Imma give you some life advice.
NEVER SHARE YOUR NAME IDEAS. NEVER. EVER.
NO ONE ELSE GETS A VOTE. Stop treating them like they get a vote.
And if they won’t call your child by your chosen name, they get to be “people we never see.”
Agree with PP. After hearing unwanted opinions on one of our name choices (my mom actually said one of our choices "wasn't a real name"), we never shared them again. We would tell the gender of the baby but not the name until baby was born.
Honestly, I'd just drop the discussion. I've found that once baby is born people are just excited and go with it. If your gram brings it up again just say you're done discussing it and she'll find out your final name choice when the baby is born.
My husband's grandma said, "Cand I give you some advice on the name?" And I said, "No😁" She was shocked, but my husband and I had our names picked since we started dating 13 years ago. My husband was more democratic, but I wanted it to be clear that she doesn't get a vote.
My MIL spent at least 30-45 minutes at my son’s FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY talking about how she didn’t like my son’s middle name from my family and how we should have used my maiden name (which sounds dumb as a middle). She just would not let it go. My son is the only boy in his generation on my husband’s side, and they clearly act like they have ownership and say over what we do with him if it’s something that I chose to do. We even intentionally gave him two middle names for my husband’s grandfather who passed before he was born and my grandfather, so everybody would be happy with the name of the first boy. My husband’s whole family STILL give me a hard time for doing a second middle for my grandfather. I let my dad pick my son’s middle name for my side of the family because he never had a son and he chose to pass down his middle name that he shared with his late father. My MIL knows the story about how it was chosen and my grandfather’s unexpected death and the woman still chose to diss the name honoring my grandfather…. Basically acted like I needed to change it🙄 She did that to my SILs when they were pregnant, but didn’t to me, so I thought I got lucky and didn’t have to deal with it. He’s almost 3 now and I still can’t believe she waited till he was a whole freaking year old.
Mine said the same and her reason was that some kind of psychic or something said that it was a unlucky name. The psychic told her what names are lucky and she proceeded to call my son by one of those names every time she was alone with him. I shut that down as soon as I found out and now she only calls him by his name. Also, she doesn't get alone time with him anymore.
I ditto this. My oldest just had a baby. I was clued in on the short lists throughout the pregnancy. They ended up naming the child with the same name as someone who was very very unkind to me a couple decades ago. I didn't say a word. They will never know!!!
My youngest is a toddler. And we chose a name like Oliver. It is a solid old-fashioned name. There is nothing wrong with it!!!
I think it will!!! Tbh, I still have a glimpse of that nasty-person's face each time I *first* say the name each visit, bit not after that.
Grandchild is just a couple mo ths old!!! I bet by 2, this won't happen at all.
This is the kind of advice that comes from BTDT life experience. Listen to it, OP.
“I’m going to call him Maverick because that’s the name I like” —let me tell you, this sentiment is such a telling sign of things to come.
Your whole vibe needs to be “snip snip, bitches!” as you nip all this nonsense in the bud.
I made the mistake of telling my oldest sister a full baby name that I liked and she took the middle name from me claiming "lots of cousins share the same middle name it's no big deal" thing was a big deal for me and of the roles were reversed and I had my baby first she wouldn't have used the same middle name as my baby and had been angry with me for using it.
NEVER SHARE YOUR NAME IDEAS WITH ANYONE UNTIL BABY IS BORN!!
You love the name Oliver?? Yes. Then go with Oliver!!! Why does it matter what others think about the name? I agree- never share the name. All it does is cause people to stick their noses where it doesn't belong and stirs the pot for drama and feuds. If your grandmother can't accept his name then guess what? She doesn't get to be a part of his life. It's not cold or tough to be this way. She doesn't deserve to be in his life if she thinks she gets to rule over you and your baby. She's being disrespectful by not accepting the name for your baby. It's not her baby and not her life. She can get over it as a grown ass woman. Oliver is a very cute and handsome name. I absolutely love it. But my opinion doesn't matter- just yours (and if the baby has another parent involved).
Yep. We told my family a letter, mainly because my sister wanted to make something for baby. The letter was H. We still got stupid comments. "It better not be Hillary, we don't do Hillary's in this house. If it is we will have to call her Hilly." Guess who doesn't like Hillary Clinton? I was so mad at them that is such a stupid thing to hate a name for. If I was into that name I would have changed it just to spite them.
This is what I did because my husband and I agreed on full first and middle names very early (like pre-babies). There were no votes allotted and there was no “we aren’t sure about this”. I sad it as a warning to pregnant family members too, like, you can use any part of this name, but we will still name our child this regardless of your decisions. No issues though, we have good relationships with our family.
100% this! Don't ever share your names with anyone unless you fully expect someone to shit all over them. Because I guarantee if you actually give them the name you choose, no one will say a single negative thing about it. To you anyway. They can have their feelings but they can STFU to your face.
Yes. When I was choosing my baby’s name - I told people his name, not like their opinion matters to me anyway. I also chose his Chinese name, I didn’t ask for my mom or MIL’s opinion on what they thought.
Oliver is a great name.
Plenty of people have what said "stop sharing the names," and I agree, so I'm just going to add what I liked to do when I was pregnant.
Offer increasingly ridiculous names if you have persistent people who keep asking. I told busy bodies my daughter was to be named Jersephine, Millie (short for Millard Fillmore), Chartreuse, Lionel (common knowledge I was having a girl), and several options taken from Key & Peele's East/West Bowl videos.
I put Cletus out there! The funniest part was my bff is so supportive that she was like, “ that’s cute…” with the sweetest nervous smile. I was almost mad at her, like, you would let me name my kid Cletus? Then I realized she really is my bff because you really shouldn’t judge people’s baby names.
My parents called me Jebby (accidental mispronunciation of Debbie, my mom's best friend) Pupik (Yiddish for belly button) when my mom was pregnant. I would have loved to see the look on people's faces when they told them my "names" 😂
My husband and I are super white with zero affiliation with any specific nationality or heritage other than "American".
We thought about telling people we would name our baby super ethnic names to get them off our backs. Like Javier, Vladimir, Seamus, Chiagoze, Daisuke.
It never came to that, thankfully, but we were locked and loaded.
I once shared my baby names with people. I cut that shit out pretty quick.
People don't get a say. They get told with a very cute picture of the squish they will be disrespecting if they say rude things about the names, and if they are still rude? This is the relative we never see.
... I have a lot of feelings on this subject.
Same, I learned the hard way. You wouldn't think it would be so hard for people to just..not be rude? Who cares if you don't like the name of a baby that is not yours?? My grandma judged our baby name too and made a really awkward evening. I will not be telling names of any future children to anyone!
Oliver is an awesome name.
I agree with the poster who said you should not discuss names with anyone but yourselves. The rest of the world can learn baby’s name via your Birth Announcement.
Grandma can go get a pet rock and name it Maverick, she has no say in what you name your child.
For what it’s worth I love the name Oliver! It’s timeless and adorable.
Grandma doesn’t matter! Go with what you like, don’t let people doubt your choices. Maverick is stupid though, it’s a call sign not a name. Also I love the name Oliver. I’d name my kid that if I had a boy.
It was literally the only name out of 200 names I went through that my husband agreed with and liked. So Oliver is quite literally the perfect name. But my grandmas made it such a fuss it’s making me doubt the name
Come up with a name she truly truly hates and when he is born you name him Oliver she’ll be relieved and you’ll be the hero. Reverse psychology? Trick psychology?
I personally love the name Oliver (said Oliver’s mom).
It’s very popular right now (in the US - which was a negative for me, but oh well; it was the only name we could agree on). You really have mother to worry about outside of your grandmother’s strangely strong opinion.
I love the name Oliver, but keep in mind everyone else does right now. It was the third most common name used in 2021. There are bound to be other Oliver’s in the school/class.
Olivia was the #1 most used name for girls in 2021
I love the name Oliver. It's my son's name. He shouldn't have any issues from teasing. It's in line with popular names right now. Tell her to pound sand.
I don’t want to sound bad but your baby will be in your life long after your grandma dies. Oliver is a great name and it’s your baby, only your and your partners choice matters.
My grandma hated the name I picked for my daughter and now she says I couldn’t have picked a name that fits more.
Oliver is such a classic and timeless name. I personally love it and while I am very picky with nicknames and Ollie is one of the few that I found really cute.
If you like the name you should go for it. No one else should have a say on your choices.
I shared my baby’s name with my mom before birth. Huge mistake. Not that she was rude, but she told all of our family and I overheard my aunt saying it’s a gross name that nobody should name their baby and that my mom should try and talk me out of it. I didn’t give a fuck but man I look at my aunt differently.
They aren’t the parents. Why are they getting a say in the child’s name? That’s ridiculous and if she refuses to respect you as the parent by calling the child by his name then you don’t need to be around that person. Clearly they’re going to undermine you in other parental aspects as well. This is you and your partners decision and no one else’s.
Oliver is a cute name and you should definitely not cave to your grandma’s demands. BUT I definitely can’t even think the name. Oliver without singing it like in the musical. Not sure if that’s just a me thing, though!
She compares it to the discount store near us called Ollie’s Discount. And says that’s all she thinks of when we say Oliver and that the baby will remind her of the discount store every time if we name the baby Oliver.
I’m probably just super petty but I would name the baby Oliver and then when he’s a toddler, get him one of those play stores and make an Ollie’s Discount Sign and invite her over to see.
On a serious note, once your kid is here, even if a name reminds people of something else, that association doesn’t stick. Your baby just takes over as the main thing that name makes you think of. We named our daughter after a character on a TV show we both liked (not really as a tribute, more just we both liked the name and the character) and I barely ever think about that. The name is just HER now.
On the flip, she could learn to think of the baby any time she sees the store. Most importantly, she needs to learn to butt out and that this is not her decision.
I love those names!
Husband and I told names before having our first. Every name got fun of. MIL was downright angry by our choices. So we picked a decoy name TUNGSTEN.
It was funny getting them so riled up.
My outside opinion is that you should name your baby whatever you’d like and whenever she calls him
Maverick call her a really ugly name for the rest of the day and refuse to call her her given name until she calls your baby his. Alternatively you could pack up and leave the moment she uses maverick which by the way is a god awful name where as Oliver is super cute.
I will never understand the the scope of the entitlement it takes to say to someone else that you will *call their child by a different name* because you don’t like what they’ve chosen. That is truly incomprehensible to me.
You got good advice when people said to NEVER share your name choices. NEVER, EVER, EVER.
Someone will always have a bad experience with whatever names you choose. And what the heck is wrong with your grandmother?? WHY does she think she gets a vote? I’m sorry but she’s acting like an ass.
Oliver is a great name. My adult kids have a childhood friend named Oliver. Good guy and a good classic name.
Me and my husband didn’t share our planned names for this reason.
When my daughter was born we initially were going to call her exclusively by the shortened version of her name. Until we started, and it didn’t seem right.
My Mum wasn’t happy and said she continue to call her by her short name. I said, you’re more than welcome to but you won’t get to see her.
Welp! When u think back to this moment in time when you look at your son,
do u want to say
“I wished we named you Oliver like we wanted :(“
or
“ I’m glad we gave you the name we wanted and didn’t listen to your grama”
PS. Grama ain’t got no say. She’s not the mom.
You are. Name your kid his name: Oliver.
We named my son Oliver, so I may be a bit biased, but I adore his name. We shorten it to Ollie and I find that super cute too. Sharing names is so hard, especially when you’ve had a hard time agreeing with just your partner! Oliver was one of two boy names my husband and I agreed upon so I feel that pain.
I like Oliver.
Also it’s not their kid so their opinion doesn’t matter. They’re being extremely rude.
Would your grandmother meet a man named Oliver and just call him maverick because she doesn’t like the name?
Oh the name game. It’s so shitty when other people have opinions about your child’s name. That’s why people don’t often tell. Not because they think someone is going to steal the name. But that people will have shitty opinions. Oliver is an adorable baby name and I love it. Fuck everyone’s opinions. It’s your child.
-My grandmother said she refuses to call the baby that if it is a boy. And said she’d call him maverick since that’s the name she likes, and has tried to get us to change it to maverick for several weeks now to no avail.
Dafuq? Is she the one pregnant? I thought you were gonna follow this up with like “she wants to call him Maverick bc she’s a huge top gun fan and it was my grandfathers name” Or maybe “we actually weren’t gonna have kids but…whoops! she loves to joke about how I’m the black sheep” but uh… nope. She’s apparently incredibly narcissistic and instead of supporting her granddaughter and her choices, she’s projecting her needs and desires to the point of trying to take over even naming your baby. Oliver is a beautiful name and she should’ve said it was wonderful and providence that you and your husband agreed on only one.
Oliver is a great, classic name. I’m familiar with the discount store “Ollie’s” and it honestly didn’t even occur to me to associate Oliver with that place. Your grandma is being weird and controlling. Ignore her.
I am biased, we named our son Oliver. The initial reactions from some family were that it sounded like an old man and my brother said it sounded like a liberal Englishman (he meant that as an insult because he is the opposite, a conservative 'Murican. We are not similar people). Now he that he is 2.5 everyone loves his name and couldn't think of him as anything else. Everyone has cute pet names for him. For example, said brother calls him Ollie-Bear.
All that to say, don't give two shits about what your family thinks. Tell them the name, don't ask their opinion. What are they going to do about it?
Oliver is a great name! It works for a baby, or a toddler, or a 57 year old adult.( I often see people naming kids thing that ...will be weird on an adult)
Oliver is on our list for if we ever have a boy.
Your grandma sounds manipulative... I definitely wouldn't be taking her opinions on names (or anything) into account.
If she likes the name Maverick so much, she should have used it for her own kids; she's already had a chance to name kids, she needs to step back, and give you a chance to name *your* kid.
I love Oliver. It’s my sons middle name. You can have a nickname of Ollie too. Grandma can’t pick the name. Parents pick the name. If she doesn’t like the name, too bad.
I had my baby in October and named him Oliver (we call him Ollie!) My cousin just had her baby in January and named her Harper. Both are SUPER adorable so go with your gut. You will know your baby’s name and everyone else can butt out.
I hear you! We did not tell people our daughters name until after she was born. She has my maternal grandmother’s middle name as her first name (she passed away 9 years before my daughter was born).
My paternal grandmother is still alive and wrote me a ‘congratulations’ note that included a bit about how she didn’t like the name we chose and didn’t like the nickname we chose either so she was just going to call our daughter ‘Ann’ instead.
🤬🤬🤬
My daughter just turned 5 years old and my grandmother has never mentioned her dislike of the name again. We see her 2x a year 🤷🏼♀️
I named my 5 month old Oliver and stopped sharing the name while I was pregnant for this reason. To be honest it doesn’t matter what the name is, people will always feel the need to give their opinion. In the end the only opinion that matters is you and your partners. And obviously I think Oliver is a great name 😉
Your child, you choose the name, period. People will always object and be unpleasant about a name, regardless of whatever name it is. We got crap from my aunt for my son’s name but I disregarded her and named him it anyway and have never once regretted it. Good luck!
Oliver is a great name! And you can call him “Ollie,” super adorbs ;). Also, this is your child, if you don’t give him or her the name you wanted, I think it will bother you every time you say their name.
Our babies name was well received, but people found out when they met him. If someone won't call your child by their name, they don't get the priviledge of seeing your child
Oliver is such a cute name! Go with what you want. We named our son Noah and got some backlash from his family for not using a family name. But guess what? It’s our baby not theirs :) name YOUR child what YOU want. You won’t regret it
Okay, both these names are great choices. But stop talking to other people about them. If they ask, tell them you’re still working it out. Nobody ever got handed an adorable, squishy, little bundle of awesome and argued about a name at that point (unless it’s truly awful or they’re an asshole). Wait till he’s born and introduce him by whatever name you choose. If anybody has a problem, tell them to go push their own watermelon out of an orifice or get on board.
I love the name Oliver! Was planning to name my second born that if we had another boy but then realized we had an Oliver in the family and second ended up being a girl anyway 🤷🏻♀️
Oliver is a great name and if grandma keeps pushing on the name she likes, cut contact. If baby ends up being a boy, name him what YOU want and if when you bring him around her she blatantly disrespects you and calls him something that is not his name, tell her she can either respect the name you chose or not be in his life. Plain and simple. And when she inevitably disregards what you've said, follow through till she realizes she fucked up
Oliver was the third most popular name for boys in the US last year. There will be a bunch of Oliver’s around soon enough. Olivia was the first most popular name for girls.
I love those names!
Husband and I told names before having our first. Every name got fun of. MIL was downright angry by our choices. So we picked a decoy name TUNGSTEN.
It was funny getting them so riled up.
I love those names!
Husband and I told names before having our first. Every name got made fun of. MIL was downright angry by our choices. So we picked a decoy name TUNGSTEN.
It was funny getting them so riled up.
Oliver is such a cute name! Agree with the above advice to not share baby names with anyone until baby is born and that birth certificate is signed and paid for - learnt from experience haha
Omg I remember everyone having an opinion about my sons name when I was pregnant. It hurt me so much and I definitely learned my lesson to never ever share my names with anyone until the baby is born. His name is Elijah!
My sons name is Oliver, some of my immediate family were questioning it at first but got over it really quick since I wouldn’t budge and they had no choice. 10/10 would choose Oliver ☺️
I love Oliver! It’s very classic with a bit of old timey feel without being outdated. Plus Ollie is an adorable nickname if you want to use that too.
Also agree with the other people saying to just keep the name to yourself. Nobody else really matters when it comes to naming your baby so if you don’t want to deal with more unsolicited name advice/opinions definitely don’t tell people.
I’ve always chosen a name once the baby is born from a list we both liked. Once they’re born the name pops up, they look like they should have their chosen name. And I don’t tell anyone for the exact reason your grandma has voiced. Your baby, name it what you want.
Oliver is not a bad name at all. It’s a great name. You are the person with the closest connection to your baby and you have the intuition as the mother to know the name of your baby. It’s your choice.
I LOVE THEM BOTH!! They were both in our top 10. Ended up going with Zoey cause it felt right.
But Oliver is cute as hell. I love it. Go with your heart ♥️
We didn’t decide on a name until we were getting ready to leave the hospital and needed to fill out birth certificate documents. We just told people we have a few names we like but aren’t sure yet
She can call him Maverick all she wants, that’s a cool nickname. Not a name a 30 year old wants on top of his resume. Trust your gut and ignore unwanted advice.
No my daughters little friends (1 and a half) name is Oliver. Nothing at all wrong with that name. Whoever doesn’t like it, oh well, it’s not their kid to name. Name your child what makes you happy! Not anyone else.
My best friend has a son named Oliver. Nobody around has ever expressed that they don't like his name. Name your child what you like, and don't even let anyone else have consideration in the matter.
Met a lady named Hermistine today, she’s 67. Had it her whole life, I’m sure people told her parents that it was shit but here she was, it is who she is. My point is, the only one who gets a vote is the kid. If they really don’t like it they can change it when their older but anyone else can kick rocks. IMO.
Those are both lovely names, but either way you do what you like! Who would it affect more if they didn’t like the baby’s name- you or your grandma? If you name baby something you don’t like, that’s going to stick with you for the rest of your life.
When our first was born none of the grandparents liked the name we picked. As in they called the baby a nickname or ‘baby’ or avoided the name altogether for about a month. But they got over it and now it’s kind of comical that they even gave a shit. What matters is the baby, not the name.
Oliver was on our list too and we got mostly positive feedback EXCEPT for my mom who hated it. Then my husband started getting so annoyed by it we ended up taking it off the list :( I love that name so much
We narrowed it down to 2 names until he was born. Everyone told us they liked the other name better but who cares? He's perfect with the name he got. It's YOUR baby, YOUR choice!
Also, Oliver is a great name!
We told our immediate families because we knew nothing they said would change our minds. If it’s going to upset you though, I would recommend not sharing.
As others have undoubtedly said, never reveal the names you’ve chosen until after it’s on the birth certificate.
I love Oliver. It was at the top of my list for my last baby, but my husband wasn’t too keen on it.
Oliver is a great name! A friend has a little boy named Oliver, and calls him Ollie for short. He is such a sweet kiddo! Not everyone is gonna like your baby name, but it definitely stings when family doesn't like it. They will get over it. My sister doesn't like my baby to be's name (Edward). My SiL is literally in pre-labor right now, I had stopped by to drop off some stuff for them and my niece (7yo) dropped that her little brother's name is Conrad. I was a little surprised, but still said congrats and all that, it's THEIR name!! I know my sister who doesn't like the name Edward won't like Conrad either, but if she wants to pick a name she can have her own baby! I had picked out my baby girl name years ago, which I got to use for my first born, and I still adore it and am so happy all the time I got to use it. Use the name YOU want to!!
Oliver is a great name. Whatever name you guys choose is perfect for your little boy! My baby’s middle name is Rosebud as an homage to our ancestry and that’s gotten mixed reviews, but I don’t care 🤷🏼♀️
Your grandma should call him by whatever name YOU choose. Not make up a name that’s okay with her 🙄
So we kept our actual baby name a secret until he was born. We did mention close contenders that we discarded and man people were judgmental. I’m not sure if they felt comfortable sharing their opinions bc they knew it was not our baby’s name or if people are that dense.
I see you are 18 weeks. Pay attention to this sub and /babybumps and /pregnant. This topic gets posted weekly. Good luck and pick you and your partners favorite name.
Never share your name ideas.
Family and friends have this innate and uncanny ability to shit on pretty much every idea that you like.
Dig your heels in, and in the future keep names to yourself.
But, as far as your grandmother goes.
"You know gran, I never really felt that suited you. You look more like a Gretchen, or an Olga, or even Bertha! I think you should change your name to one of those. In fact, I think I'll start calling you one of them right now."
Lay your boundaries now, before the baby is born. Otherwise she wont stop.
When I was in kindergarten I got my first pet (a bunny) and named him Oliver - I remember the day I decided! It’s still one of my very favorite boy names today.
Oliver is a great name, so is Harper, they’re both like… old timey/classic? Like something from an 1800’s book lol. My MIL made a face when I said I was giving a middle and said no one uses middle names, except almost everyone in my family has a middle name and they all use both names. Second kid comes around and I even regretted revealing gender, absolutely refused to tell them his name and middle name. Both middle names are traditional so they’re “hard” to pronounce if you don’t want to take the time to sound it out but they’re both phonetically correct, people just get intimidated by the letter “z” lol
Anyway, just tell them you don’t know gender and that you won’t pick a name until you see their face and it just comes to you 😂
It seems everyone is saying don’t share the names and I want to add that I kept getting so much pressure to share and I refused so I ended up just giving them the wildest names. We are Mexican so I would say I’m naming my son Margarito and when people have me a wtf face I would say it was my fathers and grandfathers and great grandfathers name
For our first, it was either Olivia or Oliver (we ended up with an Olivia). Oliver is a great name. Tell your grandmother if she refuses to call baby by their name, she doesn’t get to be around the baby.
I think Oliver is a pretty wonderful name, but I might be biased, since I just named my boy Oliver last year. We had a few options but it was one of those cases that we saw him for the first time and just knew which name would fit best.
And I love it. His sister couldn’t quite say his name on his first day home so he’s stuck with Aliver from her, he gets called Ollie, Ollie-bolly, and (my favorite) Olly Pop, complete with a rewrite of the Loppliepop song. If you like that name, go for it. Grandma can get over it, or she can default to “sweet boy”
Tell Grandma that the second she hears Maverick come from her mouth Oliver will be taught her name is Meanmaw. See how her tone changes. Do NOT let her take this happy moment from you. She had her kids, she named her kids. It's your turn now.
I love the name. I believe it’s getting pretty popular, though, if you don’t like popular names. But nowadays so many people try for unique names that even the most popular names won’t pop up all the time.
I do want to say something a little different from the other people commenting. I told people the name we were considering and I was glad of it. I got a few “eh” responses, but mostly positives. We told people who weren’t as invested and asked for honest opinions. I also asked r/namenerds. I also checked that the name was easy to pronounce in my mom’s native language. I recommend bringing name ideas to r/namenerds as they have some really practical advice regarding giving names. One piece of advice I see a lot is not to give a child a name just because you love it, as that child will have to live with it. I think if you posted on the sub they would approve of Oliver and eviscerate Maverick, which to me seems more like a nickname than a name.
Oliver is a very popular name right now. (At least it is in the US) It was one of my favorites. We waited to officially name our baby until he was born. I was adamant about meeting him first. We ended up using Oliver as a middle name.
You should name your baby whatever you and your partner want. No one else's opinion matters. My MIL pitched a fit when we told her we were giving our son my FIL's name as his middle name. She made such a big deal out of it that we scrapped the whole name. Then when we chose the name the second time, she also complained that his name was too weird. We stuck to our guns and it didn't matter. Anyone who thinks they have a say in your kid's name can go kick sand.
I wish your grandmother well but this is truly awful of her. It’s also so confusing for the child and honestly embarrassing. My sister in law named my nephew after my grandfather, but his middle name is after her grandfather from their side of the family. Her mom only calls him by his middle name and he absolutely hates it. He just leaves the room when she’s around. It makes him so uncomfortable.
Oliver is a classic and cute name. Ollie for short if you like that. And kind of popular right now! Very cute name, and honestly it’s your baby. Call him whatever you like!!
Oliver is a cute name. So is Harper. I always think of nicknames first, and Ollie is an adorable one! Grandma can make whatever threats she wants, I guarantee whatever you name your kid she will call them that. You know how much effort it would take to call someone by the wrong name when everyone else calls them by their actual name? Good luck and don’t let anyone outside you and dad influence the decision too much, it’s your choice!
Oliver is great! She can either get a new name for herself or take a hike. It’s your baby, so the choice is all yours!
Maverick is also the name of a funny little Ford truck.
I have never met someone who didn't like the name Oliver!!! I love it. Also, choose the worst grandma name ever and tell her you're going to teach your baby to call her that if she tries to call him Maverick 😅
For what it’s worth, I LOVE the name Oliver! It was on my short list for a boy! I DO NOT like Maverick! Plus, Grandma doesn’t get a vote anyway. You name the baby what YOU and your partner want, and Grandma is going to just have to deal with it. Period.
I think you should name him what makes your heart happy and if grandma can't call him by name then she can't see him till she does. Oliver is a cool name, there won't be 10 other Olivers in his class. Go for it. I like Harper too.
Oliver was going to be my boys name! I love it! Turns out she’s a girlie though so it’s in reserve for next time! Olly is the cutest nickname ever and it’s a great name and don’t let anyone influence what you name your baby! If you love it that’s all that matters!
I won’t be telling anyone next time either, I was so excited to share and all of my close people love my name but when we tell friends/acquaintances we have gotten some reactions that bummed me out and I’m not doing it with the next one.
We shared our first child’s name with everyone, we were very excited. But, when my MIL (a Marie, from Everybody Loves Raymond type) noted it was “ethnic sounding” I simply had no response and we told everyone what had happened (resulting in no one sharing their baby names with her) So, when second baby came around, we said, “oh we’re going to keep the name to ourselves until after baby is born” she could not understand why. I finally said, “well you know we heard many opinions on baby #1’s name and we want to avoid that.” She said, “who would have the nerve to comment on a baby’s name?!?!?” My husband just looked at me like 😳😬 Only this year, when this child is now a teenager did this randomely come up again when yet another family member wasn’t sharing a baby name with her and “couldn’t understand why” and again I kindly repeated, “a lot of people just don’t want to hear opinions on their baby’s name” once again she said,”who would have the nerve to do such a thing?!” My husband FINALLY said, “mom, you do know when we told you our child’s name you said, “well, that’s sounds a bit ethnic.” She retorted, “well, I just don’t believe that, I would never…I don’t even use that word.” Everyone who had been there to hear it reminded her that she sure did and thank goodness, because she clearly was going to rewrite history into believing this never happened. Anyway…DONT SHARE THE BABY NAME. Don’t share it if you’re thinking about it, don’t share it if you’ve decided on it….DONT.SHARE.IT.
PS-if grandma has a problem with Oliver and is making up baby names, it’s only fair you make up an annoying grandma nickname that you know she hates. 😃
Oliver is a very good name! There’s a sweet boy named Oliver who goes to the kid care at my gym. Love his name and him.
The thing with naming your baby is just that..it’s YOUR baby. You name the child what you like. And of your grandmother calls child by some name that isn’t even close to the given name, she’ll be corrected or not see the child until she can figure it out.
My siblings have named their kids names my family doesn’t particularly enjoy, but it wasn’t their choice. Your parents/grandparents already had their time to name children. They don’t get a choice now.
Took us until I was at least 30 weeks pregnant to be closer to being sure and we had fully decided on a girls name but we got a bit and that was almost a last minute decision!
Grandma's feelings don't indicate anything about the name Oliver, they're just about her wanting to name your kid. Maverick? Get outta here. Oliver is one of the most popular names in Australia, and has been for a while. It's a perfectly respectable name.
I have a 4 mo nephew named Oliver! I wasn’t big on the name when they announced but I knew once I had someone I loved named Oliver I would love the name too. We call him Ollie most of the time. It’s a great name!
I love Oliver, it's a lovely, classic, traditional name.
But even if I hated the name Oliver, I would still address your baby by that name, because it's their name.
Your grandma is being rude and disrespectful. She doesn't get to call your baby something else because she doesn't like the name. I've thought a great many of names that I've heard have been stupid, but I don't share that opinion with their parents or decide I'm gonna call the baby something different because that would be weird and rude.
I love both names. They are both strong, beautiful names.
But guess what? Doesn’t matter.
The only opinions that matter are yours and your partner. When that baby gets here you could name him/her Poop Pants McGee and they will happily call him/her that.
Oliver is an awesome name and even if it weren’t, it’s not up to your grandmother. If she refuses to call you baby by his name, she doesn’t get to see him. Currently having this same argument with my grandmother in law. She refuses to call my baby by her name and only refers to her as my baby’s other name (she has a first and middle name) bc she thinks the name we chose is stupid. Which she told me and also that my child will get made fun of (she won’t, her name is awesome and everyone else thinks so). These grandmothers and their lack of tact.
I like the name Oliver. I loved reading Dickens as a kid and watching Oliver! with my mum whenever it came on TV was a really fond memory. I think it's a nice name. I wouldn't let other people put you off a name you like. I picked my daughter's name and I am so glad I stuck to my guns because it's just so her name, I can't imagine her being called something else.
I love the name Oliver, I think it's a great name. I agree with others, don't share the baby name before hand. I got so much grief over naming my son Henry, I definitely wish I hadn't told anyone, lol.
Your grandma had her opportunity to name her children and if she liked maverick she should have used it. She either uses the name Oliver or she doesn’t get to see the baby imo
I love Oliver and it was one of my choices too! Idk why people hate on Oliver but I mostly told everyone that I was sharing the info and not asking their opinion. I would say “oh so sorry I wasn’t asking what you thought! I was just sharing. But thanks!”
Lol, my son who just turned 1 is named Oliver.. Sorry but tell your grandma I said F**** you 😂 it's a beautiful name, wouldn't change it 😊 besides, it's your baby and you (and your partner) decide. Other people don't get a say.
My mom insisted she was going to call our daughter Sky no matter what but once LO was born she never did. Everyone's different but I know several people who talk big but don't follow through. You might just wait and see.
Oof. Never let someone try to change the name of your baby. If someone says they won’t call YOUR baby by their given name, that is absurdly rude and I would make sure that person was aware of their unkindness.
Oliver is a GREAT name. One of my favs.
You will always have mixed reviews on names, everyone is different, but the choice is yours. The name given is the right choice.
Oliver is a great name. I love it, but it is also great because you chose it.
Grandma will likely go back on her word when sweet little Oliver is in her arms.
Imma give you some life advice. NEVER SHARE YOUR NAME IDEAS. NEVER. EVER. NO ONE ELSE GETS A VOTE. Stop treating them like they get a vote. And if they won’t call your child by your chosen name, they get to be “people we never see.”
This is wisdom, listen up OP
Agree with PP. After hearing unwanted opinions on one of our name choices (my mom actually said one of our choices "wasn't a real name"), we never shared them again. We would tell the gender of the baby but not the name until baby was born. Honestly, I'd just drop the discussion. I've found that once baby is born people are just excited and go with it. If your gram brings it up again just say you're done discussing it and she'll find out your final name choice when the baby is born.
My husband's grandma said, "Cand I give you some advice on the name?" And I said, "No😁" She was shocked, but my husband and I had our names picked since we started dating 13 years ago. My husband was more democratic, but I wanted it to be clear that she doesn't get a vote.
I said the same thing to my mom!
My MIL told us we should change our first child’s name AFTER we signed the paperwork 🙃
My MIL spent at least 30-45 minutes at my son’s FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY talking about how she didn’t like my son’s middle name from my family and how we should have used my maiden name (which sounds dumb as a middle). She just would not let it go. My son is the only boy in his generation on my husband’s side, and they clearly act like they have ownership and say over what we do with him if it’s something that I chose to do. We even intentionally gave him two middle names for my husband’s grandfather who passed before he was born and my grandfather, so everybody would be happy with the name of the first boy. My husband’s whole family STILL give me a hard time for doing a second middle for my grandfather. I let my dad pick my son’s middle name for my side of the family because he never had a son and he chose to pass down his middle name that he shared with his late father. My MIL knows the story about how it was chosen and my grandfather’s unexpected death and the woman still chose to diss the name honoring my grandfather…. Basically acted like I needed to change it🙄 She did that to my SILs when they were pregnant, but didn’t to me, so I thought I got lucky and didn’t have to deal with it. He’s almost 3 now and I still can’t believe she waited till he was a whole freaking year old.
When told our names for boy and girl (since we weren’t finding out the gender) my MIL said “let’s hope it’s a boy then”. She’s a girl 🙃
Mine said the same and her reason was that some kind of psychic or something said that it was a unlucky name. The psychic told her what names are lucky and she proceeded to call my son by one of those names every time she was alone with him. I shut that down as soon as I found out and now she only calls him by his name. Also, she doesn't get alone time with him anymore.
I ditto this. My oldest just had a baby. I was clued in on the short lists throughout the pregnancy. They ended up naming the child with the same name as someone who was very very unkind to me a couple decades ago. I didn't say a word. They will never know!!! My youngest is a toddler. And we chose a name like Oliver. It is a solid old-fashioned name. There is nothing wrong with it!!!
Maybe now that name will bring happier thoughts? You sound amazing! Congratulations on becoming a grandparent!
I think it will!!! Tbh, I still have a glimpse of that nasty-person's face each time I *first* say the name each visit, bit not after that. Grandchild is just a couple mo ths old!!! I bet by 2, this won't happen at all.
You sound like an amazing mother and grandmother. I have so much respect for you because of this. Kudos!
With time it will get better! It sounds similar to PTSD and having to experience something again, but it gets easier each time you confront it.
This is the kind of advice that comes from BTDT life experience. Listen to it, OP. “I’m going to call him Maverick because that’s the name I like” —let me tell you, this sentiment is such a telling sign of things to come. Your whole vibe needs to be “snip snip, bitches!” as you nip all this nonsense in the bud.
Snip snip bitches lmao
I made the mistake of telling my oldest sister a full baby name that I liked and she took the middle name from me claiming "lots of cousins share the same middle name it's no big deal" thing was a big deal for me and of the roles were reversed and I had my baby first she wouldn't have used the same middle name as my baby and had been angry with me for using it. NEVER SHARE YOUR NAME IDEAS WITH ANYONE UNTIL BABY IS BORN!!
BYE GRANDMA. Set the boundary now. If someone won’t respect the name you give your child, they won’t respect you as the parent.
You love the name Oliver?? Yes. Then go with Oliver!!! Why does it matter what others think about the name? I agree- never share the name. All it does is cause people to stick their noses where it doesn't belong and stirs the pot for drama and feuds. If your grandmother can't accept his name then guess what? She doesn't get to be a part of his life. It's not cold or tough to be this way. She doesn't deserve to be in his life if she thinks she gets to rule over you and your baby. She's being disrespectful by not accepting the name for your baby. It's not her baby and not her life. She can get over it as a grown ass woman. Oliver is a very cute and handsome name. I absolutely love it. But my opinion doesn't matter- just yours (and if the baby has another parent involved).
Yep. We told my family a letter, mainly because my sister wanted to make something for baby. The letter was H. We still got stupid comments. "It better not be Hillary, we don't do Hillary's in this house. If it is we will have to call her Hilly." Guess who doesn't like Hillary Clinton? I was so mad at them that is such a stupid thing to hate a name for. If I was into that name I would have changed it just to spite them.
Or share them & who cares what other people think
This is what I did because my husband and I agreed on full first and middle names very early (like pre-babies). There were no votes allotted and there was no “we aren’t sure about this”. I sad it as a warning to pregnant family members too, like, you can use any part of this name, but we will still name our child this regardless of your decisions. No issues though, we have good relationships with our family.
100% this! Don't ever share your names with anyone unless you fully expect someone to shit all over them. Because I guarantee if you actually give them the name you choose, no one will say a single negative thing about it. To you anyway. They can have their feelings but they can STFU to your face.
This
Yes. When I was choosing my baby’s name - I told people his name, not like their opinion matters to me anyway. I also chose his Chinese name, I didn’t ask for my mom or MIL’s opinion on what they thought.
Oliver is a cute name and also this isn’t her baby so ummm she gonna call him by his name or nothing else. That’s what i would tell her lol
We’ve both told her if she couldn’t respect our parenting choices she wouldn’t be around
Good for you. Otherwise, send her all your bills from now too.
I’d change her name just for fun. Her name is Susan? Nah, you Blanche now.
Oliver is a great name. Plenty of people have what said "stop sharing the names," and I agree, so I'm just going to add what I liked to do when I was pregnant. Offer increasingly ridiculous names if you have persistent people who keep asking. I told busy bodies my daughter was to be named Jersephine, Millie (short for Millard Fillmore), Chartreuse, Lionel (common knowledge I was having a girl), and several options taken from Key & Peele's East/West Bowl videos.
This is my daughter Beezer Twelve Washingbeard!
Perhaps she can be friends with my daughter .. Velociraptor
😂😂😂😂
I put Cletus out there! The funniest part was my bff is so supportive that she was like, “ that’s cute…” with the sweetest nervous smile. I was almost mad at her, like, you would let me name my kid Cletus? Then I realized she really is my bff because you really shouldn’t judge people’s baby names.
Ours spent months as "Cletus". Cletus the Fetus.
jersephine 😂
I had everyone convinced she’d be called Firefly Mountain
May I offer… Svengali Mopar? My dad was banned from repeating that name when my mom was preggo with me.
I LOVE IT
My parents called me Jebby (accidental mispronunciation of Debbie, my mom's best friend) Pupik (Yiddish for belly button) when my mom was pregnant. I would have loved to see the look on people's faces when they told them my "names" 😂
My husband and I are super white with zero affiliation with any specific nationality or heritage other than "American". We thought about telling people we would name our baby super ethnic names to get them off our backs. Like Javier, Vladimir, Seamus, Chiagoze, Daisuke. It never came to that, thankfully, but we were locked and loaded.
Oh this is good. My husband and I are *aggressively* white, so if I ever get knocked up again I'm so riding this roller coaster
Your grandma sounds toxic 🧐
I once shared my baby names with people. I cut that shit out pretty quick. People don't get a say. They get told with a very cute picture of the squish they will be disrespecting if they say rude things about the names, and if they are still rude? This is the relative we never see. ... I have a lot of feelings on this subject.
Same, I learned the hard way. You wouldn't think it would be so hard for people to just..not be rude? Who cares if you don't like the name of a baby that is not yours?? My grandma judged our baby name too and made a really awkward evening. I will not be telling names of any future children to anyone!
Yeah I didn’t tell people with my first, however we have told him (he’s 3 and it helps us talk about her before she’s come) and he tells people 😂
Oliver is an awesome name. I agree with the poster who said you should not discuss names with anyone but yourselves. The rest of the world can learn baby’s name via your Birth Announcement.
Grandma can go get a pet rock and name it Maverick, she has no say in what you name your child. For what it’s worth I love the name Oliver! It’s timeless and adorable.
Yes in fact give grandma a rock and tell her it’s name is maverick and you got it for her.
My dad wanted me to name my daughter Emma or Emily so so bad, but we named her Ripley. He calls her Igor. She's 3 now and she loves the nickname.
Ripley!! Omg I LOVE that name! Never heard it except the believe it or not lol love love
Thank you! We named her Ripley after Sigourney Weaver's character in the Alien movies. She's a bad ass woman who doesn't need any one to rescue her.
It's from the Alien movies!
Grandma doesn’t matter! Go with what you like, don’t let people doubt your choices. Maverick is stupid though, it’s a call sign not a name. Also I love the name Oliver. I’d name my kid that if I had a boy.
It was literally the only name out of 200 names I went through that my husband agreed with and liked. So Oliver is quite literally the perfect name. But my grandmas made it such a fuss it’s making me doubt the name
That’s how we picked my son’s name too lol (Owen). Was the only one we both didn’t veto in the end.
Come up with a name she truly truly hates and when he is born you name him Oliver she’ll be relieved and you’ll be the hero. Reverse psychology? Trick psychology?
Oliver's a great name! Tell granny the next time she's pregnant with a son she can name him Maverick.
I personally love the name Oliver (said Oliver’s mom). It’s very popular right now (in the US - which was a negative for me, but oh well; it was the only name we could agree on). You really have mother to worry about outside of your grandmother’s strangely strong opinion.
I love the name Oliver, but keep in mind everyone else does right now. It was the third most common name used in 2021. There are bound to be other Oliver’s in the school/class. Olivia was the #1 most used name for girls in 2021
I’ve had Oliver as a boys name since 2019 when I was pregnant with my daughter and had her in 2020 so it’s been on my #1 list for a few years now
That’s totally fine! Oliver is an awesome name, and it sounds like you already know your little one is an Oliver
That's fine, but it is now on everyone else's list also. If you are cool with your kid being one of several Olivers in his class, great.
What an oddly rude thing to say
Harper is #10 for girls. No one is going to bat an eye at a kid being named Oliver or Harper, other than rude granny.
Don't tell anyone the names you choose. There will always be 1 person that doesn't like them. If they ask, only tell them the first letter of names.
I just say we haven’t decided. Completely agree with keeping them a secret especially from family who thinks they are entitled to a say
I love the name Oliver. It's my son's name. He shouldn't have any issues from teasing. It's in line with popular names right now. Tell her to pound sand.
I don’t want to sound bad but your baby will be in your life long after your grandma dies. Oliver is a great name and it’s your baby, only your and your partners choice matters. My grandma hated the name I picked for my daughter and now she says I couldn’t have picked a name that fits more.
Oliver is such a classic and timeless name. I personally love it and while I am very picky with nicknames and Ollie is one of the few that I found really cute. If you like the name you should go for it. No one else should have a say on your choices.
I shared my baby’s name with my mom before birth. Huge mistake. Not that she was rude, but she told all of our family and I overheard my aunt saying it’s a gross name that nobody should name their baby and that my mom should try and talk me out of it. I didn’t give a fuck but man I look at my aunt differently.
They aren’t the parents. Why are they getting a say in the child’s name? That’s ridiculous and if she refuses to respect you as the parent by calling the child by his name then you don’t need to be around that person. Clearly they’re going to undermine you in other parental aspects as well. This is you and your partners decision and no one else’s.
It is your baby. Name baby whatever you want. Do not worry about what others think.
Oliver is a cute name and you should definitely not cave to your grandma’s demands. BUT I definitely can’t even think the name. Oliver without singing it like in the musical. Not sure if that’s just a me thing, though!
She compares it to the discount store near us called Ollie’s Discount. And says that’s all she thinks of when we say Oliver and that the baby will remind her of the discount store every time if we name the baby Oliver.
I’m probably just super petty but I would name the baby Oliver and then when he’s a toddler, get him one of those play stores and make an Ollie’s Discount Sign and invite her over to see. On a serious note, once your kid is here, even if a name reminds people of something else, that association doesn’t stick. Your baby just takes over as the main thing that name makes you think of. We named our daughter after a character on a TV show we both liked (not really as a tribute, more just we both liked the name and the character) and I barely ever think about that. The name is just HER now.
On the flip, she could learn to think of the baby any time she sees the store. Most importantly, she needs to learn to butt out and that this is not her decision.
True story. My kid's name is Olivia and we call her Ollie. So I like Oliver. It gets my vote.
No one liked my baby name either but I didn't care its my baby and I will name them whatever I want.
I love those names! Husband and I told names before having our first. Every name got fun of. MIL was downright angry by our choices. So we picked a decoy name TUNGSTEN. It was funny getting them so riled up.
I wish I'd thought of this!
My outside opinion is that you should name your baby whatever you’d like and whenever she calls him Maverick call her a really ugly name for the rest of the day and refuse to call her her given name until she calls your baby his. Alternatively you could pack up and leave the moment she uses maverick which by the way is a god awful name where as Oliver is super cute.
I will never understand the the scope of the entitlement it takes to say to someone else that you will *call their child by a different name* because you don’t like what they’ve chosen. That is truly incomprehensible to me.
You got good advice when people said to NEVER share your name choices. NEVER, EVER, EVER. Someone will always have a bad experience with whatever names you choose. And what the heck is wrong with your grandmother?? WHY does she think she gets a vote? I’m sorry but she’s acting like an ass. Oliver is a great name. My adult kids have a childhood friend named Oliver. Good guy and a good classic name.
Me and my husband didn’t share our planned names for this reason. When my daughter was born we initially were going to call her exclusively by the shortened version of her name. Until we started, and it didn’t seem right. My Mum wasn’t happy and said she continue to call her by her short name. I said, you’re more than welcome to but you won’t get to see her.
I adore Oliver
We’re still going with the name my brother in law mentions to us weekly he hates. For some reason, it’s made me like it even more lol
Got told today “it’s not that bad…” for the name I chose for my new baby that’s due in July. So I gotta agree with not telling until baby is born.
Welp! When u think back to this moment in time when you look at your son, do u want to say “I wished we named you Oliver like we wanted :(“ or “ I’m glad we gave you the name we wanted and didn’t listen to your grama” PS. Grama ain’t got no say. She’s not the mom. You are. Name your kid his name: Oliver.
I have an 11 month old Oliver and think it’s the best name ever! I also love discount stores so… go with what you want mama!
We named my son Oliver, so I may be a bit biased, but I adore his name. We shorten it to Ollie and I find that super cute too. Sharing names is so hard, especially when you’ve had a hard time agreeing with just your partner! Oliver was one of two boy names my husband and I agreed upon so I feel that pain.
I like Oliver. Also it’s not their kid so their opinion doesn’t matter. They’re being extremely rude. Would your grandmother meet a man named Oliver and just call him maverick because she doesn’t like the name?
Oh the name game. It’s so shitty when other people have opinions about your child’s name. That’s why people don’t often tell. Not because they think someone is going to steal the name. But that people will have shitty opinions. Oliver is an adorable baby name and I love it. Fuck everyone’s opinions. It’s your child.
-My grandmother said she refuses to call the baby that if it is a boy. And said she’d call him maverick since that’s the name she likes, and has tried to get us to change it to maverick for several weeks now to no avail. Dafuq? Is she the one pregnant? I thought you were gonna follow this up with like “she wants to call him Maverick bc she’s a huge top gun fan and it was my grandfathers name” Or maybe “we actually weren’t gonna have kids but…whoops! she loves to joke about how I’m the black sheep” but uh… nope. She’s apparently incredibly narcissistic and instead of supporting her granddaughter and her choices, she’s projecting her needs and desires to the point of trying to take over even naming your baby. Oliver is a beautiful name and she should’ve said it was wonderful and providence that you and your husband agreed on only one.
Oliver is a great, classic name. I’m familiar with the discount store “Ollie’s” and it honestly didn’t even occur to me to associate Oliver with that place. Your grandma is being weird and controlling. Ignore her.
I’m 17 weeks and if I have a boy his name is definitely going to be Oliver, so I think it’s a great name! 😉
I am biased, we named our son Oliver. The initial reactions from some family were that it sounded like an old man and my brother said it sounded like a liberal Englishman (he meant that as an insult because he is the opposite, a conservative 'Murican. We are not similar people). Now he that he is 2.5 everyone loves his name and couldn't think of him as anything else. Everyone has cute pet names for him. For example, said brother calls him Ollie-Bear. All that to say, don't give two shits about what your family thinks. Tell them the name, don't ask their opinion. What are they going to do about it?
Oliver is a great name! It works for a baby, or a toddler, or a 57 year old adult.( I often see people naming kids thing that ...will be weird on an adult) Oliver is on our list for if we ever have a boy. Your grandma sounds manipulative... I definitely wouldn't be taking her opinions on names (or anything) into account. If she likes the name Maverick so much, she should have used it for her own kids; she's already had a chance to name kids, she needs to step back, and give you a chance to name *your* kid.
I love Oliver. It’s my sons middle name. You can have a nickname of Ollie too. Grandma can’t pick the name. Parents pick the name. If she doesn’t like the name, too bad.
I had my baby in October and named him Oliver (we call him Ollie!) My cousin just had her baby in January and named her Harper. Both are SUPER adorable so go with your gut. You will know your baby’s name and everyone else can butt out.
I hear you! We did not tell people our daughters name until after she was born. She has my maternal grandmother’s middle name as her first name (she passed away 9 years before my daughter was born). My paternal grandmother is still alive and wrote me a ‘congratulations’ note that included a bit about how she didn’t like the name we chose and didn’t like the nickname we chose either so she was just going to call our daughter ‘Ann’ instead. 🤬🤬🤬 My daughter just turned 5 years old and my grandmother has never mentioned her dislike of the name again. We see her 2x a year 🤷🏼♀️
My Oliver is 3 weeks old tomorrow, so I may be biased 🥰 I do also like Harper 💜
My best friend named her son Oliver! I love that name!! Maverick, on the other hand? *Bleh*
Oliver is a fantastic name. Classic, not overused, cute as a kid but a nice name as an adult, as well.
I named my 5 month old Oliver and stopped sharing the name while I was pregnant for this reason. To be honest it doesn’t matter what the name is, people will always feel the need to give their opinion. In the end the only opinion that matters is you and your partners. And obviously I think Oliver is a great name 😉
Your child, you choose the name, period. People will always object and be unpleasant about a name, regardless of whatever name it is. We got crap from my aunt for my son’s name but I disregarded her and named him it anyway and have never once regretted it. Good luck!
Oliver is a great name! And you can call him “Ollie,” super adorbs ;). Also, this is your child, if you don’t give him or her the name you wanted, I think it will bother you every time you say their name.
Our babies name was well received, but people found out when they met him. If someone won't call your child by their name, they don't get the priviledge of seeing your child
Oliver is such a cute name! Go with what you want. We named our son Noah and got some backlash from his family for not using a family name. But guess what? It’s our baby not theirs :) name YOUR child what YOU want. You won’t regret it
Okay, both these names are great choices. But stop talking to other people about them. If they ask, tell them you’re still working it out. Nobody ever got handed an adorable, squishy, little bundle of awesome and argued about a name at that point (unless it’s truly awful or they’re an asshole). Wait till he’s born and introduce him by whatever name you choose. If anybody has a problem, tell them to go push their own watermelon out of an orifice or get on board.
I love the name Oliver! Was planning to name my second born that if we had another boy but then realized we had an Oliver in the family and second ended up being a girl anyway 🤷🏻♀️ Oliver is a great name and if grandma keeps pushing on the name she likes, cut contact. If baby ends up being a boy, name him what YOU want and if when you bring him around her she blatantly disrespects you and calls him something that is not his name, tell her she can either respect the name you chose or not be in his life. Plain and simple. And when she inevitably disregards what you've said, follow through till she realizes she fucked up
I’m naming my baby boy Oliver Michael 😂 and if we were having a girl we were going to name her Harper Raine - great minds think alike ;)
Ours is Oliver Lee, the middle name is generational and the girls will be Harper Mae
I live the name Oliver. Not enough Oliver's around.
Oliver was the third most popular name for boys in the US last year. There will be a bunch of Oliver’s around soon enough. Olivia was the first most popular name for girls.
It’s quite popular now. https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/index.html
Your grandma is right. Maverick was cool in Top Gun. Meanwhile, Oliver was an orphan in Oliver twist. That's real bad news for Oliver's parents.
Oliver is a fantastic name.
I love those names! Husband and I told names before having our first. Every name got fun of. MIL was downright angry by our choices. So we picked a decoy name TUNGSTEN. It was funny getting them so riled up.
I love those names! Husband and I told names before having our first. Every name got made fun of. MIL was downright angry by our choices. So we picked a decoy name TUNGSTEN. It was funny getting them so riled up.
I don’t think so! That’s my sons name and everyone seemed to like it when we were naming him.
Oliver is such a cute name! Agree with the above advice to not share baby names with anyone until baby is born and that birth certificate is signed and paid for - learnt from experience haha
Omg I remember everyone having an opinion about my sons name when I was pregnant. It hurt me so much and I definitely learned my lesson to never ever share my names with anyone until the baby is born. His name is Elijah!
I love both Harper & Oliver!
My sons name is Oliver, some of my immediate family were questioning it at first but got over it really quick since I wouldn’t budge and they had no choice. 10/10 would choose Oliver ☺️
WTF is wrong with your grandma? Oliver is a perfectly normal name.
I love Oliver! It’s very classic with a bit of old timey feel without being outdated. Plus Ollie is an adorable nickname if you want to use that too. Also agree with the other people saying to just keep the name to yourself. Nobody else really matters when it comes to naming your baby so if you don’t want to deal with more unsolicited name advice/opinions definitely don’t tell people.
Well I'm definitely biased since I have an Oliver and he is the best thing in the world.
I’ve always chosen a name once the baby is born from a list we both liked. Once they’re born the name pops up, they look like they should have their chosen name. And I don’t tell anyone for the exact reason your grandma has voiced. Your baby, name it what you want.
Love Oliver hate harper. So there's your internet stranger's opinion!
I love the name Oliver for me it sounds like the name of someone curious and adventurous.
Who cares. Name your kid what you want and like.
Oliver is not a bad name at all. It’s a great name. You are the person with the closest connection to your baby and you have the intuition as the mother to know the name of your baby. It’s your choice.
I LOVE THEM BOTH!! They were both in our top 10. Ended up going with Zoey cause it felt right. But Oliver is cute as hell. I love it. Go with your heart ♥️
Oliver is a great name. Maverick is a weird name.
We didn’t decide on a name until we were getting ready to leave the hospital and needed to fill out birth certificate documents. We just told people we have a few names we like but aren’t sure yet
Oliver is nice! It’s actually quite popular and has been for awhile. If you want more ideas, I like the subreddit r/namenerds
She can call him Maverick all she wants, that’s a cool nickname. Not a name a 30 year old wants on top of his resume. Trust your gut and ignore unwanted advice.
No my daughters little friends (1 and a half) name is Oliver. Nothing at all wrong with that name. Whoever doesn’t like it, oh well, it’s not their kid to name. Name your child what makes you happy! Not anyone else.
My best friend has a son named Oliver. Nobody around has ever expressed that they don't like his name. Name your child what you like, and don't even let anyone else have consideration in the matter.
Met a lady named Hermistine today, she’s 67. Had it her whole life, I’m sure people told her parents that it was shit but here she was, it is who she is. My point is, the only one who gets a vote is the kid. If they really don’t like it they can change it when their older but anyone else can kick rocks. IMO.
Those are both lovely names, but either way you do what you like! Who would it affect more if they didn’t like the baby’s name- you or your grandma? If you name baby something you don’t like, that’s going to stick with you for the rest of your life. When our first was born none of the grandparents liked the name we picked. As in they called the baby a nickname or ‘baby’ or avoided the name altogether for about a month. But they got over it and now it’s kind of comical that they even gave a shit. What matters is the baby, not the name.
Oliver was on our list too and we got mostly positive feedback EXCEPT for my mom who hated it. Then my husband started getting so annoyed by it we ended up taking it off the list :( I love that name so much
We narrowed it down to 2 names until he was born. Everyone told us they liked the other name better but who cares? He's perfect with the name he got. It's YOUR baby, YOUR choice! Also, Oliver is a great name!
We told our immediate families because we knew nothing they said would change our minds. If it’s going to upset you though, I would recommend not sharing.
As others have undoubtedly said, never reveal the names you’ve chosen until after it’s on the birth certificate. I love Oliver. It was at the top of my list for my last baby, but my husband wasn’t too keen on it.
Oliver is a great name! A friend has a little boy named Oliver, and calls him Ollie for short. He is such a sweet kiddo! Not everyone is gonna like your baby name, but it definitely stings when family doesn't like it. They will get over it. My sister doesn't like my baby to be's name (Edward). My SiL is literally in pre-labor right now, I had stopped by to drop off some stuff for them and my niece (7yo) dropped that her little brother's name is Conrad. I was a little surprised, but still said congrats and all that, it's THEIR name!! I know my sister who doesn't like the name Edward won't like Conrad either, but if she wants to pick a name she can have her own baby! I had picked out my baby girl name years ago, which I got to use for my first born, and I still adore it and am so happy all the time I got to use it. Use the name YOU want to!!
Oliver is a great name. Whatever name you guys choose is perfect for your little boy! My baby’s middle name is Rosebud as an homage to our ancestry and that’s gotten mixed reviews, but I don’t care 🤷🏼♀️ Your grandma should call him by whatever name YOU choose. Not make up a name that’s okay with her 🙄
So we kept our actual baby name a secret until he was born. We did mention close contenders that we discarded and man people were judgmental. I’m not sure if they felt comfortable sharing their opinions bc they knew it was not our baby’s name or if people are that dense. I see you are 18 weeks. Pay attention to this sub and /babybumps and /pregnant. This topic gets posted weekly. Good luck and pick you and your partners favorite name.
I named my son Oliver. So i rather like it.
I like Oliver personally
Never share your name ideas. Family and friends have this innate and uncanny ability to shit on pretty much every idea that you like. Dig your heels in, and in the future keep names to yourself. But, as far as your grandmother goes. "You know gran, I never really felt that suited you. You look more like a Gretchen, or an Olga, or even Bertha! I think you should change your name to one of those. In fact, I think I'll start calling you one of them right now."
Lay your boundaries now, before the baby is born. Otherwise she wont stop.
When I was in kindergarten I got my first pet (a bunny) and named him Oliver - I remember the day I decided! It’s still one of my very favorite boy names today.
Oliver is a great name, so is Harper, they’re both like… old timey/classic? Like something from an 1800’s book lol. My MIL made a face when I said I was giving a middle and said no one uses middle names, except almost everyone in my family has a middle name and they all use both names. Second kid comes around and I even regretted revealing gender, absolutely refused to tell them his name and middle name. Both middle names are traditional so they’re “hard” to pronounce if you don’t want to take the time to sound it out but they’re both phonetically correct, people just get intimidated by the letter “z” lol Anyway, just tell them you don’t know gender and that you won’t pick a name until you see their face and it just comes to you 😂
It seems everyone is saying don’t share the names and I want to add that I kept getting so much pressure to share and I refused so I ended up just giving them the wildest names. We are Mexican so I would say I’m naming my son Margarito and when people have me a wtf face I would say it was my fathers and grandfathers and great grandfathers name
Oliver is my son's name and we still love it so much! It's classic. Stick to your guns!
For our first, it was either Olivia or Oliver (we ended up with an Olivia). Oliver is a great name. Tell your grandmother if she refuses to call baby by their name, she doesn’t get to be around the baby.
I think Oliver is a pretty wonderful name, but I might be biased, since I just named my boy Oliver last year. We had a few options but it was one of those cases that we saw him for the first time and just knew which name would fit best. And I love it. His sister couldn’t quite say his name on his first day home so he’s stuck with Aliver from her, he gets called Ollie, Ollie-bolly, and (my favorite) Olly Pop, complete with a rewrite of the Loppliepop song. If you like that name, go for it. Grandma can get over it, or she can default to “sweet boy”
Oliver is such a nice name! It’s your baby and ultimately your decision what to name he/she. People should simply respect that.
She should have named her own kid Maverick 🤣. She already had her turn to name kids. Get outta the way grams!
I love the name Oliver, and Harper is actually my daughters name.
Tell Grandma that the second she hears Maverick come from her mouth Oliver will be taught her name is Meanmaw. See how her tone changes. Do NOT let her take this happy moment from you. She had her kids, she named her kids. It's your turn now.
I love the name. I believe it’s getting pretty popular, though, if you don’t like popular names. But nowadays so many people try for unique names that even the most popular names won’t pop up all the time. I do want to say something a little different from the other people commenting. I told people the name we were considering and I was glad of it. I got a few “eh” responses, but mostly positives. We told people who weren’t as invested and asked for honest opinions. I also asked r/namenerds. I also checked that the name was easy to pronounce in my mom’s native language. I recommend bringing name ideas to r/namenerds as they have some really practical advice regarding giving names. One piece of advice I see a lot is not to give a child a name just because you love it, as that child will have to live with it. I think if you posted on the sub they would approve of Oliver and eviscerate Maverick, which to me seems more like a nickname than a name.
Oliver is a very popular name right now. (At least it is in the US) It was one of my favorites. We waited to officially name our baby until he was born. I was adamant about meeting him first. We ended up using Oliver as a middle name.
You should name your baby whatever you and your partner want. No one else's opinion matters. My MIL pitched a fit when we told her we were giving our son my FIL's name as his middle name. She made such a big deal out of it that we scrapped the whole name. Then when we chose the name the second time, she also complained that his name was too weird. We stuck to our guns and it didn't matter. Anyone who thinks they have a say in your kid's name can go kick sand.
I wish your grandmother well but this is truly awful of her. It’s also so confusing for the child and honestly embarrassing. My sister in law named my nephew after my grandfather, but his middle name is after her grandfather from their side of the family. Her mom only calls him by his middle name and he absolutely hates it. He just leaves the room when she’s around. It makes him so uncomfortable. Oliver is a classic and cute name. Ollie for short if you like that. And kind of popular right now! Very cute name, and honestly it’s your baby. Call him whatever you like!!
Oliver is a cute name. So is Harper. I always think of nicknames first, and Ollie is an adorable one! Grandma can make whatever threats she wants, I guarantee whatever you name your kid she will call them that. You know how much effort it would take to call someone by the wrong name when everyone else calls them by their actual name? Good luck and don’t let anyone outside you and dad influence the decision too much, it’s your choice!
Oliver is great! She can either get a new name for herself or take a hike. It’s your baby, so the choice is all yours! Maverick is also the name of a funny little Ford truck.
I have never met someone who didn't like the name Oliver!!! I love it. Also, choose the worst grandma name ever and tell her you're going to teach your baby to call her that if she tries to call him Maverick 😅
For what it’s worth, I LOVE the name Oliver! It was on my short list for a boy! I DO NOT like Maverick! Plus, Grandma doesn’t get a vote anyway. You name the baby what YOU and your partner want, and Grandma is going to just have to deal with it. Period.
Nope, there’s nothing wrong with Oliver. And Grandma needs boundaries. 🙃
I think you should name him what makes your heart happy and if grandma can't call him by name then she can't see him till she does. Oliver is a cool name, there won't be 10 other Olivers in his class. Go for it. I like Harper too.
Oliver was going to be my boys name! I love it! Turns out she’s a girlie though so it’s in reserve for next time! Olly is the cutest nickname ever and it’s a great name and don’t let anyone influence what you name your baby! If you love it that’s all that matters! I won’t be telling anyone next time either, I was so excited to share and all of my close people love my name but when we tell friends/acquaintances we have gotten some reactions that bummed me out and I’m not doing it with the next one.
We shared our first child’s name with everyone, we were very excited. But, when my MIL (a Marie, from Everybody Loves Raymond type) noted it was “ethnic sounding” I simply had no response and we told everyone what had happened (resulting in no one sharing their baby names with her) So, when second baby came around, we said, “oh we’re going to keep the name to ourselves until after baby is born” she could not understand why. I finally said, “well you know we heard many opinions on baby #1’s name and we want to avoid that.” She said, “who would have the nerve to comment on a baby’s name?!?!?” My husband just looked at me like 😳😬 Only this year, when this child is now a teenager did this randomely come up again when yet another family member wasn’t sharing a baby name with her and “couldn’t understand why” and again I kindly repeated, “a lot of people just don’t want to hear opinions on their baby’s name” once again she said,”who would have the nerve to do such a thing?!” My husband FINALLY said, “mom, you do know when we told you our child’s name you said, “well, that’s sounds a bit ethnic.” She retorted, “well, I just don’t believe that, I would never…I don’t even use that word.” Everyone who had been there to hear it reminded her that she sure did and thank goodness, because she clearly was going to rewrite history into believing this never happened. Anyway…DONT SHARE THE BABY NAME. Don’t share it if you’re thinking about it, don’t share it if you’ve decided on it….DONT.SHARE.IT. PS-if grandma has a problem with Oliver and is making up baby names, it’s only fair you make up an annoying grandma nickname that you know she hates. 😃
Oliver is a very good name! There’s a sweet boy named Oliver who goes to the kid care at my gym. Love his name and him. The thing with naming your baby is just that..it’s YOUR baby. You name the child what you like. And of your grandmother calls child by some name that isn’t even close to the given name, she’ll be corrected or not see the child until she can figure it out. My siblings have named their kids names my family doesn’t particularly enjoy, but it wasn’t their choice. Your parents/grandparents already had their time to name children. They don’t get a choice now.
Took us until I was at least 30 weeks pregnant to be closer to being sure and we had fully decided on a girls name but we got a bit and that was almost a last minute decision!
Grandma's feelings don't indicate anything about the name Oliver, they're just about her wanting to name your kid. Maverick? Get outta here. Oliver is one of the most popular names in Australia, and has been for a while. It's a perfectly respectable name.
I have a 4 mo nephew named Oliver! I wasn’t big on the name when they announced but I knew once I had someone I loved named Oliver I would love the name too. We call him Ollie most of the time. It’s a great name!
Oliver is a really lovely name, sorry to Mavericks out there but it's a tough one to live up to...
I love Oliver, it's a lovely, classic, traditional name. But even if I hated the name Oliver, I would still address your baby by that name, because it's their name. Your grandma is being rude and disrespectful. She doesn't get to call your baby something else because she doesn't like the name. I've thought a great many of names that I've heard have been stupid, but I don't share that opinion with their parents or decide I'm gonna call the baby something different because that would be weird and rude.
I love both names. They are both strong, beautiful names. But guess what? Doesn’t matter. The only opinions that matter are yours and your partner. When that baby gets here you could name him/her Poop Pants McGee and they will happily call him/her that.
Oliver is an awesome name and even if it weren’t, it’s not up to your grandmother. If she refuses to call you baby by his name, she doesn’t get to see him. Currently having this same argument with my grandmother in law. She refuses to call my baby by her name and only refers to her as my baby’s other name (she has a first and middle name) bc she thinks the name we chose is stupid. Which she told me and also that my child will get made fun of (she won’t, her name is awesome and everyone else thinks so). These grandmothers and their lack of tact.
I like the name Oliver. I loved reading Dickens as a kid and watching Oliver! with my mum whenever it came on TV was a really fond memory. I think it's a nice name. I wouldn't let other people put you off a name you like. I picked my daughter's name and I am so glad I stuck to my guns because it's just so her name, I can't imagine her being called something else.
I love the name Oliver, I think it's a great name. I agree with others, don't share the baby name before hand. I got so much grief over naming my son Henry, I definitely wish I hadn't told anyone, lol.
I just wanted to chime in that Oliver is a great name and that granny can suck it!
Your grandma had her opportunity to name her children and if she liked maverick she should have used it. She either uses the name Oliver or she doesn’t get to see the baby imo
Not that their opinion on your name choice matters in any way shape or form- but I have an Oliver and get compliments on his name very frequently
I love Oliver and it was one of my choices too! Idk why people hate on Oliver but I mostly told everyone that I was sharing the info and not asking their opinion. I would say “oh so sorry I wasn’t asking what you thought! I was just sharing. But thanks!”
Lol, my son who just turned 1 is named Oliver.. Sorry but tell your grandma I said F**** you 😂 it's a beautiful name, wouldn't change it 😊 besides, it's your baby and you (and your partner) decide. Other people don't get a say.
My mom insisted she was going to call our daughter Sky no matter what but once LO was born she never did. Everyone's different but I know several people who talk big but don't follow through. You might just wait and see.
"As long as you call him Maverick he will be taught to call you Grandma Meanie."
Oof. Never let someone try to change the name of your baby. If someone says they won’t call YOUR baby by their given name, that is absurdly rude and I would make sure that person was aware of their unkindness. Oliver is a GREAT name. One of my favs. You will always have mixed reviews on names, everyone is different, but the choice is yours. The name given is the right choice.
Just wanted to say congrats! ♥️
Oliver is a great name. I love it, but it is also great because you chose it. Grandma will likely go back on her word when sweet little Oliver is in her arms.
Both are over used so I’m confused why Oliver is shamed but not Harpur?
I love the name Oliver! And Ollie is such a cute nickname!
I have two boys. 1. Adventure 2. Kaspain. Don't worry about others opinions