DH's family is lovely and I do like that everyone is connected, but they can drive me crazy too...I got an email this morning from DH's aunt- who lives overseas, so we see each other maybe once every 2 years?- saying that she had an idea, ran it by my MIL and she also loves it. Her idea is that every grandson gets DHs maternal grandfathers name as a middle name. It's a very Armenian name, not something you hear ever, unless you're in a strong Armenian community. While I agree it's a sweet idea, 1) we'd already discussed using my dads name as a middle name, 2) all the parents know we are keeping names private until our little guy is here (because if previous drama/opinions that just got old really quickly), and 3)his aunt didn't just suggest this to us, she talked about it with my MIL, so now if we don't use it, there's guilt that she's created for us to deal with because she's involving his mom. Lovely.
Re: Name drama
Your kid, your choice.
Since it sounds like you've already decided on the middle name, this isn't a lie, but even if it was, since you aren't sharing the name until birth, nobody will know! And it politely squanders her idea without making it more drama, and then switches the focus on you wanting her to meet the baby. Good luck!
Not their baby, not their say. Put your foot down on this.
We are facing a similar situation. My SIL called my H and requested he use the feminine version of their dad's name as our daughter's name or middle name. We are not discussing names with anyone so he brushed her off. So she started calling me now with the request. She is also laying on a guilt trip. First off, I hate the name. Secondly, our son already has my FIL's name as his middle name. Finally, SIL has several children and never used the name!
I just think it's rude. I've never made a request of someone like that so I don't understand how people think it's appropriate. Don't feel guilty. Pick the name you want.