Um really?

[trivher.livejournal.com]

I had always sworn I won't tell anyone (meaning immediate family/close friends) name picks until we have a child. Both my husband and I have had our top combo per gender for years. We'll a few weeks ago while on vacation at my parents a discussion of names came up and I mentioned how my top male pick seems to be slowly raising in popularity and I didn't like that. Of course my mom asked what the name was and I broke my little "promise" and told her. The reaction wasn't exactly a raving praise, more like um really? Hidden quickly of course.

Now I am really wondering if this is the name for me. Granted I don't care if people (even my parents) find it odd or simply don't like it; though in a very small way it does matter. The fact from 2005 to 2006 it raised 92 spots in popularity and I have seen it mentioned in articles about names doesn't really please me either. Especially since it'll be about 5 years before we will have a family, who knows how popular it might get! Than there is the religious connection to it and for an agnostic do I really want that? The child or myself/husband might hear comments like "Oh from those bibles right?"

Yet I simply love the name!



[Poll #1122770]

Comments

[kristinluffsyou.livejournal.com]

Gideon is one of my favorite names ever. Popular or not, i love it.

[my-little-voice.livejournal.com]

I love the name Gideon...in fact, it's in my top 10 for boys.
as far as family, as soon as they meet the baby, all thoughts of how much they hate a name will be forgotten. Besides, it's your baby, not theirs. They don't have to like the name.

[anapology.livejournal.com]

It's got the old school upper class vibe to it, the trend these days.

I doubt it will become hugely hugely popular though.

I reminds me of 'giddy-un' like.. a drunk person.

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

If you like it, you should use it, but if it's rise in popularity is that important to you, I'd definitely rethink the name, because you might come to regret it later. If you don't care about popularity, I say use it, because it's a classic name with a great history, so it's definitely not a Jayden or a Dylan. Plus, it's still only 591, so I doubt it's going to be a huge issue for at least another few years. If you're having a child within the next year or two, I definitely don't think it's too popular. If it was in the top 100, it might be an issue, but really, there were only 409 kids named Gideon in 2006; that's a long way off from the 24,418 kids named Jacob.

I wouldn't worry so much about what your parents think of it, because once they meet the baby, they will fall in love with it AND with his or her name. Unless there's some crazy relative with that name or some other substantive reason for them to dislike it, I don't think it should matter. You're the one who is shouldered with the responsibility of naming this child, and making sure that the name you pick won't cause them problems for their entire lives or anything, and Gideon is definitely a nice name in that regard.

[drunkontea.livejournal.com]

Personally, I don't like it. For some reason it always reminds me of the word, "pigeon," even though it's not pronounced the same. Anyway, I've never met anyone name Gideon and like the previous poster, haven't noticed it gaining popularity at all. If you really like it, go for it. Also, you've got about 5 yrs to think about it anyway, right?

[brunhildevalkyr.livejournal.com]

Bottom line... if you like it... use it.

My parents hated the name I gave my son Tristan. They swore up and down that it was weird and it was a girls name. They were CONVINCED that he'd be teased because of it??!?! I ignored them and name him it anyhow. He's almost 5 and has never been teased. He tends to get lots of compliments on his name.

I'm due in about 3 weeks with a little girl. We chose the name Anastasia and once again my parents hate it. My MIL isn't too thrilled either. The fact is we like the name and will be using it. Unless, of course, the ultrasound tech was wrong:P

[kimber-leigh.livejournal.com]

people's opinions don't really faze me.. i had the same thing happen when i mentioned one of my top names to my mom.. i just look at it as we all have different tastes.. especially me and my mother! :)

[gidget1012.livejournal.com]

Gideon is fabulous. Its a good name you don't hear often without getting weird. (My SIL is wanting to name her kid Persephone - geez)
I think I would worry more about what is popular in the region where you live. I live in the southeastern US. Gideon would be almost unheard of here, but I imagine it might be more popular in larger cities or up north.

[trtlstars.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Gideon!

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

I like it, it reminds me of my favourite brother from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Oh and I won't be telling my family the names I choose for my kids until they pop out, on my mom's own advice. She says "If you tell people after the baby is born they will be too polite to tell you what they really think."

For example when I was born and my parents named me Aubrey my grandmother (dad's mom) said to my mother "Oh I'm glad you didn't call her Audrey. I hate the name Aubrey." Not exactly glowing praise for my name but not an insult anyway.

I did mention some baby names to my mom before they became favourites. Of what is now my top boy name, Asher, she said "Oh it's a BOY'S name?"
But I know after I have a kid and name him that she won't say "That sounds like a girl's name!"

The End

[mountain-nest.livejournal.com]

dude, Gideon is cool! I haven't even really heard it that much, that I can recall. go for it!

[cxtxc.livejournal.com]

This community has a penchant for "quirky" names so the opinons are really biased, but I don't particularly care for the name. It's okay I suppose, but I don't think you have to worry about it gaining notorious popularity at all. It's not suitable to many peoples taste, just a select few I think.

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

I just want to tell you this story in hopes that it will make you feel better. In 1987 my mom had a baby, my sister, and decided to name her Kristen. Now, in our family of Catherines, Pauls, Marys, Johns, etc this was considered EXTREMELY avant garde and EVERYONE was against it. They actually called my sister Elizabeth (her middle name) for the first two years of her life until my mom put her foot down. Now, Kristen is 20 years old and is beautiful and wonderful and honestly we laugh about it, we couldn't imagine her with a different name. She is Kristen--modern, and feminine, yet serious and studious and wonderful and totally herself. Your family might not like Gideon now, but once Gideon develops his personality and they get to know him they will love him and his name.

I've already told my mom I want a daughter named Anne with the nickname Hannah and she thinks this is totally ridic and is SO against it. And I'm not even pregnant!

Go with your heart. This is an important decision and you don't want to be one of those chuckleheads who changes their baby's name when they're a year or two old. You also don't want him to have a name that is not HIS name. This baby is growing in your body and you know him better than anyone else and something in your maternal heart is telling you his name is GIDEON! Go for it, girl!

PHEW. But there. :)

[yellowsummers.livejournal.com]

I like it. It's strong but not in a dumb way.

[the-good-ship.livejournal.com]

Gideon's a lovely name.

I think I'd take my family's (in particular my Mum and my Grandma) opinions into consideration, but it wouldn't be an over-riding factor in the dicision.

Unless...

I don't know if my aunt and uncle actually know this, but my Grandma hates my cousin's middle name, Mae, and still goes on about it occaisonally, despite my cousin being eleven tomorrow. So, only if I found out that anybody hated a name I'd picked out that much, would I change my mind.

[bobinwales.livejournal.com]

I LOVE the name Gideon! But you have nothing to fear frm me - my BF will never let me use it, haha!
I think that if the family like the name then it's great, but at the end of the day, it's YOUR child, not theirs!