Naming DD after grandma- Opinions please!

magnoliablossom00 · January 2011

My MN is after my maternal grandmother (Elizabeth). My husband and I just found out that we are having a girl and made the mistake of mentioning the "tradition" of naming our DD after her maternal grandmother, my mom (Denise, or MN Cheryl).

The only problem is, I don't really like the name Denise. Sad I realize now that nothing should have been said in the first place, but I know it would mean the world to my mom to have her granddaughter's MN be in honor of her.

So, what do you think I should do?

Does Emelia Denise sound OK? Should I name her Emelia Elizabeth instead and risk hurting my mom (who is also one of my best friends)?

asyph107 · January 2011

Emelia Denise sounds very nice. Plus think of the sweet connection your DD will have to her Gma. I am all in favor of naming LOs after family. My DS is entirely named after 1 of my grandfathers and 1 of my DH's grandfathers. Also consider how often people disclose their middle names if they don't want to. Not one person that I work with knows my middle name and I love my middle name.

happyin10 · January 2011

Emelia Denise sounds fine! I would do it- it will always mean something to your mom and your daughter and your mom would probably be hurt if you didn't do it now that you've brought it up. Denise might sound dated now, but this will change in your daughter's lifetime. If it means a lot to you to have her named after yourself than that is something to consider too- but if you're just using your mn b/c it sounds better I would stick with Denise.

ces25c · January 2011

Emelia Denise sounds really nice. Emelia Cheryl sounds just ok to me for some reason.

You can always ask your mom what she thinks, if she cares one was or another, or if she even remembers you saying that since she had just found out she's having a grandkid! On the other hand, you can just use the name since who uses their mn in daily life anyway?

kerribear1717 · January 2011

I hear ya on the problem. I don't think I'd want to use my mom's name either (Barbara). Heck she doesn't even use it. But really since DS was born I never use his middle name.

juniper19 · January 2011

I really wanted to name dd after my grandmother, so her mn is Gertrude, a name most people would consider pretty unappealing. It is a middle name. It is hardly used and it has a special meaning. My dd is 5 and she already knows a lot about her namesake and it means a lot to me that she has that interest which I'm sure is sparked by sharing a name.

*megsy* · January 2011

Well, in my experience, middle names are really not that big of a deal and it's cooler to say "yeah my middle name is for...." than "my mom just liked it" and I could see you calling her Emilia D which is cute for a NN. Personally i like middle names with meaning. Unless Elizabeth is also for a family member I'd stick to the name that will mean something to your daughter in the future.

missstacylynn25 · January 2011

Emelia Denise sounds better than Emelia Elizabeth to me. But you have to decide what you think is best for you and go with it...softly explaining to family members if be needed.

Lesley0228 · January 2011

I think Emelia Denise sounds nice. Personally, I like it better then Emelia Elisabeth. DDs mn, Johanna, is my grandma's name. I wanted to honor my grandma and even though it sounds a little wonky with DDs name (Johanna is obv not meant to be a mn), I still love it. You have to make a decision though that you are comfortable with. If you are worried about hurting your moms feelings and close like you said, I would just talk to her about it. She may be just as honored that you are passing on the mn that she gave you and honoring her own mother.

forensicmama · January 2011

I think Denise sounds fine with Emelia. Emelia Denise Elizabeth sounds even better.

kbratton2king · January 2011

Name her what YOU want to name her. Your mom already had her turn to name her kids.

Emelia Denise sounds fine btw.

kmv68 · January 2011

Middle names truly are not used often at ALL....maybe the first year of life when you introduce your baby to someone and then, basically, never. (unless you are angry)

I love mn that mean something instead of just some random name that "flows"

kristennd · January 2011

My middle name is Denise (my mother simply liked it) and I have always always disliked it. However, the times in my life that anyone else has had a reason to find it out have been very few and even when they do, no one else dislikes it like I do. Heck, the times that I even think about it are pretty rare. So I think it will bother you much less than you think it will right now when it's a front and center issue. And the honoring thing is pretty significant.

kellyt327 · January 2011

I love Emelia. My #1 Girl Name is Emilia...and I think she'll be Emilia Patricia (after my late mother) even though I don't really care for Patricia...

My MN is Ann, so was my mom's, grandma's and g-gma's first name.

Want a personalized experience?

Naming DD after grandma- Opinions please!

Re: Naming DD after grandma- Opinions please!

Choose Another Board

Search Boards