Do you like your grandchild's name?

This has made me reflect on my family and I realise that in my H's family every generation has a James, it is my S's second name and in my D's "outlaws " family there is a Richard back as far as they can go. It is my soon to be ex Si L's second name and that of my GS, his son. Tradition rules.

lullydully, you guessed!!

Some of our GC have middle names that are our names (first and middle) - we are very touched that they did this - they gave them the first names that they liked, but a nod to their Mum and Dad in the second names.

My new great Grandaughter has just been named Raegan. I quite like it now but thought it a little unusual at first. Anyway, she is a beautiful baby so what's in a name?

My elder DGS is called Ethan which I love and my 7 week old DGS is called Thomas, again I really like it. We know a number of new babies and we have trouble remembering which is which as the names are Alfie, Albie, Archie, and Bertie.

I became a first time nan last July and at first was very uncertain of my GD name but now I love it and it really suits her.

I really like my gd's name, not so keen on gs's name, although it has same initial as surname it doesn't have a very good sounding alliteration however, both too short. First name would have benefited from an extra syllable, or two.

Not sure about the name chosen for my latest grandson. It may be OK now (Sonny) but when he's a bit older I rather think he will start using his middle name!! Or at least, I hope so.......

Every generation of my mother's family except mine and my DD has had a Clara , Clare or Clarissa since as far back as we have gone which is 1787 that was Clarissa.
I was an only GC and didn't like the name but my D did and my GD 2 has Clarissa as her second name and now I like it.

I have heard of Africans choosing words they just liked the sound of for their childrens' names. Two exmples are Helicopter and Jamsandwich!

Children accept each other's names and don't have any pre-concieved ideas about old fashioned /chavvy etc to taint them so amongst little kids it is not a problem.
What I used to find odd was that often parents from overseas would give their child an English name. I have taught Korean children alled Brian, Nigel and Alan as well as Beverly, Carol and Melinda! Such imo odd choices!

starlily, my GD is Estelle. I think it is a pretty name. My initial response was to think of Great Expectations, but I then remembered that she was Estella.

My dad chose my name (Estelle) which i love, but he always called me Dinah. i never found out why.
My granddaughter is named Chelsea, her mums surname was the same as another football team and she thought it was a good idea, but my sons name is on the birth certificate, so that idea went out of the window. However i still don't like Chelsea as a name, especially since i read that schoolteachers once voted it as one of the top 'chavvie' names.

It is solely up to the parents I agree. However I liked a name very much but my family said they couldn't like it. How easy to pick one they could like too. I am glad I didn't go with my first name because it sounds ridiculous now.

Each generation has fashionable names. If you listed six schoolfriends you would know when they went to school.

My Mum's friends were Joan, Mabel, Doris, Betty, Edith and May

My friends were Christine, Jennifer, Linda, Pat, Rosemary and Sandra

My daughter's friends were Vicky, Sarah, Nicola, Rachel, Rebecca and Jane

My grand-daughters friends are Olivia, Hannah, Aisha, Isla, Evie and Ruby

When our son was born 30 years ago, we called him Joshua( very unusual at that time!) & my mother was extremely rude about it...when Joshua rang to tell me his own son had been born 3 years ago, I knew that, whatever he said, I had to be positive & not comment. They had chosen an unusual name, I don't know another child called it but, despite my initial thoughts - where did it come from, what'll happen at school etc - I now couldn't imagine him.being anything else. As so many grans have said here, it's none of our business, just as it was none of our own parents' when we named our own children.

Is your name Muffin Kittylester?
I think it's Looby-Loo (it can't be Miss Piggy and [Lady] Penelope is not that unusual)
Oh - Unless it's Hello Kitty?

I am always surprised by the number of parents who give their children rather pretentious surnames as a third name.
It could be a family name, though; my father had a surname as his middle name (no-one could ever spell it!) and it goes back through the generations - it was his great-grandfather's surname and he and his wife had no surviving boys so I presume they wanted to keep the unusual surname going in the family.

Is your name Muffin Kittylester?

AllTheLs

Oh dear, if my mum had come out with a line like that I would have called the child River whether it had been a boy or a girl just to teach her to keep her mouth shut! When I had my daughter I was going to give her my grandma's name as a middle name (my mum's mum). I was going to slightly change the spelling though. When I told my mum she said 'oh no you can't spell it like that!' It was only a 'y' in the middle of Jane but I just completely changed my choice of middle name. Later on my mum said to me 'that was me and my big mouth wasn't it?' And I agreed with her.

If we are introduced to a stranger we don't say 'oh I don't like that name!' do we so why do we feel it's ok to comment on baby's names?

Yes, and the fad for double barrelled names by combining the two surnames on a whim!I know of a few couples who have done this.

When I read birth announcements in the DT (well somebody has to) I am always surprised by the number of parents who give their children rather pretentious surnames as a third name. It is not the mothers maiden name as that is mostly published.

I do wonder why so many couples choose foreign/ unusual/ downright peculiar names for children nowadays? there must be a reason?

I love my granddaughters names. They are quite unusual especially the one. They are only called their full names if their mum is cross and they have been shortened to lovely different names which I like as well.

DD1 has an unusual name which I loved and which she liked because nobody in school had it and she says when she was working everyone remembered her which she saw as an advantage.

DD2 had an unusual name when she was born in 1983 but it has since become much more popular and she prefers to shorten now she is older, most people now call her by the shortened version.

Both granddaughters names really suit their personalities and are English but they have very traditional Welsh middle names to remind them of their heritage ,( SIL is English )

I love my DGD's name, one of the Greek goddesses, as her father has some Greek blood. An acquaintance's daughter named her baby girl Ralphine!