Why do people always frown when I tell them my baby's name?

Question

They always say "Why did you name her Olivia?"
it makes me feel bad-how should i approach this?

thank you everyone, recently i was told it was a popular name-which i was unaware of. but actually my 6 year old named her Olivia because she is a BIG fan of Raven-Symone, and when she found out that Raven-Symone was Olivia on the Cosby Show-she was telling people that was the baby name before she was even born. I thought it was perfect because Olivia on the show her dad was in the navy too and so is my hubby. thank you everyone for the positive input. and yes, i do love olives i must admit, LOL

I must add that they may be curious but i get offended when they say "that is an old name" or "what! Olivia? where you get that? off of a soap opera?" or you can just tell by the look on their faces. if they only knew that my 6 yr old wanted to name her Pretty Bracelet, LOL!

OMG! Destiny-i do call her Livvy. wow! and i must admit people think thats adorable, LOL-weird right?

Answer 1

Don't let people make you feel bad about naming your daughter something beautiful and timeless. Olivia is a name that she will grow up to be proud of, not ashamed of.

Imagine all these poor girls with "cute, unique" names, spelled atrociously, trying to be taken seriously in corporate America 20 years from now. THeir parents have just set back the women's lib movement by at least 50 years.

Be proud of your daughter's name.

Answer 2

I would have hurt feelings too! Parents usually spend lots of time deciding on the perfect name for their child. Some of my children have unusual names - or I should say uncommon names. Instead of frowning people would raise their eyebrows and say "oh! that's different!" When all along I know they were saying on the inside "why the heck did you name your kid THAT?" In return I would say something like "Some people have had the same reaction as you just had - but I just love that name!" then I would smile and chuckle a little. Sometimes people's natural reactions pop out before they even think about it - most don't mean any harm at all. Try not to be offended. Not everybody likes the same things in life. And that my friend is what makes the world go round! And by the way - I love the name Olivia - I have a niece and a grand-daughter with that name - both very beautiful and loving little girls!

Answer 3

I love the name Olivia. If my last baby would've been a girl her name was going to be Olivia Christine. Don't worry about what other people think, just know that there are a lot of us out here that agree with you and we LOVE the name Olivia.
Sure the name might be an old-fashioned name, but old-fashioned things come back around and they are in again....like our clothes, why can't names come back. My oldest daughter's name is Allison Jane and that is directly from my great grandmother, everyone has commented about her name being old fashioned and and I just tell them, Old-Fashioned with Style! I love the name, turn your head the other way whenever anyone wants to disrespect your child's name.

Answer 4

A few thoughts...
Most parents name their children very carefully. A lot of thought and effort goes into making sure the name is just right. Is it possible that the "offenders" are just curious WHY you named her Olivia, not why you chose a name they don't like. I am known to ask why, usually because the parents are proud to explain the meaning behind their child's name (that took them 9+ months to pick out!!). So an answer may be, "We named her Olivia because of her beautiful Olive skin and we thought that suited her quite well."

Another thought: based on your Yahoo! Name, is it possible that the "offenders" are also Native Americans? Are they asking because they expected a name that is tied to your heritage? Just food for thought.

Bottom line: your child watches you carefully. If you respond negatively, they will pick up on it. Don't allow your child to be taught that others are mean spirited or that you dislike her name. Praise her. Praise her name when others question you. But do it politely with an upbeat tone: little pitchers have big ears.

Answer 5

Do they really "frown"? Or are they just curious? It's an unusual name, so I would think they are just curious.

It's not going to stay unusual though! In the past year, I've met a lot of new mothers who either named Olivia or it's their child's middle name.

Don't let others influence how you feel. You liked the name, you gave your daughter something special. If other people frown at it, tell them to make their own kid and name it whatever they want.

Olivia is a pretty name.

Answer 6

That's weird. Olivia is one of the most popular names right now - it's positively fashionable. Maybe the people you're meeting are just really backwards.

Dismiss their rudeness and have faith that it's a beautiful name, and just say "because I think it's the most beautiful name". Really - they're so out of the loop. It's a perfectly nice name.

Or ... depending on your style you could tell them it's your beloved grandmother's name, or tell them it's because Olivia Newton-John is your hero, or because olives are like, totally your favorite food (just to mess with them and maybe make them realize the question is waaay out of line).

Answer 7

I named my youngest daughter Tegan and i get an odd reaction whenever people hear it for the first time. I'm asked it I got it from a soap opera or people pronounce it wrong and try to correct me!.. I say that's there problem. Olivia is a beautiful name.

Answer 8

I think Olivia is a beautiful name...

You can respond by stating that you love the name and that everyone has their own opinion.

I think Pat is a bad name for a girl but I am sure there is someone out there that loves it...

Answer 9

Oh to hell with them! People always seem to come out with a smart remark when they don't approve of something. They frown at my name too, at first it use to make feel bad but now I just don't care. When they ask you why did you name her Olivia, tell them because you wanted to and because it's a beautiful name. Why do some people think that you owe them an explanation as to why you name your child a certain name? That just irks me.

Answer 10

Olivia is a very pretty name. If they ask why say cause its MY baby not yours! If you like the name its all that counts! Hey i LOVE olives too! HaHa... so its a beautiful name. Pretty Bracelet! HaHa how cute!