So my DH and I are starting to pick out some names and playing around, we thought of, for a girl, Charlotte, Everly, Willow but decided we like Ellie Josephine (or Ellie Jo for short, his moms name was Jo, she passed years ago) and for a boy he had wanted Raymond Douglas (my DH's first name and my dads name for the middle, my dad passed last year) So at first we were telling our parents, and my sister and so on the names we were thinking of and low and behold they didn't like any of them, saying that the names we like are weird, or don't sound right or are too much of what they don't like blah blah blah. For a boy I really love Flynn Douglas and a girl Ellie Josephine, our last name is See, so it would flow well I think. Well we sort of mentioned that and again we were told they weren't good, and that they didn't like them... :-@ WHATEVER! lol I'm just sick of it and we've decided not to reveal our final choices because of their comments, and now they are pushy and asking why we aren't telling them about more names we are thinking of...omg really? It would bother me at first, but now I'm like "well we're keeping it a surprise"
Re: Baby names....and annoying mouthy relatives
We had chosen Ezra Simon as our boy name but found out yesterday we're having a girl. We're naming her Ruby Caroline. Ruby is my husband's grandmother's name and she's very special to both of us.
If your family can't get on board with your choices then absolutely keep them a secret. And I wouldn't be too worried about telling them the real reason why you're keeping it a secret either, but that's just me.
Discussing names with anyone but my DH's sister just ends in a polite "oh." As they turn their head so they can roll their eyes or furrow their brows in confusion. I don't let it get to me. As an artist I am used to rejection. I try to concentrate on what I believe my baby might want to be named and I just don't let it bother me. Also I don't discuss names with my grandparents or with others who obviously wouldn't get it. I love the baby name board here on the bump but I know well enough not to solicit advice on that forum unless I am ready to hear a lot of criticism.
Not everyone is going to like your name choices but not everyone is going to hate them either. Family in particular my be picky before baby comes bc they have some of their own hopes and dreams rolled up into their future relative, it's only natural. But others are right; as soon as they meet your new addition they will most likely accept the new name you picked too.
However, sometimes folk are stubborn. My great granny didn't like my little brother's name when he was born bc it was, in her eyes, "an old man's name" so she insisted (and forced her immediate family including our granddad) to call my bro by his MN. Now my great granny was a pill and sometimes you have a family like mine where disrespect like this happens but for the most part people will be accepting.
If we were having a girl, we weren't going to tell anyone her name until birth. It turns out we are having a boy though, and because we are naming him after my husband, we tell people his name. It's fun because they can't criticize the name without also insulting my husband, so everyone just accepts it ;-)