Grandchildren's names

My DDs chose family names as middle names and names they liked as first names. DGS1 suggested DGS3s name after a favourite TV character!
It is DS who will have some pressure to give any son he might have the family name that I have traced back for several generations.

Our children and grandchildren all have the same middle name (In male and female versions) as DH and his father.

Both DDs did run a shortlist by us but we tried hard to be non-committal as we did not know which they preferred.

I was surprised by DD1 choices for her boys but I like the names. She gave them road names as middle names (DGS1 where DD1/DSiL met..aged 3 & the road where they lived and where DGS2 was born)

None of the names a totally off the wall /unusual but are not top of the popular names list either!

Love the boys both unusual but they have the surname Jones, unborn GC1 (team yellow) all names are pretty popular atm but none are horrid. GC2 (also yellow atm) is boys sibling love the girls name chosen but took me a while to get used to the one they have chosen for a boy but like it now

My grandchildren (six of them) all have unusual names. I gave my two daughters very unusual names and they loved being different. My son was named after my dear father which at that time was an old name and not popular. It is now quite popular.

My daughter was understanding. She announced a few days before that they had changed their mind about the names they had always been going to use, to secret names that I wouldn't like. So she wasn't offended when anyone in my generation would have to get used to it, and younger people have said it is cool. It is not a modern name, just a curved ball. I eventually asked what the girl's name would have been if it hadn't been a boy - Oona, so every cloud......

My grandson has a solid name which is shortened - I think a proper name is best, don't like their official name to be a nickname. Granddaughter 1 has a lovely name (and it suits her) and second and third names are for my mother and DiL's father's mother, Granddaughter 2 has a lovely old fashioned name which is shortened to "Mimes", odd, but it suits her too! Grandson 2 is soon to appear, one of the great English names has been chosen (plenty of time for a change though) I have a French DiL, so maybe it's surprising that she is thinking of a name which is rarely used in France. We are very happy with all the names, but even happier with our lovely grandchildren. ☺

Love our Grandchildren's names. - both very traditional.

When our daughter was born and we decided to call her Amanda, my Mother In Law said... " But that's a dogs name "

My mother, when we said we liked the name Edmund as a possible for our baby if we had a son, said it was awful. How rude! We went with something else in the end but I wouldn't dream of interfering with my children's choices. That said, some fashionable names will be a millstone round the child's neck when they are grown. The names my daughter has mentioned so far have been lovely but then she knows 'the rules':- kings and queeen's names, the bible, Shakespeare, Latin names or titles, nineteenth century literature (characters and authors),Austen's characters and a very few others. You have to visualise the name with the adult, not just the baby.

When I taught, the top sets were always packed full of Emily's and Thomas's and the bottoms sets full of the latest crazes and/or misspelt standards.

There is a thread about being judgemental....!!

Congratulations on your soon-to-be grandmotherhood Obione ! Great news at last.

DD2 has 3 sons. When I first heard each name I wasn’t keen on the first, hated the second, and had to stifle an astonished “What?” at the third. I’m used to them now, but still cringe a bit when calling them in public.
When I told DD1, who at that time had not yet had a child, the name of the second child, she said “Oh Lord, don’t worry Mum, I shan’t call my children anything weird like that” And true to her word she has chosen a plain, timeless name for her son.

My opinion is that the parents should not be criticised for their choice of names for their children. When it all boils down, they are your grandchildren and you will probably have your own pet names for them. Just enjoy the children.

When my GD was born the parents told us the name they were thinking of. Hubby said "you can't call a child that"! I would never have said such a thing, although I agreed with him. They then came back with another name which everyone liked. When I look at my little GD now I think she had a lucky escape from the first name. I won't say what it was in case I offend anyone.

I was allowed to make suggestions and to my great pleasure one of them was chosen for my eldest grandson. My daughter said that my son-in-laws face changed when she told him of my suggestion and that they heard the name "with their hearts". I love my other grandchildrens' names too. They show no signs of disliking their names which is good. I've always hated mine. What was my mother thinking! She always wanted to be called Rose Lilly or Lilly Rose which have come back into fashion now.
Shame she didn't give them to her daughters.

Not only did we not have any say in the names but neither did either of our sons. Both couples had agreed that the father would choose the surname (in the case where they were not married) and the middle name in the other case. Next child will be the other way round, they say: father chooses first name, mother chooses middle name.

I'm reasonably happy with the names they have been given - at least they are in no way outrageous.

ROFL... that list for girls' names. Number 13 was Lily and Number 50 was Lilly. That kind of thing can make life annoying when you grow up.

My granddaughter has a short German name that turns into a cutsey nickname here. So they gave her a more serious, second 'power' name for a future career as a scientist, barrister or as Prime Minister!

We have 4 sons with names chosen from both sides of the family. Imagine my feelings when a grand daughter appeared ( my closest female relative) and was named after her maternal grand mother. This was 11 years ago and given the number of small put downs and reminders of second class citizenship I'm no longer surprised. Having sons is wonderful but don't except equal treatment when it comes to grandchildren unless you are very lucky. I should add I have worked very hard to make sure I am a model mil- never interfering, never giving unsolicited advice, mainly available for baby sitting etc etc. It still hurts though I'm never allowed by husband to say so. His way of dealing with stuff is to pretend it's never happened but he is an emotional cripple and this has affected me big time.

None of my business but I was delighted as one would have been my first choice for his father (vetoed by DH) and the other is a family name that no-one could possibly take offence at. Really nice to have the feeling that I can trust my kids with anything like that, they make good life choices!

Some years ago I was congratulating a friend on the birth of her first grandson. I asked the name and she was silent for a few seconds then said 'Spike'. I was speechless, she was embarrassed and after looking at each other (as no words were appropriate) we both burst into laughter. I think the child is about 10 now and I do hope his name hasn't and won't be a millstone throughout his life!

Loved the first two but was the second one was a not often used nowadays, old-fashioned name. When I told friends the name of my new DGD they nearly all replied, 'Oh, I had an auntie call X'. We were only talking about it yesterday and the other name my DS & DDIL had considered was Poppy, which is definitely not her, and her name suits her really well.

I overheard my DD telling a friend that she really disliked the boys name her husband had chosen for their unborn baby, she said she would go along with to keep the piece, well i really didn't keep my thoughts to myself. up until that point i had stayed out of it even though i couldnt stand the name but i insisted in front of both of them that my daughter had her say and she did, he was not happy that i had seen him for the bully he was. He insisted that the child had to have an irish name (family came over from ireland 3 generations ago, he has never been there) and when the scan revealed a girl he announced the name she was to be called and oh how i laughed when it was a welsh name but he told everyone is daughter would have a good irish name, nobody (not even his family) told him until the birth certificate was issued that the name was not irish He is no longer my son in law

lovely story grannypiper. My mother had a really horrid mil, so had no intention of naming me after her, but mil said she would put some money in a bank account for me if she did!!!! My wonderful mother was very pragmatic, duly gave me her mil's name as a second name and lo and behold £50 in the bank!! In 1951!!!! My mother was a really hilarious person and very practical. That money helped me buy my first car.

When pregnant with my last I loved both Rollocks and Diggory........he is Jed and happy with that........lucky escape.

Do other people call their children by their given names? we never do, we are a nickname clan.

Out in the park yesterday I heard a little lad of 4 or 5 being called Humphrey. All I could think of was the 70's milk advert "Look out, look out there's a Humphrey about"