Baby Name Troubles

leannetab90 · May 2012

We have decided to name our baby girl Hermione Jean like the Harry Potter character and have gotten nothing but grief. My DH and I love the books and it is one of the things that first connected us.

I don't think that Hermione is such a weird name but people have been so hateful about it. Before we found out the sex and told people our boy and girl names everything said they hope it would be a boy (the boy name we picked out was Nathan Drake). DH's father is down right rude about it telling us how our daughter will hate us forever and she will be teased in school for her stupid name.

I personally love her name and don't want to change it but I am fed up with people making me feel ashamed about her name. Anyone ever have this trouble?

Advice is welcome!

mccrazy · May 2012

I've always loved Hermione ever since first reading HP, but it is a bit of a strange name for the states (assuming you live here). From what I understand, it's a bit more common in England and has been around long before HP (I've seen the name in older movie credits-- a great place to get ideas for names BTW).

Even though I love the books, movies and name, it's NMS, mainly for the reasons that your friends and family have brought up. I wouldn't want my daughter having to spell/pronounce it correctly for people, and I also wouldn't want her to feel as if she could never escape the HP label. So I wouldn't use it. That said, if you really like it, go for it. At least it's a legit name.

Grant2012 · May 2012

It's your baby, so I think you should do what you like. But I have to agree that I don't really care for the name. Would you want your name to be Hermione? Not to mention its kind of a mouth full and a NN is inevitable I think {Herm or Hermi} personally its not my style.

JulesDiane · May 2012

Its your baby, your choice. It's NMS, but it isn't a terrible name. Lesson learned here? Wait until after the baby is born to tell the name... Then no one can say s**t!

splashofpink · May 2012

I personally would rethink it. Yeah Harry Potter is cool but this is your little girls name. This is not some movie or novel, it's your choice but I wouldn't name her this.

Cejiml · May 2012

It's an awesome name. But I will say this. My name is Ceji, pronounced CG. I'm 29 and to this day I have to repeat my name to people on a daily basis. People think its CJ or C-ji . In school teachers never got it right. It was and still in quite annoying. But I have grown to like it now. When I was young I swore I was going to change it lol. So good luck to you. The name is so important for their future I know it's a hard decision to make.

NikiiLou · May 2012

Well it is all you and DH's choice. She likely will get teased and pp is right about nicknames, but no one can name your daughter but you. I'm not fond of it, but it appears you have your reasons for picking the name... good luck.

hmp1 · May 2012

What about using it as the middle name?

sycheh · May 2012

I think she might get teased a little bit, because people will know the name from HP. On the other hand, I don't think she'll have a hard time spelling and pronouncing all the time, because so many people are familiar with HP. I say go for it if you really like it, although I would shake it up a bit and use a different middle name. Using the first and middle names from the books is a little "fangirl."

My husband and I also have strong ties to the HP books, and our current frontrunner for a girl name is a regular name that just happens to be one of the minor characters in the books. We joke about it being "from HP" without being super obvious about it (although I did push for Minerva for about a week).

vanceandlori · May 2012

Okay, I am a huge HP nerd and I love the name ... however, I don't think I'd use it for my LO. Do you think you would consider something not as obvious? Like Luna or Lily or something like that?

LorMor · May 2012

I think it's a pretty name, and was a regular name before the HP connection. Her little baby friends will know her and her name, before they know Harry Potter, so they won't make the connection. It's only adults who will.

Maybe, in future, when you tell people, tell them you've always liked it, before the Harry Potter books. HP just makes it more known, and people can pronounce it. (I'd certainly seen the name before, but had no idea how to pronounce it, so in that sense, yay! to HP!)

ovechkium · May 2012

It's a really old fashioned name and not really in use anymore. But I love it, I say go for it.

zmoss · May 2012

To each his own! My name is Zahra, and I LOVE my name. But I was called zorro and Sahara growing up. I still love my name and the compliments on its unique-ness. Nasty kids are nasty kids. Those that will tease would find something to tease a kid about, name or not unusual name,-nothing you can do about it.

I'd take 1000 Hermione Jean's over Nevaeh's anyday.

Just my thoughts.

tamaratoday · May 2012

mccrazy:

I've always loved Hermione ever since first reading HP, but it is a bit of a strange name for the states (assuming you live here). From what I understand, it's a bit more common in England and has been around long before HP (I've seen the name in older movie credits-- a great place to get ideas for names BTW).

This!

Personally, even though I like the name I wouldn't use it. Kids find plenty of things to tease about and Hermione seems like a name that would get picked on. However, as another poster said I'd much rather see Hermione than Nevaeh.

hmp1 · May 2012

LorMor:
I think it's a pretty name, and was a regular name before the HP connection. Her little baby friends will know her and her name, before they know Harry Potter, so they won't make the connection. It's only adults who will.
Maybe, in future, when you tell people, tell them you've always liked it, before the Harry Potter books. HP just makes it more known, and people can pronounce it. (I'd certainly seen the name before, but had no idea how to pronounce it, so in that sense, yay! to HP!)

But she said it is from the HP books. Why would you lie about why you picked your child's name. We picked DS's middle name from Lost. I have no shame in telling people that.

irish city girl · May 2012

I think Hermione is a perfectly acceptable name. It's not made up. It's just a little unusual and there is nothing wrong with that. Maybe try saying that your baby's name is Hermione rather than it's something you're considering. People may be more respectful if it's presented as being her name. As for your family, just tell them that that's her name and they don't get a say.

aly1313 · May 2012

There is NOTHING wrong with that name! Name her whatever makes you happy and tell everyone else that if they'd like to name a baby to go ahead and have one themselves... Baby naming seems to me to be one of those things where the old adage applies-- you can't make everyone happy all of the time. If you and your husband love the name then by all means that should be her name!