Do you like your grandchild's name?

My Grandmother's middle name was Echalaz. Somehow we never felt tempted to continue its use in the family!

The Beckhams did not give their daughter a last name, the called her Harper because her mum said, she loved To Kill a Mockingbird and admired the author Harper Lee.

My youngest grandchild spent his first week known as Baby X . His parents were sure that one he arrived, they'd know which of the 3 names they'd finally agreed on suited him. His name is unusual and it suits him of course, he's lovely and why would his grandparents feel they had any right to do anything other than say "oh, that's a great name"

grannylyn it could have been worse - like Thistledoo for instance.

They may change their minds, TinyTwo - we had chosen a name for DD1 but as soon as she was born I decided on something else.
I wish I had ignored other people when naming the others too, but got dissuaded by other people (MIL in one case, who scoffed at my choice).
However, they are all traditional names and I tried to choose ones that couldn't be shortened as I dislike the shortened version of my name.

When my mum heard my daughter's name she said "what kind of name is that?"! DD doesn't mind her name but wishes it was spelt differently to avoid the constant confusion it's caused throughout her life.

My DD sent me their short-list when she was pregnant and I was slightly horrified, then desperately hoped for a boy as these names were preferable to any of the girl options. They favoured Gaelic/unusual names. I made quite a neutral comment on the list, mostly saying it was their choice!

Then another list arrived with a new girls name on it and I loved it ... thankfully we have a beautiful GD with a beautiful name which suits her perfectly.

Hopefully we would have loved the baby and loved it's name whatever it was!

DH's gran's name was Lucretia, and his family were very keen that she was remembered when our DD was born. We compromised with Louise.

Also, I once taught a girl whose parents liked Irish names (this was in East London), but didn't know how they were spelt. She was Chernade.

Yes! They are both boys. I like their names very much but some of DDs early suggestions made me cringe.

I was thinking about a particular name for DGS2 which was not one I had ever thought of before, and it happened to be already high on their list.
These two boys names go well together in two brothers.

My first name is very traditional and boring. I would prefer to have been called by my middle name.

I'm afraid I didnt like 3 out of my 8 grandchildren's names. But I've got used to them and couldn't think of them as anything else now. The funny thing is we all use 'pet' names for these three. Instigated by their parents not us. The other 5 traditional names are used in full.

My first name is Fay , in the 50`s no one else had my name and I remember being embarrassed by it . When my Mum had another girl she called her Jo also unusual in those days . Neither of us mind our names now but I notice there seem to be a lot of Fays lately .
I called my children traditional names so they wouldn`t be embarrassed by them but DS3 has told me he dislikes his boring name (Paul) so you can`t win .

Also, I once taught a girl whose parents liked Irish names (this was in East London), but didn't know how they were spelt. She was Chernade.

DD had a friend called Caoimhe

And Caoimhe is pronounced Keeva !!

Yes - or Kweeva in the South of Ireland.
Although DD called her Kayohmee (not by mistake )

f77ms - I was at school with a Fay, whom I still see occasionally, in the 1950s. She had no children so isn't you - that makes two of you!

I find it very hard to believe that Victoria Beckham named her daughter after the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, especially as she has said that she has hardly read any books!

I do love all of my grandchildren's names, but confess to having a near miss with one of the grandsons. His father chose a name that I really hated. I suspected that my daughter wasn't so keen, but was standing by his choice. Whilst she was in labour she and I had a discussion (out of dad's earshot) where we both agreed we liked a completely different name and within a short time of baby being born he had two completely different names to the ones initially chosen - and his dad thought they were his idea.

Ah, you see, they are not our babies, so, therefore, not our choice. After a certain amount of time, you couldn't imagine them being called anything else . I'm not sure my mother wholly approved of our choices, however, she absolutely did not mske any mentionI . I was lucky that my daughter did choose a beautiful , traditional Scottish name, however, I wouldn't have dreamt of commenting if 'i' hadn't been keen

Parent's choice totally. I just smiled and said "that's nice". Yes it will grow on you in time.

Shysal. Re names on CVs. It is happening. One of my Daughters runs her own recruitment company and is often told by companies not to even look at applicants with certain names.

Oh Petra, that's a real shame and probably quite discriminatory

phoenix I read somewhere – can't remember where as I have no interest in the Beckhams, but probably in passing on the internet – that Harper is the name of the other Beckham children's favourite character in some tv programme and that was their suggestion for their sister. Who knows or cares?

My work involves calling out children's names. Some of them are truly unpronounceable. The parents of said children are often very miffed that we don't pronounce the names correctly. I smile through gritted teeth and think to myself. "Should have called them somthing bloody easy to say then" I'm not the only one who thinks it. It causes great mirth back in the office. Parents should think that their children will carry these names all their lives. Poor things. Ps one of the worse I ever heared was 'sorrow' easy to pronounce but FFS Why would you?

My 3 GDS are all called after literary characters. They are pretty, easy to spell, uncommon names, but not unusual.

We gave our sons reasonably well known names, that had gone out of favour. In fact when DS2 was born, the midwife said ' my grandad's called that'. A couple of his friends have used the name for their children.

x

Absent I believe the Beckham's called their daughter after Harper Lee who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird as supposedly it was Victoria's favourite book. To be honest I was surprised she was into literature.

I quite like David, not the tattoos, but whenever I see him round young children he is lovely with them.

I digress, back to names.