From the article: Naming Your Baby - How to Choose the Right Baby Name
You're having a baby and you've finally settled on the perfect name or a very good short list of possibilities. How do you tell your family and friends what name you've chosen when they ask? Or do you tell them? Are you worried about their reaction? Sometimes families are worried that their names will be stolen. Others worry that their names will be disliked intensely. Share Your Advice
I shared and it was fine
- I think if you say you're "thinking about" this name or that name, people will feel more free to give you their opinions. With my daughter, we told people her name long before she was born, but after we had made a firm decision. When we said, "this is her name," people responded (I think) the way they would have if we had shared her name after birth - if they liked it, they told us, if they didn't, they kept it to themselves.
- —Guest deborahku
Didn't Matter
- I name it after whomever I see in the waiting room.
- —Guest garret
think carefully.
- And keep it to yourself. Use the name privatly for a while and see if you still feel the same way about it. With my daughter I was very public with the names and I let people's opinions affect how i liked the names. with my son I let people know the names i liked when I had a long list. Now that I have the list narrowed down I am not telling anyone. I am going to make them wait until he is born to find out the name. I chose my daughter's name in the hospital and I didnt give myself time to think it over to see if i would continue to like it. I am so mad that i let people talk me into her name, instead of the name I wanted. I am keeping my choices to myself this time to make sure I end up with a name I love.
- —Guest becky
Negative Reactions Aren't Always Bad
- Sharing is a totally personal choice with upsides and downsides. If you share and are getting really negative reactions on your baby name, however, sometimes it is worth a second thought. Although you are naming YOUR baby, you are also giving them a name by which the rest of the world will judge him or her on a resume or in a variety of other contexts. It is not always best to display your own individuality and creativity at the expense of your baby. Also, in my family, my parents named my sister Geraldine. Not the most objectionable name, but everyone hated it so bad that no one ever used it and she is known only by her nickname. In this case, my parents didn't really get to chose. Of course, no matter what you pick, if you share someone is going to have an ex by that name and not like it. Just try to distinguish between stupidity and whether you should rethink it...
- —Guest J
Not Their Business!
- My husband and I are expecting our first child and we are not planning to tell anyone the names we have chosen for our baby. If they keep insisting on knowing, all we just tell them is to wait till the baby is born, when we'll reveal the secret. Make it sound like fun, and they'll look forward to that time when they'll know the name for real. By that time, it'll be too late to cause negative reactions for us!
- —Guest HoneyO
Ignore them!
- That's what I do. When I found out I was pregnant I immediately knew what name our baby would have if it was a girl and if it was a boy. First and middle names. My husband loves our baby's name just as much as I do. He told his family and all they did was complain about the middle name. I happen to love it, and if they don't like it, that's just too bad. I figure, they won't like any name I pick because they don't approve of my religion (and since they don't approve of that, they won't accept any "ethnically religious" name we give our child). It's a well balanced name, it's normal and it fits very well with our last names. There's nothing for reasonable people to complain about. If they want to name a baby, they can have their own.
- —Guest guestiepoo
Baby names
- I now have my baby name under top secret wraps! I've gotten responses like that's to ethnic. That does not go with your last name. Oh my how can you name a baby that? And the best one was you can't use anything with an vowel at the end because it's to many letters? What does that mean? I have now decided to tell people a short list of odd names or names I am no longer considering. I am to polite to say anything about their kids names! People should keep their opionions to themselves. Remember it's not your baby and they should show the same respect given to them!
- —Guest girliegirl
Just plain Rude
- I keep meaning to stop telling people my baby names as I hate it when people say they don't like it or they prefer... It's my baby, if you don't like it then just keep your opinion to yourself!
- —pookieplease
Be prepared for any reaction
- My husband's brother asked me what names we were thinking of, when I told him he actually had the nerve to say, "Oh my god, no nephew of mine is going to be called a name like that!" I couldn't believe it, prior to that my husband loved the name and now he is not so sure, I was so angry and it caused a lot of tension between me and my husband. I know now that some people feel they have a right to say anything to you so you have to be prepared for any reaction. If anything it has made me more determined to call my son this name!
- —Guest Sarah D
Each Situation Is Unique
- You know your friends and family best - if they are the judgemental type and you know negative comments will be upsetting to you consider not sharing. If you don't mind the input both positive and negative then share. We shared with our family but knew no matter what they said we wouldn't change our minds. Since we used only family names they didn't have much to object to. When my dd was pg she and I sat for hours and looked over names and she knew we would be happy with anything she choose. In the end only you and the babies father have to agree on the name.
- —hostdiane
Don't tell!
- My husband and I had worked really hard to come up with a name for the baby. When we told our families before the baby was born, we had a lot of negative reactions. Sometimes it made me mad, sometimes I felt like crying. We talked about changing our son's name but decided against it. They've now grown to love him and accept them name. If they don't like the name they keep their mouth shut.
- —Guest LeahT
