‘I love the baby name I’ve picked – but everyone says it’s for girls’

When you find a baby name you love, hearing criticism about it can knock your confidence.

While some parents breeze through the baby name selection process, others can struggle to select just one that they love amongst the thousands of options they can choose from.

If you’re unsure of the moniker you want to give your child, you might be tempted to ask your family and friends for their opinions – but be careful, because they might end up telling you something you don’t want to hear.

That’s the problem one mum is facing after she told her family the name she wants to give her son. She claimed everyone she speaks to “screws up their face” out of dislike for the moniker, and it’s made her second guess her decision.

In a post on Mumsnet, she shared: “I’m expecting a baby boy in three weeks and we can’t get a name.

“The only name hubby and I have agreed on is Casey, but every single person I tell screws up their face and says ‘I don’t like that, it’s a girl’s name’.”

The mum added that while she loves the name, she doesn’t want to use it for her son if it’s going to end up with people “making fun of him” over his moniker.

Commenters were quick to reassure the mum, however.

They told her that listening to other people’s opinions on baby names is never a good idea as everyone has different taste, and that choosing a name her family aren’t keen on doesn’t mean it’s a bad name at all.

Furthermore, they urged her not to fret about the potential for her child’s name to cause bullying. They noted that children can torment one another over the most trivial things, hence trying to pick a “bully-proof” name is likely to fail.

One person expressed: “I think you should not worry about bullying because kids bully because of their insecurities, not because of the victim of bullying or their traits. You can’t really bully-proof kids.

“That said, people don’t usually laugh at a baby’s name if the baby is already named and you really shouldn’t worry that much about people’s opinions anyway.”

Another said: “I admit I don’t like it but that’s irrelevant. If you both want the name then go for it. My in-laws hated my son’s name and wouldn’t use it first but they got used to it! “.

A third added: “You should never share a baby’s name with anyone until you announce their birth. No one can say anything at that point. I would say nothing and ignore them. We all have different views on names and at the end of the day, it’s your choice.”