his disability) learnt to recognise it from an early age.
I can't imagine him being called anything else now.

When I was looking for a name for DD I got a few comments that put me off a couple of names in my list ("Flora- spreads easily" was one that stuck in my mind 😭) so those names came off the list. They weren't settled choices though.

If I were naming a child now I wouldn't ask anyone for comments. No name is universally popular. How is it helpful to know that RandomeMNer1103 thinks the name you've given your beloved child is "for twats" or whatever?

My son has an Irish name with silent letters and a very difficult to spell surname. I wouldn't even have dared to post it on mn. It would be a mortal sin according to some on here. People in real life didn't like ds name either but I used it anyway and it suits him down to the ground

I just remembered something else - after dd was born I was hanging out with some friends (who are very woke and leftie) and for some reason they were talking about names and old fashioned names coming back in.

I said oh yes, like [dd's middle name]. (It's dh's recently-passed gran's name but also the first name of a 20th century children's author who has since been deemed to be "problematic", like Roald Dahl.)

Leftie friend practically spat out how much she loathed the name and what it stood for for her. I just said it was dd's middle name and it was an embarrassed silence...I felt a bit bad for her, she didn't know!

I had the opposite - Mumsnet liked the name more than me 😂 (DH’s number one choice) We used it.

This! I very recently asked about a name and realised that negative opinions didn’t put me off which made me realise how much a like it.

@Mummy08m by your hints I assume that your DD's middle name is my DD's first name! I think it's beautiful anyway 😂

Ahh if it is the same, it's a lovely choice! I also think it has a beautiful sound! And I did enjoy that author when I was little, who cares that she wasn't PC haha.

@Mummy08m I love Basil too - definitely would have been on my short list if we'd had a boy.

Baby names are absolute marmite. Both my DC have names which I can tell some people think are a bit "weird" - but equally I can't fathom why they'd give their DC such dull overused names. So whilst I love chiming in on the baby names board it's at a bit silly really as there's no such thing as a consensus and whatever name you choose there'll be those who find it great and terrible!

For some reason I can’t edit my post to add this but mn did put me off one name (as I said I didn’t post my list). Dh (surgeon) and I (Russell group educated) had the sinful name Jadon/Jaiden (Hebrew/Arabic spellings) on our list for ds2 because of its usage in all three Abrahamic religions and popularity in my home country. Neither of us realised the reaction people have to this name until I opened mumsnet and saw the comments on a thread! Jadon was erased from our list immediately.

I only came with an either or question 9+ years ago.

It was either going to be A or B, I was leaning towards A and asked for feedback as wanted to know which one sounded better with his brothers name.

If I love a name I'm going to use it and I'm not bothered in the slightest if people don't like my kids names (in real life or on Mumsnet!)

Happily we went with A and DS is Sullivan and loves his name.

Sullivan is a fantastic name!

Why thank you @TwatsAndGuitars - he was named because I had a huge pervy crush on Sullivan Stapleton from Strike Back.

Option B was Lachlan and was the front runner until I started watching that show!

Lachlan is great too but I think you made the right choice though really you couldn't go wrong either way.

Also I haven't seen that show. I'll have to check it out.