Do you like your grandchild's name?

It would never occur to me to go to the trouble of disliking a grandchild's name. To put it another way, I find it hard to imagine my DD choosing a name for her child that I would dislike.

But then I find the variety of names in the world fascinating.

So far my grandsons have new (to the extended family) first names and then middle names in honour of a grandfather and a great-grandfather respectively. At least, they thought the first names were new but it turned out that there had been someone in the paternal line several gernerations back with the same first and second name as GS2. DD didn't know this when she named him. Happy coincidence.

My lovely ma in law did not like my daughters choice of names for either of her children and told her so. This caused a rift which was never healed, so sad.

My new grandson has an awful name, poor little mite, given him by his 4 1/2 year old brother. He'll hate him when he grows up. It's okay to let your child name a cat or dog but your new baby? I don't think so!

One can change one's name by Deed Poll if one hates it that much.

One can also call oneself and ask other people to call one whatever one likes.

So having a name one dislikes is hardly an insurmountable problem.

The Sunday Telegraph Rich List features more than a handful of your "bottom set" names, Teacher11. As does the political hierarchy of the USA. Take heart, you with GC called Mitt or Condoleeza.

Love your post of 06:59:04, teacher.

A test we used is "How does it sound yelled up the stairs?" (or in a public street/park). If it can be yelled with impunity (no embarassment anywhere), it'll do .

My dad played with the idea of giving my eldest brother the middle name Bridlington because he thought that, with my brother's first name and surname and QC on the end, it sounded tip top. My mum vetoed that idea but my bro still has a tip top sounding name with letters after it. Not QC though.

I love my granddaughters names which are quite traditional but when my son and dil announced the first name of the first baby they were expecting we were quite shocked and surprised when they said they'd always liked it as it's quite old fashioned. Given 8 months to get used to it before he was born we had all shortened it and now at 2 years old it really suits him. We weren't told the name of their second baby until he was a day old and were to say the least quite worried as we couldn't think of any way it could be shortened and its such a big name for a small baby. However they have given him a nickname based on it which is quite cute for 7 month old and his big name will be great when he's older.

Varian We are probably of the same generation.

teacher you are spot on, and teachers and employers are still judging by name, even if only at first.Any child called Tyler, Chardonnay ( or other spellings) Wayne, Madonna, Breeze,Jamilla etc etc. Are being judged and found wanting from the start.

My step DIL called her daughter by the nickname she was calling her "bump" when pregnant! I thought she would call her a "proper" name when she arrived but she didn't and because she and my step son had agreed if it was a girl she chose the name and if a boy he chose he hadn't got any say in the matter!!

Jamilla etc etc. Are being judged and found wanting from the start

Oh no, !!
There is no hope for me - does it count if it has an alternative spelling? - especially as my middle name was a no-no on another thread!!

At least my mother, my DIL and my DGD are amongst teacher's 'top set'
Oh, and my brother could have been Prime Minister

we took our toddler GD to the park yesterday and were amazed to hear a young calling to their children Brockley and Verucca, we had to move away

Is that your real name then Jalima?

nanamilly do you think you heard right? it may have been Veronica?

Jamilla is a perfectly normal Arabic name and quite common amongst the South Asian community. Which shows how daft it is, not to mention snobbish and potentially racist, to prejudge people on the basis of their given names. It certainly wasn't the norm to do this when I was involved in recruiting.

And as for teachers doing so....well. Aren't they supposed to be professional, intelligent people? I've even - gasp - known some with "bottom set" names.

I think maggie that it's a different case entirely if the child is of any other ethnicity than white British.You would expect a different name in that case.

Harper was apparently a girl's name 89 years ago in America (Harper Lee). Perhaps the Beckhams' daughter is named after her. Sorrow was a baby in Tess of the D'urbervilles. I saw Biggles in a boy's birth announcement in The Times once, and thought it a little unwise.

Is that your real name then Jalima?
No, but I did pick it for my username which must mean I am bottom of the class and a chav

Nope,that doesn't count.

Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)

Seven-o-clock. Bagatelle!

No, I can't believe Baby Beckham is named after Harper Lee either. As someone above remarked, Mum Beckham is reported to have said she does not read books.

Is Grandma Beckham on here? Perhaps she could tell us?

DD and SiL called their daughter 'Twinkle' while she was a bump. One friend seriously asked me if that would be her name!!

I read several articles in which VB said her daughter was named Harper because To Kill a Mockingbird was her (VB's) favourite book.

I find it fascinating that VB can do no right in the judgement of so many women. What is it about the successful mother of 4 that irritates so many that they say she's lying about the reason she chose her daughter's name. She and David are clearly loving parents, I wouldn't swop my life for hers for a gold clock frankly. Married to a man so many women (and men) would like to well, we all know what I mean. She works very hard, has four children with whom she seems to spend a lot of genuine time. I'm genuinely curious about why she creates so much antagonism.

I told my daughter you can't call a child born in Nov, Summer, baby agreed and arrived in September. I think it's important to look at the whole package surname plus initals.