How did you deal with people who didn't like your baby's name?

[Teddyisonhisway]

We're going to call our son Teddy (it will be Edward on the birth certificate).
I thought that when you announced the name you'd chosen, people said "lovely, very nice", even if they don't like it - that's what I've always done anyway, anything else is rude! Okay, it's different if you're asking someone's opinion ("what do you think of Teddy?" "No, I don't really like that, sorry"), but I never did! So far SIL says he will be bullied, and my (racist) dad says we can't call him that because it's a Jewish name (WTF???). We're calling him Teddy regardless because we love it, was just wondering how do you respond with friends and relatives who hate the name you've picked? Or should I just be less sensitive and try not to give one ?

Lovely name

My MIL hated ds's name (her son chose it, not me!), when we did not agree to bend to her wishes and pick something else she sulked through the pregnancy with cat bum mouth whenever name was mentioned. On the birth of my son she refused to call him by his name, despite it being registered. Despite hormones I bit my tongue as I know my DH. After 4 months of her saying give me the baby, pass my grandson, come here buster ... dh blew.

"HE HAS A FUCKING NAME MOTHER, if you have any respect for him use it or leave this house, and go and see the grandchildren you do approve of"

When I was having DD I told everyone that she was going to be called T'Shaaundra after a woman I had seen on Maury trying to DNA test 16 blokes to find out which was her childs father.

After that, when I told them her real name, they loved it.

You don't have to deal with people not liking your childs name. You don't have to do anything at all except shrug.

Tell them his name is Edward as that is actually his name.

Then call him Teddy if you want to, they don't have to.

My Grandma called me Joanne for the first 4 years of my life. Occasionally, Ruth. My name is not Joanne. Nor is Ruth. Drove my Mum beserk.

My Grandma was the same - Shirley, Joyce, Catherine, Norman, Andrew....

Often should wouldn't get there at all - I used to answer to anything.

Teddy is a lovely name, tell anyone who doesn't think so to shove it up their arse. Don't discuss it further

I treated them with the contempt that they deserved!

LuluF, 'nancy tickle my fancy' PMSL. The thing is my mum suggested Luke for ds early on in pregnancy only to say she didn't like Luke later . I went with what DH and I liked even though its a dog's name apparently. But then dd has a cat's name so what can you expect

You can't please everybody. One friend of mine said 'no that doesn't do it for me' when I told her my dc1's name.

"that doesn't do it for me"!!! I didn't name my child to do it for her. Then she elaborated and said that it was very conservative which she found humorous as I'm too lazy to conform to the rules and see things through to the end (so true).

I'm not friends with her any more. She wanted to call her daughter Isolde and her son Emmet. I said good luck finding a man who'll agree to those then. She has no children yet btw.

I haven't had any problems really though. Occasionally I might sense somebody is thinking eeeooh for just the split second they first learn my children's names but after that it's forgotten I think. Because I do the same sometimes and I still realise that it doesn't matter if I don't like somebody else's children's names. I'm not a factor in that equation.

Oh god just remembered MIL and dd's name - not going there

I love Teddy, Toby and Nancy. And I'm really wondering what the 'bitch's name' is?!!?

i wanted to call my DD1 Eden i love it.. my dad laughed and said 'u cant f**king call her that' (very rude) than DD2 love Holly but as shes due in the summer (well today) it was my dad again that had an opinion... u cant call her Holly in summer, its a winter name??!

I just wish DP liked Eden as i WOULD have used it, regardles to what anyone else thinks! i think when the child is called a certain name, it automaticly 'suits' them and thats who they are from then on

Love Edward and Teddy always use your choice, otherwise u will regret it

Lulu - I have no idea why my Dad thinks Teddy is a Jewish name, he's not on this planet is my only explanation... even if it WAS a Jewish name, so what?!? I guess because I'm Catholic I should be naming him Patrick or something!
Some of these responses have really made me laugh. It doesn't seem like anyone's had an easy ride of naming their DCs! I think now I'm going to give him Ulysses Geronimo as middle names just to wind my nearest and dearest up

I love the name Patrick and I'm not Catholic.

That was a silly comment sorry.

MIL said to me after we announced our daughter's name 'Well I never liked my other grandson's name either to start with but I suppose I got used to it.'

She then tried suggesting we swapped the first name and middle name around.

Rude!

Some people just can't help it.

You get little enough opportunities to decide something without other people muscling in so just try and ignore them and tell them firmly that Teddy is what you've chosen and it's your decision so tough.

It is hard not to feel annoyed and hurt though when you've spent ages coming up with what you think is a really nice name!

Obviously they just need to fuck off - it's not their business.

It can go two ways:

i) Lots of people hate the middle name we've chosen - I simply think fuck off.

ii) Everyone loves the first name - this makes me think we've chosen something "common".

So you can't win!

This is one privilege that is yours and yours alone. You choose the name and everyone else either puts up or shuts up.
(I love Edward by the way).
I am not overenthusiastic about my grandaughter's name but would never tell my DS so. I love her to bits and that is what counts.

Hm. Now see, I will not be a hypocrite. I will not say, as OP seems to expect "lovely, very nice", if I don't like a name. If there's that awkward moment where I am expected to fill it, I will say something like "Oh, that suits him" or something equally bland. WILL NOT lie. I just think everyone should not expect us to like every single name on the planet. I'm expecting my first, we've chosen the names, I don't expect everyone to like the names. No big deal to me at all.

For a very brief while we thought about calling our son Digby (or Diggory, can't remember). Our friends laughed out loud and we took note.

In the end we called him Teddy (Edward as well). It's a great name. As a bit of a bruiser Ted suits him quite well now - love the name (obviously).

I'm just telling everyone we're calling ours (due in Oct) Brummo. Or Galahad.

When we told MIL that DD was to be called Catriona she announced that as she found it too difficult to pronounce (she is German) she would call DD Katharina.

My BIL put her neatly in her place by telling her that since MmeLindt had given up her lovely Scottish surname to take on the Lindt name, the least she could do was learn to pronounce her granddaughter's name.

She did and now loves it.

Ignore them, they will soon love it.

I know a Teddy and he is a lovely boy.

Your dad sounds lovely. Tell him you have changed the name to Shlomo.

I had a woman chase me around a party (her party) constantly telling me what a sense of humour I must have and how I must have been in a really funny mood when I named my DS Teddy!

God there was so much I wanted to say to her but I was there with my mum didn't want to cause a scene. I left very soon after and my mum and the old hag ended up falling out later anyway.

Teddy is a great name, although I am slightly concerned about all the other little Teds we keep meeting. I am predicting it will become very popular in the next few years as it is obviously the best name! [Grin]

I had a woman chase me around a party (her party) constantly telling me what a sense of humour I must have and how I must have been in a really funny mood when I named my DS Teddy!

God there was so much I wanted to say to her but I was there with my mum didn't want to cause a scene. I left very soon after and my mum and the old hag ended up falling out later anyway.

Teddy is a great name, although I am slightly concerned about all the other little Teds we keep meeting. I am predicting it will become very popular in the next few years as it is obviously the best name! [Grin]