Is it really that bad to say I don't like prospective baby names?

A friend telling me that her new grandchild is to be named Aurora just shrugged and smiled. Not our business to protest a name.

My youngest always asked me how I honestly felt about the names she chose for her four. I would answer truthfully if there was one I didn’t like and she would tease me for months, Are you used to it yet? But she is very easy going and we are very close.

I wouldn’t have dared to say anything but ‘lovely name’ to my other children’s choices for their offspring as I knew they wouldn’t be happy.

Perhaps you could suggest an extra middle name with some plausible excuse - family name/ in memory of ....giving the child an alternative as they grow up? I was always called by my middle name by my parents but changed to my first name at secondary school. (60 plus years later I have to really think hard when signing letters or cards!) There was nothing wrong with either of my names - just couldn't be bothered to explain to all the different subject teachers at High school that I was called by my 2nd name!

I think that whatever the child’s name, they seem to grow into it or, maybe, we just get used to it. My granddaughter has a very definite boy’s name, although, at a push, it could be seen as a diminutive of a girl’s name. I don’t think anyone who knows her even gives it a thought now.

Why does she have a boy’s name? My daughter ‘met’ a little boy on the bus, liked his name and decided to use it for her expected baby, not even considering it might be a girl. She stuck with it and after a very short time, I grew to like it. I never criticised her for her choice but her in-laws did and it caused hard feelings.

Some of my grandchildren have 'unusual names, but as other people have said. Not our children. Not our choice. All you would do is cause friction. One of my close friends has a grandson called Stanley and she detests it but has a nickname that she uses which gets her over having to use a name she can't stand. Neither of the parents would ever know how she feels. They are now having a second baby and my friend is waiting with bated breath lol

I was unsure about the name chosen for my little grandaughter, but now I can't imagine her being called anything else!

Ýou had your chance to chose your children's names. Now it's your daughter's turn. Let her enjoy the moment.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Children have a magical way of making their names special

Yep, just keep quiet & keep smiling.
It's not your call.
Try & start off on the right foot.
Ive had loads of things that have happened with my grandson & I used to say I was disappointed (not to the parents, only close friends & family.)
I now say, I'm surprised by what they do, Ive found, changing my mindset has made it easier to bear.

Get it off your chest on here instead and say nothing to her.
Out for coffee pre-lockdown, a friend told me about her new grandson, Dyson.
“I don’t like it,” she said, “but I’ll just have to suck it up. They could have called him Hoover!”
I spluttered my coffee everywhere!

Whatever the name they choose once you hold that new baby grandchild in your arms there name will mean the world to you

I became a granny 2 weeks ago and was somewhat surprised by the name choice, but it has grown on me. My daughter said she saw it as a positive as they hadn't chosen a name she'd want if she later has a son!

2 of my nieces have given their children awful names but I said nothing. Their mothers, my sisters, did say something but it's all good now. Just hope they change the name when they are older. My DIL works for a firm of solicitors and they don't recruit any staff with weird names who will be representing the company in court. Sad but true.

I always think babies grow into their names . My first grandson has a name that I was not keen on when they said he would be called it . Now it suits him.

If it's early in the pregnancy they might well change their minds anyway about names before the time comes. You could try saying "it's a lovely name with the usual pronunciation though". But in the end it's upto them, so don't say too much. By the time the child is 30 or 40 there will probably be a good proportion of people with weird and wonderful names going around. The unusual will be usual, so don't worry and look forward to your grandchild!

I loathe my the name they gave my youngest GD but I adore my GD. The names they have chosen have nothing to do with you. Keep quiet and preserve your relationship with them. A friend of mine has never been forgiven for laughing when she was told the name of her GS. My mother didn’t like our choice of names and said so but she’s lucky, we didn’t care.

Morning NanAng
I’m new here too! If your family are just generally saying about names then it’s not wrong to mention what names you like but once they’ve finally decided then it’s, of course, their choice. I’ve got 4 grandchildren and although luckily like all their names you soon realise what is important in that they arrive healthily (sadly on another occasion we experienced that) and also the personality of the growing child is most important. Whatever name it won’t matter then! Best wishes for the arrival !

Only give your opinion if asked, and be as tactful as poss ....

I do think a lot depends on where they live / are going to live. In London, for example, lots of babies are given “unusual” names and everyone copes fine. In a little rural village they might stick out like a sore thumb. So I suppose context is everything!

Say nothing it’s their child not yours. I have four grandkids so I know from experience to say nothing.

Say nothing, you will get used to the names.

Congratulations on becoming a Granny soon. Something Grandparents have to learn very early on is not to offer an opinion unless it is asked for. As for baby names you will have to grin and bear it, whatever it is.

You have to say nothing unless directly asked for an opinion and even then, you’ll have to use the tact of a diplomat.

Mind you, I know someone who now thinks she made a poor choice of names for her two girls and she rhetorically asks ‘Why did no one stop me?’ because she says she was young and foolish when she had them! Of course, she wouldn’t have listened to anyone, being young and foolish, and actually, I think there are far worse names.

We all decided on my grandsons names.
My mum had some outlandish suggestions.

Agree that parents get to choose the name. I have however worked in a place where I had to constantly call out people´s names and my pet hate is where the given/christian name ends in the same letter as the surname begins, ie. Phillip Parsons, Peter Rabbit, Ruth Thornton. You either have to pronounce them joined up, or do a little stutter in between. I have (successfully) argued my daughter out of those for the GCs.