Or would you use them regardless?
Yes. Here’s why. It’s not going to be my name, it’s going to be someone else’s name! It is impossible to know how sensitive your child will be to the ruder folks in life, no matter how much you tell him/her to ignore mean comments. Names can have a profound impact and it’s a great responsibility.
It’s a little bit of both.
I care what other people (in particular name-aficionados like the NB crew) think because, hearing their thoughts helps me clarify my own. Sometimes you know something just isn’t the greatest idea but it’s your guilty pleasure having someone tell you they think you’ve gone batty helps out. I also find that my reaction to what others think about a name really helps me distill the tops of my list. (I was sad a few weeks ago when [name]Loretta[/name] didn’t do so well but never thought I’d be quite so excited about [name]Merida[/name] until I realized how big my grin was when others liked it).
In general I like to hear what others think to help me guide me own way. I’ll eventually still use what I want and love. That said, if a lot of people were to point out strong negative associations with a name I love I would definitely reconsider it. Or at least do some careful research and consider placing it as a second name.
No. The only opinions that matters are mine and my husband’s.
I think that’s a good question. My absolute favorite names, i don’t care what people think and it doesn’t give me pause. My favorites down the list though (#s 5-…) im more inclined to wonder how people will react and let that influence my thoughts. And guilty pleasure names are certainly only ‘GPs’ because of either everyday wearability and how people would react to the name throughout the kid’s life.
But my top top favorites? No, I don’t think I care!
I’m interested, because sometimes people have a perspective on a name that I might not know about or might not have considered. For example, I might not be aware of some cultural connotation of a name that could make my child’s life extremely difficult. But at the same time, someone saying, “I think that name is boring” or “I don’t like place names” doesn’t matter that much to me. Others’ taste is not necessarily my taste.
I don’t really mind when I told someone my Miette’s name they were like did you make it up or is it a ral name because even if it is it seems so trashy. I stood there in utter shock because this is my little girl and if me and my dh like it then does her opinion really matter. My kids are my kids and I love there names almost as much as I love them.
I used to a lot, but being 34 weeks preggo has mellowed me out a bit, so I don’t think I will take it to heart as much, unless somebody says something really cruel
I do care and am a bit worried about announcing our names when our baby is born. I want people to think we have chosen nice names and want my children to like their own names. But I think once you meet a baby it always suits it’s name and you get used to it and can’t imagine it with any other name, so I think it will be ok whatever happens. I got worried about what our parents would think about our names and my partner said “they’ve had their chance at naming babies, now it’s our turn” which I agree with.
[name]Both[/name]. I take into consideration other people’s opinions, especially if they can give me a valid reason. For example, I loved the name [name]Collin[/name], until my friend pointed out that she thought I had been saying “colon” the whole time, which isn’t exactly the best association to have. But if it’s just “not their style”, I’m willing to let it go. But another thing I take into consideration is the majority of the feedback. If I am absolutely in love with a name but nearly everyone else hates it, I’m willing to reconsider my tastes.
But at the end of the day, if I really love the name, on the list it goes.
I do take into consideration what other people think of names. When we were considering names for my son our top three names were [name]Luther[/name], [name]Maximus[/name] and [name]Wolf[/name]. [name]Wolf[/name] was actually our top pick. [name]Both[/name] my hubby and I loved it, and even our family really liked it as well. Unfortunately, when we mentioned the name [name]Wolf[/name] to people we got very strong reactions from them. They either loved it or hated it. Some people openly said we were crazy for considering [name]Wolf[/name] as a name. In the end we got tired of the negative reactions and didn’t think it was fair to saddle our child with a name that was so polarizing. It doesn’t help that we live a small community where people are ignorant and close minded. Now that being said, [name]Wolf[/name] was one of the more extreme names we were considering and it was only because the responses were so extreme that it affected our decision.
I used to a lot! But after having several of my names shot down by people I stopped caring as much! I will run a name by my family to make sure there are no hard associations with a name that im unaware of, (like I was thinking of the name [name]Heidi[/name] for a while but learned that was my sisters husbands ex girlfriend that he was always possessive over, needless to say they unfortunately didnt last =(, get my point?) And my family is good about not saying much more negative stuff, I know some families are not as easy going though. But generally speaking, I wont tell a soul except my husband. We finally have names picked out and no one is gonna ruin them! Lol.
Good answer. I agree. I think a lot of parents put the fact out of their mind that this name is going to be used for possibly 100 years by someone else–and it’s going to be a reflection on that person not on them as parents after the first couple years.
If I think a name is beautiful, I don’t care if someone thinks it’s ugly.
But when it comes to actually using a name, I care a lot about people’s opinions. The history, the vibe, the spelling, whether it has really terrible connotations that are likely to be shared by others.
I think this applies a lot more for less common names. If somebody doesn’t like [name]Jane[/name]–who cares. If everybody you talk to cringes at [name]Aspen[/name]–maybe you should consider a bit more.
Of course, there’s always a point where you have to take in people’s opinions for what they are and say, “okay, I see where you’re coming from, but I’m willing to deal with the negative side because it means that much to me.”
Hmmm…I think I would use them regardless, but it’s nice to have opinions. It helps to put other perspectives on the name. If something was pointed out about a name that was very bad and I had overlooked that particular senerio, I might be grateful for the opinion. If I don’t think it’s something too serious, I would use the name anyway. (Which I might be doing if we have a boy) My in-laws don’t like anything we’ve come up with so far for a boy!
When we were expecting, my DH and I kept our lists to ourselves. We didn’t tell a soul, especially family members. I didn’t want anyone talking me out of a name that I was seriously considering and loved. Afterward, we heard some negative comments, but it was too late for them to sway us. I do see value in others’ opinions, but when it came down to it, we were choosing the name. I do love seeing the opinions on names, just for interest, now that were not in baby naming mode.
I’m certainly interested in hearing other people’s opinions, and open to seeing their point of view; but if I love the name, I’m going to use it. The only way I’d not use a name I loved is if someone pointed something out to me I’d never thought of or noticed. The potential for general teasing doesn’t sway me too much. For example, someone is asking opinions on the name Ender right now, and one poster pointed out that there was the potential for name-calling (back ender or rear ender or something). While this is true, I think any name has the potential for teasing. Unless it’s overt (a boy named [name]Gaylord[/name], a girl named [name]Anita[/name] [name]Dick[/name]), it’s not a problem.
I’ve been debating the name [name]Isabeau[/name] for, oh, a dozen years perhaps. It’s without a doubt my favorite name, but I’ve heard from many people that think a girl named [name]Isabeau[/name] would be called Is A Hoe or Is A Boy (not to mention all the people that stumble over the name, even though they have no problem with [name]Beau[/name] by itself). I still haven’t decided if I think the name-calling potential is high enough for me to care or not. On the one hand, my partner and I, and all of our siblings, are intelligent, funny, talented, attractive, imaginative, optimistic and well liked. I’m not being vain, those are observations and our child will probably take after us. However, there is no guarantee that we’re going to have the sort of child who will respond to childhood teasing with a witty retort of his or her own, and a flick of their hair.
So again, yes, I’m interested in hearing other people’s thoughts about a name and I’ll certainly consider what they have to say. Unless they have a very persuasive argument, I’ll be going with the name I love.
Not really. I will take into account some things (like a bad association that I wasn’t aware of - or a cheesy nickname) but if it’s a more general “I don’t like it” opinion, then it doesn’t matter to me.
I do care. I’ve got a couple of names that I’ll probably use and not be worried about what others think because they’re meaningful to me. But, even so, I want other people to like them!
I think that when a baby is given a name, it needs to be considered, because this is their name for at least eighteen years. So I guess I do care what others think, just because of how it might impact the baby. For example, I love the name [name]Indigo[/name] but I get a lot of negative reactions to that word name, so my other favorite for girls, [name]Genevieve[/name] [name]Sarah[/name], is probably what I’ll use.
My thoughts exactly.