Finding a suitable name for the new baby
By 41Combedale
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
Greece
January 18, 2017 10:15am CST
When I gave birth to my daughter, and it came to choosing a name, my mother-in-law asked me to call her Barbara, the name of a baby she had lost at birth. I would have liked to please my mother-in-law but I had an experience that left me with an unfortunate association with that name.
When I was about 14 I was in the art class at school sitting next to a girl called Barbara. We must have had some sort of exchange, I cannot remember any details, except that she suddenly stabbed her lead pencil into my thigh. It hurt a lot but it didn’t bleed, the point left a lead coated little hole in my leg. It took months before it disappeared.
I called my daughter Julie and gave her my mother-in-law’s first name as her middle name.
Some years ago I made a lovely new friend, her name was Barbara, she was one of the nicest people I have ever met. My attitude towards the name has changed accordingly and now when I hear the name I think of her.
12 people like this
11 responses
@Marilynda1225 (91044)
• United States
18 Jan 17
When I was having my first child I was given suggestions by my father who wanted the baby named after his mother (Honora) and my mother who wanted the baby named after her mother (FLorence). At the time I didn't like either of those names and after all these years I can't picture my daughter with either of those names either
4 people like this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
20 Jan 17
You were under pressure from both sides and I admire your stand.
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
20 Jan 17
That is why so many babies are named after people who were celebrities at the time of their birth.
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (17239)
• China
19 Jan 17
It proves that What one is like depends upon how they behave,not their names.
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (17239)
• China
21 Jan 17
@41CombedaleRoad It is the transliteration of the banks of the Yangtze River in Chinese .I live close to the Yangtze River.
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
20 Jan 17
Is there a meaning to your Chinese name? It looks long and interesting...
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
22 Jan 17
@changjiangzhibin89 That is unusual to be called the name of a nearby river. If I had been named after mine I would be called Thames!
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
20 Jan 17
When I was choosing my childrens' names there was still some family connection to bear in mind so I gave my son his father's middle name. My mother's name was the same as my mother-in-law's. I had no middle name to pass on.
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
19 Jan 17
It's amazing how we become disenchanted with certain names. My daughter's name was the same as yours concerning Barbara, only the name was Cynthia. I hadn't ever met a nice one and wasn't about to name my daughter that. Instead, she has four names, Cynthia is one of the middle names.
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
22 Jan 17
@just4him That is a pretty combination.
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
20 Jan 17
You have chosen a lot of names for your daughter. As you are a Christian lady I expect at least one of them is from the Bible. Ruth perhaps? It would march nicely with her surname...
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
21 Jan 17
@41CombedaleRoad It was a nine month fight over the name, so she got both sets. Ruth isn't one of them and I have my maiden name now, so that isn't her maiden name. My married name was five letters long.
Her name is Shiloh Shannon Cynthia Elizabeth
1 person likes this
@amitkokiladitya (171988)
• Agra, India
18 Jan 17
Finding a name for a kid us a difficult task..
But sadly I was not given this privilege
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
20 Jan 17
But you have a son, so do you mean that the wife does not have any choice in the naming of a child in India?
1 person likes this
@amitkokiladitya (171988)
• Agra, India
20 Jan 17
@41CombedaleRoad no it is not that....my father in law decided my sons name the day he was born.
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
22 Jan 17
@amitkokiladitya I hope it was one that you like and your son will appreciate.
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
19 Jan 17
It is a struggle when family members want to help. Often the names they like would never be what we would pick.
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
20 Jan 17
Older members often pick old fashioned names that have been in the family for years.
@RasmaSandra (97957)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Jan 17
That was a nice compromise. I think that often people do that not to offend the people who want children called after them.
1 person likes this
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
20 Jan 17
It is very common here in Greece that some names just have to given, for instance the grandmother's name is a must and when there are two grandmothers it presents the poor parents with a headache or two!
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (44560)
• United States
18 Jan 17
It's strange how we have different feelings about certain names. When I was younger, I wanted to be named Melanie, for some reason.
@41CombedaleRoad (5966)
• Greece
20 Jan 17
One of my favourite names for a girl is Emma, but if I had had another daughter my husband would not have allowed it because in Greek the word that sounds like Emma is the word for blood.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
2 Feb 18
I am glad you found a good person named Barbara and it wasn't always a bad name for you.
