So about three years ago when my wife told me she was pregnant, we immediately agreed that if it was a girl, her name would be [name_f]Willow[/name_f]. The middle name gave us some trouble and caused some bickering, so we went to family/friends and came here to solicit opinions of the few we had narrrowed it down to.
While everyone commenting was pleasant (mostly) almost ALL of them said we should avoid any type of nature name as the middle. So it was back to the drawing board as most of the names we chose were nature inspired. In the end we said “to heck with the other folks, it’s our kid.” We selected [name_f]Lily[/name_f] as her middle name…and guess what…every one of our friends and family love it as much as we do.
[name_f]Willow[/name_f] [name_f]Lily[/name_f]. Nature-y? Yes. Lots of L’s in succession? Yes! But it’s pretty and it suits her. She is a very free spirited two year old who is kind, quirky, playful, and smart.
So here’s my advice to moms and dads… Take the suggestions you get from other people with a grain of salt. If you like a name and you think it sounds good, use it. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t let someone in another state or country, hiding behind a computer deter you from using a name you love just because they don’t like it.
If Grandma will be upset you didn’t name the kid after her, let her be upset. She’ll get over it.
If there’s a family tradition of naming all the boys [name_u]Francis[/name_u], but you hate it, break tradition.
My middle name is a family member’s name and I hate it. I don’t particularly care for the name, and the person associated with it in my family isn’t my favorite.
If you want old fashioned and stuffy, go old fashioned and stuffy.
If you want spunky and fun, go spunky and fun.
If you want outlandish and unique, go outlandish and unique.
If you want common and boring, go common and boring.
It’s YOUR kid. YOU will be raising him/her. YOU will be hollering that name when he/she is in trouble.
It’s got to be a name YOU like, not the millions of other people out there.