Grandparents who hate names chosen for their grandchildren

Survey found that 9pc would refuse to use their grandchild’s given name in full if they didn’t like it

FINDING the perfect baby name can be a cause for strife among many soonto-be parents.

But it is the older generation who are often left disappointed by their children’s final choice, according to a survey which found that a fifth of grandparents hate the name given to their grandchild.

The most common reason for grandparents’ dissent is that the name sounds “too odd”, with just under a third citing this as their chief objection.

Meanwhile, 15 per cent said the name sounded as though it was “madeup” or unconventional.

The survey of over 2,000 parents and grandparents, carried out by the online networking sites Mumsnet and Gransnet, found that one in 10 grandparents felt that the choice of name would embarrass the child.

A fifth (20 per cent) of grandparents said they were annoyed that parents had overlooked a name they had suggested, while 10 per cent said that they were irritated that a family name had not been used and five per cent felt the chosen name was too hard to pronounce.

Grandmothers had stronger views than grandfathers, the survey found, with 44 per cent of parents reporting that complaints came from their own mother, and 42 per cent from their mother-in-law.

This compared to just 14 per cent who said their own father objected and the same proportion saying it was their father-in-law.

Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet, said: “Choosing a baby name is fraught enough for parents if you’re only taking into account your own views; if you add grandparents’ biases to the mix it can become impossible.

“Parenthood is one long object lesson in not pleasing everyone, and new parents should think of any naming tussles as preparation for any coming battles.”

The survey also asked about what grandparents said when they learned of their grandchild’s name. Ten per cent of grandparents replied by asking “What?” while three per cent responded by laughing.

In an attempt to avoid using a disliked name, 9 per cent of grandparents said they did not use the name at all, with the same proportion insisting on calling their grandchild by a shorter version of their actual name instead.

The most popular baby names of 2017, according to Babycentre, were Emma for a girl and Liam for a boy.

Tatler’s most recent list of the poshest baby names included Alfreda, Blanche and Czar-czar for a girl and Aubyn, Barclay and Cassar for a boy.

Susan Cole, of Sutton, Surrey, compiles a list of the most popular names to be announced in The Daily Telegraph.

Speaking about the 2017 selection – which saw Edward for boys and Florence for girls top the list – Ms Cole said: “Names associated with great aunts and uncles have made a surprise comeback such as Wilfred and Constance.

“There are also a lot of variations – if all the different spellings of Isobel were added together, it would be near the top, while Emilia is now almost as popular as the traditional form, Emily.”

Earlier this year, Babycentre released a list of names that have fallen out of favour, with some receiving no registrations whatsoever this year.

Unpopular names for boys include Ian, Frank and Roger, while girls’ names include Cilla, Edna and Bertha.