Sharing baby names - how right you wise ones were!

[Namiemcnameface]

Have read on here sooooo many times to not share baby names before the birth (apart from on this wonderful forum obvs). Honestly didn't realise quite how right you were!

We have the 'long list' up on a wall and have been slowly adding/crossing off for months. Now, there are all kinds of names on there....classic, modern, long, short, made up names from my other children etc. Girls include Elizabeth, Carrie, Athena, Anna, Ella, Meg, Enid, Emily (we seem to like e's), Mango (spot the sibling suggestion!), Alexandra, Daisy, Lottie, Laura, Mia, Sarah, Lydia.... Boys includes Casper, Gilbert, Elliot, Cosmo, Toby, Forest, Alexander, Gus, Rufus, Daniel, Thomas, Eric, Luke, Zach, Archer, Christopher, Jasper, Fred, Peter. In my opinion there's a real range!

This weekend we invited guests to put a star by any they liked.

They struggled to like ANY OF THEM.

After about 5 excruciating minutes of me saying 'you really don't need to vote if it's this tricky, you can just pass' they each begrudgingly said that one name (each) wasn't as bad as the others.

So, for anyone who is feeling affronted that they shared a name before birth and it didn't go down well take heart. We shared about 40 and whilst three of them now have stars next to them it was in a 'I guess if I had to vote then this one is okay' 🤣😅

Not going to change our opinion on the ones we like, but it made me laugh at how accurate the advice on here was so thought I'd share.

No offence but what were you thinking🤪

You are quite mad, OP. It’s one thing saying ‘We’re thinking of calling the baby Xenia’ but to offer your guests a vote on a list is inviting chaos!

Yeah, you're right and glad you've come to this conclusion.
My ds is nearly 40 now and I don't remember anyone casting judgement when we were choosing.
I think it's a modern day thing !
So many different names nowadays - us 'oldies' can't help sometimes to raise an eyebrow
I think when my nieces and nephews are choosing names, just let them
I had my time, now it's up to them x

I can't imagine why you did that OP!! Having said that, your list is pretty varied so I'm surprised people couldn't find one name they genuinely liked. For what it's worth my favourites are Emily, Mia, Daisy, Luke, Daniel and Thomas.

My friends ( obviously same age as me - 60) have had Nirvana and Harbour as grandchildren
Not for me but it's their choice x

@Lozza70 @UndertheBeard @Myswweetchild @Cocktailsandcheese I know right?! Should have absolutely known better!

Hadn't thought to take the list down (has been a way to involve the DC) noticed the guests looking at it quite a bit and I don't know....madness took over! I said 'any standing out for you?' and it went downhill from there 🤪

But yes fwiw I was slightly amazed they couldn't even find one they liked. Lots they were quick to dislike of course!

@Myswweetchild they did say once the name is attached to a human it feels different and anything we chose they'd love the person behind it. So maybe they were just uncomfortable being asked their opinion. But I did say multiple times they were in no way obligated, was just a bit of fun. So for them to outright say well 'tbh looking at the list there weren't really any I like', 'no me neither', I had to laugh!

@Namiemcnameface just go with what you love.
I was undecided til the last minute.
My mum's friend had actually suggested it when I was about 5 months - I was erghh, no !
But it's perfect, as is he x

@Myswweetchild that's lovely 🥰I

think it's going to get to that. With the others I had 2-3 front runners in my brain and when I met them it was very apparent which one was correct. This one we just have no idea. So think it'll be a case of waiting and seeing who they are first!

Objectively, they're all perfectly good names and nobody's likely to bat an eyelid about a child being given any of them. Except perhaps Mango, and even then you might be at the forefront of a new trend.

Mango?

Yes, Mango is feckin daft x

Mango was a joke… wasn’t it?? 😂
I find it baffling they were struggling to find even one they liked, but each to their own. Equally baffled you thought that was a good idea 😂 choosing a name just two people agree on is hard enough, don’t invite the rabble to share their opinions too 😂

Harbour - Elsie the full name
Omg

Step-sibling to Peaches Geldof - obviously!

She clearly said she'd let the kids add names to let them feel part of it. Not that she was using their names. Mango is a perfectly reasonable name for a sibling when you're a kid.

OP said Mango was her child 's choice for their baby sibling! Obviously not a serious suggestion

Oh, my bad - sorry x

I'd love to know the names of their kids / future kids is it was that hard.
I thought it was pretty hard to dislike Elizabeth, Anna, Emily,
Athena is my fave.

It reminded me of a friend who let her dh choose the name of their last baby ( the 6th) - he named her Chelzi
🤣

Good grief. Did they mishear "Harper", or something? Mind you, an ex- work colleague's grandchild was called "Bodhi-Tulsa" so I shouldn't be surprised. And of course I'm sure we all remember the poster who had christened her son "Abercrombie Bear" and wondered why it raised eyebrows.

I like lots of your list! And one of my children’s names is there.

But yes people are rude AF specifically his parents and my parents. We told them the luke warm names and not top 3 just to test the waters on dc1

by dc3 we told no one. After baby was born I told MIL the alternative choices and she declared them all awful and horrible (quite normal names like Lucy, Poppy, Imogen, Cassie)

Your names are great and you can't really go wrong. LOL at Mango from your DC! 😂Actually, I really like this for a pet. Maybe a ginger kitten or hamster.

We didn't share names beforehand because I have an opinionated family whose opinions I didn't need! The only people who get to name a baby are the parents (and siblings, if invited to... and if able to avoid pieces of fruit 😍). A few people were desperate to hear our ideas for DD2, so we told them some ridiculous ones to keep them quiet. Her actual name probably came as a pleasant surprise to them! Either way, nobody dared say anything rude once she arrived.

Aww my son is a Gilbert! We get nothing but compliments :)

A colleague was pregnant at the same time as I was, and apparently when she announced the baby's name, her mother screwed her face up and said, "why not Matilda? That's a nice name!". This was the start of a months-long campaign to try to get her DD to change the baby's name! So rude.