A unique name may grow on you — especially after you’ve grown to love and adore the little one who wears it. Keeping this in mind may help you simply accept the choices made and leave your relationships intact.
What now?
What now is probably: “Mind your own business Grandma!” But is that realistic? Is it possible when it comes to something as important as a name not to tell your kids you dislike their choice?
Of course, this is all highly personal, but not at all unusual if you look at a recent survey of 2,000 grandparents by Gransnet.
Just a few of that survey’s findings:
- One in five grandparents hates (or has hated) their grandchild’s name.
- 69% of grandparents think it’s OK to share their unsolicited opinions on their grandchild’s name.
- 2% of grandparents say they fell out with their children about the name given the baby and 6% say it led to a temporary disagreement.
Common reasons for not liking a name:
- 28% say the name is too “ugly”
- 17% say the name is too “weird”
- 11% say the name is too “old-fashioned”
Controversial names
At this point you may be wondering which names do grandparents most-often find disagreement with? Which names could be so offensive? It may surprise you to find out that the following made the list of controversial names:
- Elijah
- Finn
- Jack
- Aurora
- Charlotte
Certainly, it’s hard to know how much importance should be placed on this survey or the folks taking it. But, names are very personal and the reasons we dislike them or like them are also very personal.
What should grandparents do?
If you strongly dislike your grandchild’s name, keep a few things in mind:
01. Keep it to yourself
It’s okay not to like a name, but it’s probably best to keep strong negative feelings towards your grandchild’s name to yourself. After all, a family rift created at such an important time is really the last thing anyone would want — and you want lots of grandbaby time! You don’t need to pretend you love the name, but experts agree you really shouldn’t say you HATE it.
02. Do some research
It may help to research the name and, as part of that research, find out what cultural, historical or sentimental significance the name has. Knowing these things may help you to like the name more or at least help you move into a place of acceptance over it.
03. Give the name a chance
A unique name may grow on you — especially after you’ve grown to love and adore the little one who wears it. Keeping this in mind may help you simply accept the choices made and leave your relationships intact. More than 75% of grandparents who initially disliked their grandchild’s name have grown to accept it over time and those are good odds that you will as well.
Maybe we can help
If you’re a grandparent who wants to provide meaningful input about the name your grandbaby ends up with, why not suggest some names that are well thought-out and researched? The Gray Plan from We Love That Name can provide you with a consultation and 5 name suggestions for a boy or girl presented in a wonderful written report.
