Need some reassurance

I absolutely adore both [name_f]Juno[/name_f] and [name_f]Astrid[/name_f], and think that makes a wonderful, lovely, strong name for your daughter!! There is a book I really like in which two of the main characters are twins named [name_f]Juno[/name_f] & [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] (“[name_f]Do[/name_f] You [name_u]Dream[/name_u] Of [name_f]Terra[/name_f]-Two?” by Temi Oh), and both names are on my short list as well, so I was delighted to see your post.

There will be people who will doubt and naysay about any naming or parenting decision you may have, really. It’s unfortunate that a close family member is being critical of a name you love, especially when this should be a time of support and excitement about the baby you’re about to have. But I have high hopes that all of that doubt will melt away once your nan sees your wonderful baby girl! The nice thing about [name_f]Juno[/name_f], as someone mentioned above, is that it has some “conventional” nicknames if that pleases you or others. Your nan could call her [name_u]June[/name_u] or [name_f]Junie[/name_f] if you were okay with that, and that might help ease her into acceptance.

Regardless, I think [name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is a positively amazing name, and am hopeful that I will one day have a baby [name_f]Juno[/name_f] or a baby [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] (or both!) too!

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Her two granddads love it and think it’s hilarious, that’s why it didn’t really bother us because it’s such a dad joke!

@katinka was wondering if you could share you experience on this!

Thanks, @Greyblue [name_m]How[/name_m] did I miss this?! :sweat_smile:

[name_f]Welcome[/name_f] @xCarrot_Cakex and congratulations on your baby girl!

I think you’ve chosen an absolutely gorgeous name for her, and I have a 4-year-old [name_f]Juno[/name_f] so I hope I can help to address your concerns.

First of all, the “D’you know?” thing isn’t really a big deal in real life. Occasionally, I hear someone say it in the background and my mind kind of does a double-take, but it’s not something that you can really get confused about in context. [name_f]My[/name_f] only consideration would be whether you have a surname that could make a sentence with it: [name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] (“D’you know [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]?”) or [name_f]Juno[/name_f] Flowers (“D’you know Flowers?”) for example.

That said, it still gives me a chuckle every time I remember how my grandma reacted to the name. She is sadly no longer with us now, so I genuinely cherish this memory.

This was a few weeks before [name_f]Juno[/name_f] was born:

Grandma: Have you thought of a name for her yet?

Me: [name_f]Juno[/name_f]

Grandma: No, no one’s told me!

:joy: :joy: :joy:

Anyway, all that to say that really, that’s the only occasion in all of [name_f]Juno[/name_f]'s 4 and a half years where the name has ever really caused confusion, so I wouldn’t worry about that.

All that said, I do understand this :point_up: [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] was a top contender for our second daughter – I absolutely adore it – but my wonderful mum just couldn’t get behind it, and it made me sad to think that she might hate her future grandchild’s name. Especially as she loves our older kids’ names so much.

In the end, my mum’s dislike for the name [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] took it out of the running for us, but if it had been The One that we loved above all others, we would have used it regardless. As it was, we had other names on the list that we liked just as much, and that my mum loved too, so it made sense to go with one of those.

TL;DR

I have a [name_f]Juno[/name_f]. She’s fab. The name’s fab. [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is awesome. Go for it! :star:

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@katinka Thank you! It’s so good to hear from someone who has a [name_f]Juno[/name_f]! Fortunately, she’s having my OH’s surname, but both of us have very surnamey surnames. I have become more aware of people in the office saying ‘D’you know’ in the office but I don’t think we’d even pronounce it like that at home - it’s not like I’m calling her Jenno. I didn’t think it would be an issue, so thank you very much for your insight!

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Oh, I’m so sorry your [name_f]Nan[/name_f]’s made you doubt your name choice!

[name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is gorgeous and not ‘cruel’ in any way, shape or form. Unfortunately, it’s just not your [name_f]Nan[/name_f]’s taste and probably because it’s such an ‘out there’ choice in her opinion, she’s just really shocked by it.

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[name_f]Juno[/name_f]’s lovely, and your nan’s reaction can likely be chalked up to different generations and different tastes. I know my mom had a similar issue, and it seemed to just be an unfamiliarity with the names my mom was considering.

Sometimes it can also be a “this is what happened to me when I was in this situation, so this is what I know as a response” type of thing. Someone may have reacted negatively to a name she liked and convinced her to rethink it, and now, that’s how she knows to respond. It can be very hard to disassociate yourself from learned behaviours/reactions, even if they’re not right.

Once your [name_f]Juno[/name_f] is here, there’s not much she can say/do about it, and I have a feeling she’ll eventually grow to accept it as your daughter’s name, even if she isn’t a fan of it.

Names can be very polarizing and unfortunately some family members are much more opinionated than others, and generally from what I’ve heard (haven’t experienced it myself as I’m not a mom yet), people seem to think that if it’s before the baby’s here, they can convince the parents to change the name.

Sorry for the ramble, but tl;dr: [name_f]Juno[/name_f]’s lovely, and your nan will adjust when baby is here.

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This is a really thoughtful and interesting point. I had never considered this before but it definitely rings true.

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It’s something my mom’s always reminded me of, and now my course content in college (a lot of brain development, psychology and family structures!) has sort of sold it home for me.

It’s super hard to adapt sometimes and change attitudes/behaviours that you may have been exhibiting for decades.

They grew up in a world where baby names weren’t very out of the box, and that can be very hard to change, even if the opinion/attitude isn’t exactly fair.

It’s completely unfair how your grandmother worded things and it’s not an excuse for her behaviour, but it’s good to bear in mind that this may be the only way she knows how to respond when she hears a name she’s unfamiliar with/is concerned could cause teasing because this is how it was when she was expecting children (and maybe even when her mother was expecting children, and so on!)

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[name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is a wonderful name. As a mom of two, it’s most important that YOU love the name. You will be saying her name and thinking of her name 2000 times a day. You will be filling her names out on forms and listening for her name at appointments. [name_u]Truly[/name_u] this is you and your partners decision. Your grandmother had the chance to name her children and now it’s your turn.

Honestly, it’s a generation thing. That’s not really a great excuse, but I’ll give you an example. [name_f]My[/name_f] first daughters name is [name_f]Hazel[/name_f]. She’s named after my husbands grandma who is truly an amazing woman and I love her so much. Her name is [name_u]Lynn[/name_u] [name_f]Hazel[/name_f]. She already has grandchildren and great grandchildren with the middle name [name_u]Lynn[/name_u]. When we told her we were naming our daughter [name_f]Hazel[/name_f] after her , the first thing she said was - “Oh, I never really cared for [name_f]Hazel[/name_f]”. But guess what? She loves the name now and loves her great granddaughter!

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[name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is amazing!!!

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I adore [name_f]Juno[/name_f]! [name_f]My[/name_f] mother doesn’t like some of the names I’ve chosen, but I know she’ll come around and I believe your family will too!

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I really like [name_f]Juno[/name_f] with [name_f]Astrid[/name_f]!

When I was pregnant with my first, we told people we were going to name him [name_u]Finn[/name_u]. [name_f]My[/name_f] grandmother was upset it wasn’t a [name_u]Christian[/name_u] name (she’s religious, we are not, so that hardly mattered to us) and it wasn’t a Greek name to honour my background either. Double no-no. [name_f]My[/name_f] aunt went as far as to ask “where did you find THAT?” [name_f]My[/name_f] mother spent the better part of an hour suggesting names to use instead because remember, we’re naming a person! He’ll be so made fun of! So apparently every name under the sun would have been more appropriate. We named him [name_u]Finn[/name_u] and never heard another word about it. I love his name. I would do it all over again.

I’m sorry this has upset you and I hope once she’s here, your grandmother will associate the name with the baby and think nothing more of it. If not, you’ve used a name you love for her, and there’s nothing cruel about that. [name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is beautiful.

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[name_u]Love[/name_u] it! It’s so sweet and fresh! Plus, names are so much more diverse now that I don’t think she would be teased. Also, love the MN [name_f]Astrid[/name_f]! Overall, I think [name_f]Juno[/name_f] [name_f]Astrid[/name_f] is lovely, cheerful, and delightful!

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You’ve already gotten a lot of support, but I wanted to agree just because I adore [name_f]Juno[/name_f]! It’s a beautiful name. Simple and of this time. As others have said, loved ones - no matter how we value their opinions - should not be the dictator on huge decisions like naming your child. Best of luck to you and your partner and of course, little [name_f]Juno[/name_f] :slight_smile:

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Feels like [name_f]Nan[/name_f] can stuff it. Your parents didn’t listen to her when it came to names and neither should you. If anything you’re continuing a proud tradition of ignoring her agressive opinions. You should be proud.

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