This originally was a post on theNameberry blog from a couple months back. Since it’s old no one really comments on it anymore, so I decided it deserved its own thread because it’s always fun to read what mothers think 
What names fail to cross the generation divide in your family? What names do you love that your mom hates? And why?
I really like the name [name]Dolores[/name] for a girl, my mom hates it. She’s Cuban so she whined how [name]Dolores[/name] means pain in Spanish. I’m pretty stubborn so I don’t really care what she thinks about [name]Dolores[/name], but she said if I ever were to name my daughter that, she would call her “[name]Dory[/name]” cringes. She would pick [name]Dory[/name] out of the endless nicknames for [name]Dolores[/name]: [name]Dolly[/name], [name]Lola[/name] (even though I really don’t like [name]Lola[/name]), Lo, [name]Lolita[/name], etc.
As for [name]Francis[/name] for a boy, she also hates it! The minute I said [name]Francis[/name] she said “GIRLS NAME.” Noo Mom, I said, F-R-A-N-C-E-S is a girl’s name, F-R-A-N-C-I-S is a boys. “NOPE, IT’S A GIRLS NAME. I’LL CALL IT [name]FRANK[/name].” Then she didn’t want to discuss the topic any further because I’m only 15 and she doesn’t want me to get “any ideas.” rolls eyes
I don’t talk names a ton with my mom, but I found that she hates [name]Elodie[/name]! I was so surprised, she’s always been such a fan of less common names (as evidenced by those of myself and my brother), but apparently [name]Elodie[/name] is too much for her. Sigh, I suppose that one’s a middle name, then! She also has a tendency to give a TON of nicknames, which I really don’t love. My opinion is that I would generally name my child what I’d want to call them, and she’s told me repeatedly that she’d shorten names I like. In fact, when telling me she doesn’t like [name]Elodie[/name] (nn [name]Ellie[/name]/[name]Ella[/name], one of my exceptions), she told me she’d call an [name]Amelie[/name] (my favorite girl’s name) [name]Ellie[/name], which I had to ask her more than once not to even think about, haha.
I have a strict policy now that I don’t tell my mom a single name I like. I told her [name]Oliver[/name] was at the top of my list for boys and she said it was terrible. I mean, maybe not your style, but terrible? Really, mom? This is the same woman who told me to name my daughter [name]Mary[/name] and my son [name]Michael[/name] because those were the other names she wanted to name ME. They’re just fine, but I’m looking to do something with a little more style. But honestly, I think my mother is just more insufferable with her opinions that other moms. (though who knows)
In general, older people do not seem to be as resilient with names. Names that lost their luster during their lifetimes and not resurrectable to them, but I disagree if lovely jewels like [name]Alice[/name] and [name]Isabella[/name] can see new life, so can anything. All it takes is a celebrity or for all the old people who are set in their ways to die off! hahahaha
@erykah, I love [name]Dolores[/name]! Have for years!
I don’t talk about names much with my mom. She loves [name]Tabitha[/name] and [name]Gillian[/name], but HATES [name]Luna[/name]. Most women her age (early 50s) seem to. Her friends/cousins sat around and laughed about it. [name]Silly[/name] harpies! 
I think my Mum hates every name I like out of principal. Well at least I’ve never once heard her say a single nice thing about any of the names I like and I’ve heard her say plenty of bad ones. [name]Way[/name] too old fashioned seems to be her favourite insult and I’ve heard a couple of is that even a name.
The exception somehow being [name]Luna[/name]. She doesn’t seem to mind [name]Luna[/name].
At first my mom thought the whole name obsession is a bit weird in the first place, but I think she’s got the bug now too – she wants to talk about names more and more. From my favorites she LOVES [name]Jane[/name] and [name]Benjamin[/name], likes [name]Eloise[/name], [name]Matilda[/name], [name]Simon[/name], [name]Sylvie[/name], [name]Wallace[/name], [name]Iris[/name], [name]Jasper[/name], [name]Judah[/name], and [name]Thaddeus[/name], and gives me a weird look every time I mention [name]Juniper[/name], [name]Roscoe[/name], or [name]Atlas[/name] (“Shrugged?!”). She brought up [name]Jack[/name] and [name]Sadie[/name], which I like, but [name]Jack[/name] is too popular and [name]Sadie[/name] isn’t my favorite. Oh, and she adores [name]Jemima[/name], but I’m afraid it wouldn’t translate well in this country (my mom is British).
She’s made noises about me naming my firstborn son [name]John[/name], as per family tradition, but I don’t think she’ll be heartbroken if I don’t.
[name]Vesper[/name]. She hates [name]Vesper[/name] a lot. She likes sweet, pretty names that are preferably of [name]Indian[/name] origin. I find some of them really pretty, but those are mostly taken by people in the family, which is sad. So, I revert to choices such as [name]Vesper[/name].
My mum hates pretty much all of the names that I like.
We were talking about names once and I mentioned that I’d wish she’d named me something more sophisticated like Matilda or Philippa and that that’s probably what a future granddaughter of hers potentially could be called, and she was like :eek:
She then mentioned some of the names that she liked which included Aiina (Greenlandic name), Zara (what my sister was to be called, had I not chosen Isabella) and Bjørk/Bjork.
My mom is insufferable when it comes to names. I’m not expecting(now or anytime soon) but she still makes her opinions known! [name]Every[/name] name she doesn’t like gets the comment “Well, that’s just such a stupid name”(She’s looking at you [name]Isabel[/name] and [name]Isabella[/name]). Most of the time I don’t even understand it!
I’m grateful that I realllllly want to honor my sister, and she can’t hate on a name she chose, well, maybe she’ll find a way, she is a mother
Well one of my favourite combos is [name]Henry[/name] [name]Beau[/name] (for a boy obvs) but when I mentioned it to my mom, she laughed and thought it sounded very 1800s south. I still like it though.
Also, I kind like the name [name]Cleo[/name] and had been thinking about maybe using it as a middle for [name]Ophelia[/name]…but then my sister couldn’t get over the "Miss [name]Cleo[/name], the psychic " connections and decided to tease me about it.
My mom influenced my name style a lot, so we usually agree, bu when I told her the name [name]Juniper[/name] was coming in she couldn’t believe it. She thought it was terrible. I don’t think it’s my favorite name ever, but it’s not terrible. There are a lot of worse names. But she laughed for a few minutes.
My mum normally likes my suggestions, though the only one I think she has gone outright "no, eek’ was [name]Daphne[/name] and that was only because she had a crazy aunt named [name]Daphne[/name].
She hates [name]Flora[/name] because she associates it with the fairy in Sleeping Beauty. She hates [name]Luna[/name] because it makes her think of “lunatic”. She wasn’t too keen on [name]Imogen[/name], but my dad was the one that REALLY disliked that one. He insisted that he’d call her [name]Emma[/name] instead. My sister hates [name]Temperance[/name] and says she’ll call her by her middle name if I ever name a daughter that.