Doubts...

[name_m]Hi[/name_m]! Boy was born this morning and we named him [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] [name_m]Damian[/name_m]. We’ve had [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] picked out for as long as we can remember. We absolutely love him and his name, but some people in our family have had some other opinions. They’re telling us he has a dog name and we should pick something else. We don’t want to change his name, but if his own family is saying this we’re worried about what will happen when he gets to school. We’re thinking maybe there’s a nickname we could use but I’m not really sure what to do. Should we give up on the name? Are there any nicknames you can think of that they might like better? Thank you…

If you love it, stick with it. It’s a less common choice, but still a gorgeous name, and I think it’s great that there wont be heaps of other kids with the same name at school!

Kids who bully will find a way REGARDLESS of the name. They can turn any name into something to bully about, and if not they’ll find something else. I really don’t think it will be a factor in if or how much he gets bullied.

[name_m]Plenty[/name_m] of our family disliked our choice for our daughter’s name because it’s not currently a popular one so seems old-school and stale to them. But we knew it was right for us.

1 Like

I think [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] is a great name and I would be extremely surprised if he got bullied for it down the track. I have come across far more unusual names when I’ve taught and kids these days take no notice; they’re so used to unusual names that they are pretty accepting from my experience.

It’s a shame your family is saying those things to you. They should just accept your choice and be happy! Anyway, the only [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] I know of is [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] [name_m]Wainwright[/name_m] - in fact, I don’t know any dogs named [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] and don’t really perceive it as a ‘dog’s name’ to be honest. It’s not like you’re calling him Rover!

If you want a nickname I think Ru (‘roo’) is really sweet but honestly, I think you’ve picked a lovely name.

I’m sure your family will grow to love the name as they fall in love with your little boy. If it’s the name you both love I would stick with it, and it is a great name!

I do like the suggestions of “Ru” as a nickname, it’s very sweet and feels natural.

Thank you! We’re going to keep the name and just find a nickname for it. And Ru is adorable!

I like [name_m]Rufus[/name_m]! (He was the Dad in Gossip Girl. if you watch some of that maybe it will be easier to visualize it’s usability)

Roo would be an adorable nickname! You could also use [name_m]Russ[/name_m], or [name_u]Rudy[/name_u] (Rufus Damian).

Congratulations! I think it’s a fine name and they’ll get used to it. Seconding suggestions of Ru/[name_u]Rue[/name_u] or [name_u]Rudy[/name_u], I think they’re both adorable.

[name_m]Rufus[/name_m] [name_m]Damian[/name_m] is lovely.

Honestly this is a situation where I would ignore the naysayers. You didn’t name your son Fido or Spot for goodness sake. [name_m]Just[/name_m] because a human name has some use for pets doesn’t make it not a human name.
I’ve known about as many dogs named [name_f]Luna[/name_f] as I’ve known little girls, if not more, but I’ll be damned if I go around telling people “you gave your daughter a dog’s name.” That’s just absurd.

They will get over it. I had a lot of negative feedback about my son’s name, and even his nickname got some flack, but now everybody is used to it and can’t imagine him with any other name. My parents mostly call him by his nickname but my mom, who originally was one of the more vocal people about disliking his name, loves to call out “[name_m]Archimedes[/name_m] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] [name_m]Harris[/name_m]!” when he’s in trouble. Stick to your guns on this one.

[name_u]Rudy[/name_u] and [name_m]Russ[/name_m] are both very cute nickname options that will help warm some of those frigid relatives up!

If you love the name and it fits him, stick with it. People will get used to it

[name_m]Reef[/name_m], [name_m]Russ[/name_m] and [name_u]Rex[/name_u] as nicknames??

I think you’ve made a gorgeous choice, and others will get used to it. If you love the name, I think you’d regret changing it. [name_f]Glad[/name_f] to see you’re sticking to your guns.

FWIW, I live in the UK, where [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] is a really cool name right now. It has ranked in the mid 200s for popularity for about a decade now, very quirky cool and super handsome and distinguished. I wouldn’t be surprised if it starts to become more used across the pond too before too long, so you may well be ahead of the curve.

Congratulations on your little [name_m]Rufus[/name_m]!

What a great name! [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] has been my favourite for some time, and if I had a boy today I would use it. Sorry your family has had this reaction, but try to ignore them. Tell them [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] [name_m]Wainwright[/name_m] and [name_m]Rufus[/name_m] Sewell. I’m in Australia and I think it would be considered very cool here.