4 hours ago
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Oh, baby, that’s a weird name.
A new survey conducted by Mumsnet revealed that one in five grandparents are not fans of their grandchild’s name.
The research analyzed how involved grandparents were in the process of the baby name decision and whether or not they liked the name chosen for their new grandkid.
The top names hated by grandparents, according to the survey, include Aurora, Charlotte, Elijah, Finn, Jack, Lindsay, Noah, Sally and Tabitha.
Grandparents’ complaints about their grandchild’s names include that the name is ugly (28%), too weird (17%), too old-fashioned (11%), they disliked the spelling (6%) or it reminded them of someone they didn’t like (11%).
Of the 2,000 grandparents and parents questioned, some even admitted to being annoyed that the baby’s parents wanted to use a family name related to the other side of grandparents (11%) or being annoyed that the parents didn’t use their suggested name (6%) or a family name (6%).
After being told the name of their new grandkid, 8% of grandparents said that they told the parents that they loved the name when they didn’t, 9% simply said, “What?” and 4% responded with silence.
And even over time, 4% said that they still haven’t accepted the name of their grandbaby, though 39% shared that they’ve come to terms with the “weird” name.
Of the parents surveyed, 15% admitted that at least one grandparent dislikes the baby’s name — and 2% of grandparents said they have had falling outs with their children over the baby name choice. And 6% even shared that they fell out of contact temporarily due to the name disagreement.
Those grandparents who haven’t gotten used to the hated name will sometimes avoid mentioning the child’s name when talking about them to others (17%), use the name begrudgingly (17%) or avoid saying their name at all (6%).
However, 69% of grandparents said that it’s alright for them to give their opinions on their grandchild’s name, though it’s not their place to give uninvited suggestions.
Meanwhile, 38% of parents said it’s none of the grandparents’ business — and 31% of grandparents agreed.
“Choosing a baby name is fraught enough for parents when you’re only taking into account your own views. If you add grandparents’ biases to the mix, it can become impossible, unless by some freakish chance you all agree that the baby has ‘Cedric’ written all over him,” Mumsnet Founder Justine Roberts said in a statement.
“Parenthood is one long object lesson in not pleasing everyone. New parents should think of any naming tussles as preparation for coming battles over what constitutes an appropriate outdoor outfit, whether it’s alright to cut the cat’s hair, and whether two hours is enough time to revise for a GCSE,” Roberts warned.
English (US)