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January 2011 Moms
Baby Name Backlash (Vent)
So, we have been struggling with deciding on a name for our little girl. For awhile the only name we could come up with that we both didn't "hate" was Lily, but I wanted Lilian as her formal name which Hubby didn't like. Then Labor Day Weekend I came up with another name that Hubby and I both approve of but MIL HATES. It's the name Charlotte with the nickname Charlie. I know it's not everyone style, but I thought it was cute. MIL (and another friend) said that they would flat out refuse to call her Charlie. Well, Hubby was furious about it last night. He told her that she's our baby and that you'll call her what we tell you her name is. We haven't officially decided on Charlotte/Charlie, but I'm pretty sure that Hubby has his heart set on it.
I hate that everyone we tell (except my hair stylist) is so against the name. I knew that it wouldn't be some people's style, but with some of the names out there, this one isn't that new or crazy. Like Jamie & Sam, we aren't the first to use Charlie for a girl. I want to tell Hubby to just ignore it, and that they'll get used to it, but that's easier said than done for him. It's hard though when it's your mother and one of your best friends.
I hate that everyone we tell (except my hair stylist) is so against the name. I knew that it wouldn't be some people's style, but with some of the names out there, this one isn't that new or crazy. Like Jamie & Sam, we aren't the first to use Charlie for a girl. I want to tell Hubby to just ignore it, and that they'll get used to it, but that's easier said than done for him. It's hard though when it's your mother and one of your best friends.
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Re: Baby Name Backlash (Vent)
This is what we're naming our child if it's a girl, and I'm having the opposite problem. I don't like "Charlie" for a girl. I prefer "Lottie" if you *must* shorten it. Overall, I'd prefer you call my child Charlotte. It's her name. However, everyone I've told Charlotte to says, "oh, how cute, and you can call her Charlie!" so I may have a battle on my hands.
My point being, no matter what you pick someone else is going to hate it or have another idea about it. Do what makes you happy. It's your child and you decide, not them!
THIS EXACTLY!!!! your baby not theirs so you guys get the say in the name
Maybe this is a silly question, but would it offend you if they call her Charlotte instead? I mean, either way, it's her name. My BFF is Victoria. Sometimes her family says that, sometimes it's Torey, but they are both her name and she answers to either.
That being said, she is completely overreacting to it and she is being really silly. If I were you, I would not let it get to you so much, because that'll just make it worse. Ultimately it is totally your decision, and she will have to call her by her name, whatever it ends up being.
This is why we are not sharing our baby name with anyone. I do not want anyone's opinion :-) and I don't care.
Charlotte (and Charlie for short) was in the top running for our girl names, but my family and DH wasn't crazy about it, either. I absolutely LOVE IT! I think you should go for it. Once they see the baby, they will love her and won't care what you name her. Maybe you should stop telling people what you are planning on naming her until the moment she is born and then make the announcement. I really don't think people will care what her name is once they see her, and maybe they will tend to keep their opinions to themselves..... Good luck!
I love love love Charlotte with nn Charlie. I wanted to do it, but my DH vetoed it ONLY because he hates Sex & The City (lame reason).
However, I had similar remarks and protests with other names we did agree on, and it made me very sorry I shared them in advance. We finally picked out name (Shiloh Grace) and I pretty much told everyone that was the name and no additional feedback was needed.
My cousin had a baby earlier in the year and named her Charlotte. They made it clear during the pregnancy that they were going to call her "Charlie."
While I never expressed it to them (because it wasn't my place), I thought it was stupid, and decided I would never call her that.
Well, along comes Ms. Charlotte, and the minute I met her I thought, "Wow, Charlie fits her." So, I came around, and very rarely do I call her by her full, formal name.
Of course, my cousin would not have been offended if I had decided to just call her Charlotte... because, as a pp said, that IS her name.
Point is: It's your decision... And it's entirely possible they'll come around after they meet her. Everyone loves cute nicknames... Even if they don't want to admit it.
Also, Charlotte is an incredibly beautiful name. Good choice.
Not very many people really like the name we picked (Parker). I was letting people's opinions get in my way of deciding. Finally one day I realized this was the name that DH and I both love and that is what we are naming him. Once we decided that we told people his name but if anyone looked hesitant or like they had anything bad to say about it I just flat out said "That is his name. We are not asking for opinions." It shuts them up. And I realize now that even though I know some people (and close people to me) don't like it I just don't care because I am so sure that is what we want to name him. It makes me even more confident in our decision.
If it makes you feel better, my MIL has decided that if my kid is a girl (in which case her name is Charlotte), she's calling her Lola. Where the f*ck did that even COME from? Ugh.
Of course, I think this is a conspiracy to get me to remove Charlotte from the running. When MIL was super happy that we were thinking about naming a boy Everett, she could call him Rhett, to which I said, 'we're not naming him Everett.'
I LOVE your name choice. Charlotte= cute, Charlie=cuter. I used to watch that show "Sisters" where all the main characters were girls with boy-style nicknames, and I thought it was so charming.
Our daughter's name will be unusual, and I know most people will want to shorten "Maganda" to "Maggie" but I'm secretly wanting to shorten it to "Andy."
I say, your baby, your name choice. They can always call her "Charlotte." Sorry they're being lame about it. Some people have no tact, but it's harder when you're related to them!
I love the name!
It's super cute! And tough poo if people don't like the name -- my favorite saying is, "I guess you can have another baby and name him or her whatever you'd like, can't you? This is the name DH and I picked out for OUR child." It quickly shuts them up! Even my MIL 
Eventually I just started sending pics of the nursery with the "ELLA" letters up on the wall and her "Ella" name plaque on the door to her room, and I just refer to her as Ella when we're talking on the phone or via email - as does DH. She won't say a word anymore!
Stick to your guns!
That was one of our favorite names and nicknames if we had another DD. It's adorable, but doesn't work with our last name.
If it's what you both like, then you should definitely use it. No one in our families liked Eleanor when we picked it for DD. They all wanted to call her Ellie, and DH and I were fine with that. However, after we only called her Eleanor, everyone else started doing the same. Maybe it would work out that way for you guys, too.
And that's why we're not sharing our name choice with anyone! (I have told one friend, but I knew she'd like it because we have similar taste in names.)
Stick to your guns on this one.
Thanks everyone for the support! I guess it's not the worse thing if people call her Charlotte; it's more a matter of them going against our wishes. I don't like it, but I can handle it. I think it bothers Hubby more.
I also just got off the phone with my mom who pretty much brought up all the same things y'all did (plus, she likes Charlie).
BFP #1 12/28/09 D&C 2/15/10
BFP #2 DS
BFP #3 5/13/12 M/C 6/10/12
BFP #4 8/12/12 M/C 8/18/12
September 2012 - 2.5mg Femara + Ovidrel + TI = BFP #5 Beta #1 - 61 @ 12 dpo, Beta #2 - 183 @ 14 dpo, Beta #3 - 1466 @ 19 dpo
We picked Charlotte for our girl and will call her Charly (DH wants to spell the nickname this way. We figure when she is old enough to spell she decide for herself. It's just a nickname after all).
My Dad doesn't care for Charly, so he calls her C.J.
Don't worry about grandma, she'll come up with another nickname that fits, or she'll just call her Charlotte (as long as she doesn't call her "my baby". I hate when grandma's do that. it creeps me out).
That is exactly why we don't share names beforehand. No one would say anything if your daughter was already named.
FWIW, I love Charlotte and the nn Charlie. If you guys love it, go for it. Everyone else can shut it and learn to like it.
It's your daughter, you name her what YOU want!! Just like all the PP's said. If you MIL is firm on calling her by her given name...so be it, you'll never get her to change, believe me....my own MIL is dead set on giving a spanish twist to whatever we name our child, boy or girl...simply because the names we settle on are not 'hispanic' enough for her puerto rican tastes. Nothing I say will ever convince her that if we name a boy Alexander, i'd prefer it to be pronounced that way and not Alejandro.
Another good thing about the name Charlotte is that when your LO gets older, it can be their choice about whether or not they want to go by a nickname or by a full name. Good example is my brother's God-daughter. Her mother was dead set on Victoria....named her that and forbade anyone to call her anything else. Well by the time the poor kid was old enough to be in school and had people calling her differant nicknames, she expressed the desire to have people call her Tori...it's stuck..even with the mother, grandmother...everyone. My family calls me Jo...shortened from Johanna...I still go by my full name at work and school and such. We were originally going to choose Sophie as our LO's name, but my DH pointed out that if we gave her the more 'full' Sophia, then we can call her Sophie and she can choose later what to go by if she wished.
You never know! Your LO may get older and decide that she doesn't like grandma calling her by her full name and may tell her straight up herself that she prefers Charlie. Won't that show her?
I honestly wouldn't care about peole not liking the nickname you picked out for your baby. They can decide to call her Charlotte, which I'm guessing will be her name. Will you have a problem with people calling her Charlotte?
The problem I'm having now is that my parents don't like the name that we picked out for our son. We're not going to change it, so they will just have to deal with it.
I love love loveeee! Charlie. I think it's adorable. I considered it before we found out LO is a boy. It seems like alot of people dislike our LO's name too. But we love it and that's all that matters. I say if you want to name her Charlotte
I love love loveeee! Charlie. I think it's adorable. I considered it before we found out LO is a boy. It seems like alot of people dislike our LO's name too. But we love it and that's all that matters. I say if you want to name her Charlotte, go for it!