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Baby Names
Please help me warm up to family name
Hi Girls,
My husband has this 180 year tradition in his line of the family that the first boy be named either Tom or Dennis alternately. We are having a boy, so it must be named Dennis.
I'm not too keen on the name, but it's not too horrible I guess. I'm having a hard time warming up to it. We've decided on his full name being Dennis Walker. I think Dennis is a good strong man's name, but it's so big for a little boy. Are there any cute nicknames we can give him? I don't mind Denny, but my husband's dad goes by Denny. I guess I could throw another name in there, and give him two middle names. Walker is my maiden name, and I've already told my dad, so if we change that name it might hurt his feelings. And I don't want to call him Walker either. We've joked about calling him Dubya.
Is it such a bad name? At least he'll be the only one.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Please help me warm up to family name
it's called a kilt, he's scottish
Hmm. You mentioned that you didn't want to call him Walker, but that was going to be my suggestion.
How about Dean as a nn for Dennis? I knew a Dean whose first name was Dennis. I also like "Den" as nn for Dennis rather than Denny.
If the tradition started in 1829, and they are just naming the firstborn son Tom or Dennis, then there have probably only been about 6 or 7 generations with a boy named Tom OR Dennis (4 named Tom, 3 named Dennis). That is assuming that every son had a son and that there was a firstborn about every 30 yrs. If you don't like the name, then I say end the tradition. It will end at some point, unless you expect your Dennis to have a son named Tom. What if his wife's family has a similar tradition? I would hate to be told I HAD to name my son after my father, whether I liked him or not, simply because I can't break the chain.
Whoever "Tom" and "Dennis" are or were.... I think it's so incredibly unfair to keep this tradition going where every generation feels they "have" to do this. Who are these guys that are OH SO IMPORTANT that every boy in the family must be named after one of them?
I don't get it. I really don't. This is where tradition for the sake of tradition makes NO sense to me.
You all should be able to name your child what YOU want to name him.
As far as Walker goes - if you dno't REALLY want to use it, then don't. Same thing. I get that you told your dad this, but maybe "save" it for another child if you plan to have more.
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Agree with PP, stop the madness if you don't like the name
But if you feel like you have to do it........which is sad b/c I would hate to not like my child's name --I do like Dean or Den or Walker as nicknames.
Thanks ladies. I know some of you don't understand the whole name tradition. I married into a strong family and traditions are, well, big to them. I've given the idea of calling him by his middle name and I've gotten some push back from my husband. I'll keep trying.
I can't explain why I don't want to call him Walker. It was my last name growing up, and I wasn't exactly the most self confident thing in the world. I always wanted a more "cool" last name like King, or something. Stupid I know, but I can't seem to bring myself to call my son Walker. It also sounds like a coach calling him onto the field. I love it as a middle name, but not the main name.
I kind of like the name Everett. Maybe we could do Dennis Everett Walker and call him Everett. My husband likes Everett too. I think that may be the trick. Finding a name that my husband loves...
This
I understand tradition, and it sounds like you understand that this is really important to your husband and family and want to make this work. ?So Dennis it is. ?I like Walker and think it would make a cute name, but it sounds like .
For Dennis, you could shorten it to Den or Denny.
Also, do you know what number he is, ie: is he the 5th Dennis, the 20th Dennis, etc? ?I have known kids called things like Cuatro (he was the 4th) or IV (pronounced Ivy)- also the 4th. ?Trey or Tres for the 3rd one, etc. ?
?I think I would name him Dennis and then come up with some nickname that I can call him. ? ??
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I am stuck in a naming tradition battle, too, but if I were you I'd put my foot down. Dennis is really, really bad. I would feel sorry for a little boy with that name.
Tom is a LOT better, so why don't you ask your husband if it would work to name the baby directly after him instead of doing the alternating?
A little boy named Tommy is a lot better than a little Dennis. All I think of is Dennis the Menace.
I know how hard it is to put your foot down and the ultimate familial repercussions that may result because I'm right there with you in the same exact situation (9 generations of the same first name). But you have to make yourself happy.
Put your foot down and talk to your husband about a compromise. You don't *have* to do anything.
I hope this doesn't come across the wrong way but I don't thinkyour DH has to love the name. He already essentially got to decide the first name.
Some traditions are just made to be broke!
haha..just kidding but really..it's your child, name him what you want..
I think your baby boy would be grateful if you didn't name him dennis also..
i was going to suggest just calling him Denny, but that was before i saw where your DH's father is called Denny, so sorry =/
Idk what else you could do with such a name..
I can understand the tradition thing.. My mom dealt with that and she hated the name. My brother's name is Edouard (French spelling of Edward) but he's gone by his mn his entire life. Not my ideal choice, but I think that would be the way to go if you really don't like the name Dennis. (It might grow on you though
Basically my mom agreed to it since it was a family tradition, but she put her foot down on calling him by his mn and she got to chose the name, so long as my dad somewhat liked it enough.
FWIW, I don't think Dennis is a horrible name at all. It makes me think of Dennis the Menace (so not just an adult name at all) and I think that's cute
Denny is cute too, even if it's what your FIL goes by. I don't think that's a big deal.
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dennis reminds me of a creepy middle-aged man for some reason.
i really like thomas walker, though, and think thomas will age well.
I feel so sad that you're about to name your son a bunch of names you do not love
I know 2 really great Dennis' but, tbh, I still wouldn't like the name for my son. Sorry!! GL!!
I like Dean as the nn.
I knew a guy called "Deuce" b/c he was named after his grandfather. You can also always come up with a nickname that has nothing to do with his name...
Dennis is not a name I like, but it isn't absolutely horrible. I like it more than the trendy names that are popular today. I commend you are honoring your DH's traditions. He will not forget that you did this out of love for him. I think some peoples advice isn't very good. You can name him another name, but is it worth your DH and his family perhaps resenting you for it? I personally don't think so.?
If I was in your situation I would use Dennis and than a middle name that I loved. I definitely wouldn't use Walker since you don't like that as a name!?
I would go with Thomas Walker, I think that it sounds better than Dennis Walker . Then you could call him Tommy
Thank you ladies. I appreciate all of your advice. I brought it up again to my husband and he got really mad. So for the sake of harmony, it's got to be Dennis Walker. I like Dean as a nn choice, and perhaps Dee. I went to school with a Dee and he was really nice. I love the Thomas Walker suggestions. That's my dad's name!