Should (quite a bit) older siblings get a veto on a new baby's name?

[SoLongMarianne]

I'm pregnant (still superstitiously negotiating 1st trimester so not "out" on mumsnet yet but am a regular poster) with older kids (all over 9). I was idly discussing names with my other half today only to be interrupted every two seconds by our children's impassioned pleas not to inflict any of our most treasured choices on the new bairn. Cries of "Urrgh! that's the worst name I've ever heard!" and "No! There's a horrid kid called X at school and I will never forgive you if you name my brother/sister that!" and so on and so forth abounded. I'm not planning to hand over naming duties to them wholesale or anything but if they really hated a name should that be taken into account?

No, otherwise it'll be called Thunder Megazoid.

My DSs (all teen +) agreed with DH's veto of their new sister's name

Had it been just them, then no.

no, they get to choose for their own children.

So it's ok to overide their veto as long as they don't agree with their dad, you think, catweezle? Do you think it would affect the way they responded to the newbie if it had a name they despised?

Heated- I'm certainly not allowing them to pick the name. Just wondering if we should take any notice of the "I HATE the name Jennifer/Fred/Eustacia/Algernon/whatever- please please please don't call it that." pleas or just say "tough luck matey, when you have your own baby you can choose."

Yes- am leaning that way, chasing squirrels. But am slightly concerned that if they hate the name they might hate the baby! Is that just silly?

I don't think they should choose the name, but if they genuinely dislike it I would avoid it.

I agree with piscesmoon!

I think we may have to adopt a policy of not revealing any further serious contenders to them at this rate! All our favourites have been roundly abused by one or other of them thus far.

If you tell us what they are we can let you know whether we agree or not!!

I think I'll eschew that v kind offer for the moment piecesmoon. No doubt I'll change my mind nearer the time. Have always loved the baby names threads but never had the chance to use them on my own account, so I may well find the prospect well nigh irresisible, I suspect.

having said that, my then 3yo named ds2.

I let ds1 then aged 9 chose ds2's name.

If you let the children choose you'll end up in a Bob Gelof/Paula Yates situation

Geldof

Did you give him carte blanche, ladyevenstar, or did he have a shortlist to pick from? I wondered whether getting them to select the name they hated least from our choices might work, if they could (miraculously) agree amongst themselves on which name that was...

I thought Bob and Paula were the name choosers, snice? They must have picked Fifi Trixibelle's name at least.

No, don't do it! We had a weekend of screaming and slamming doors over naming a puppy!

Can't imagine how bad it could be naming a baby.

I think Fifi picked the name Peaches for her sister

Yes, I do fear you may be right, Tabitha, One son had an almighty strop when his choice of cat name was not chosen a couple of years back, iirc. Perhaps it would be easier to say "sorry bratlets, you get no say at all"... Oh dear. dilemmas dilemmas

I didn't know that, snice. I think I'd actually marginally prefer to be called Peaches than Fifi if I was in choose or die mode.

But with Fifi you could pretend it was short for Fiona if you decided to become a librarian

True enough, snice. Did Peaches pick Pixie's name, then?

No- something to do with a Private Eye joke about crap celebrity names that they decided to use in a double bluff

(am not Geldof stalker by the way but Googled)

I would listen to them actually, because they're the ones who will know from schoolground experience what the cool and the naff names are, far better than a dewy-eyed mum-to-be. I agree they shouldn't get to pick the name, but if they violently object to something then you should listen.