Why do people feel the need to justify their name choices with complete strangers?

I agree, to an extent.

I doubt many people are _really_ naming their baby off Yahoo! Answers, but in some cases, I hope they do. People considering "Nevaeh St'arr AnGel" need to be told they're nuts.

And now and then -- not often, but -- I'm thrown by seeing what I think of as a normal name get thirty people going "Ick, it reminds me of (some negative pop culture association)! NO!" I might balk at an otherwise decent name if half the country was going to immediately think of something dreadful.

Somebody threw out MY quite uncommon name -- 1st and last -- on here a while ago for comments. I forwarded it to my mother, who was a bit surprised at all this, pointing out that she just farmed it out to family members before settling on it. You know: "Back in my day..."

Anyway, I was pretty relieved that most people answering liked it.

(Until I thought of the tastes of many people here, but that's another story...)

It's a good way to ferret out bad associations, interesting associations, and, sadly, for a lot of people, really bad ideas. Spelling errors abound on here, it seems.

What _mystifies_ me are the "Do you know any good boys' names?" posts. Often without even a "I like short, classic, masculine names." They just want "good" names. What -- you've never met a boy before?

Justify, no, gather outside opinions, Yes! It is the outside world your child will spend most of their lives in after all. Besides it can help avoid some simple mistakes. If my mom had gathered outside opinions she probably would have realized the very simple to pick at Polyester from Pauline Esther and perhaps she would have realized that Samantha Ophelia B____ had some undesirable initials for my sister. Even my other sister got Corrie Anne which is easily made into Coriander! Outside opinions don't necessarily make or break a name but they can be useful. Even on here some one asked about a name William Hillcrest and someone pointed out how easily Hill Billy would be used. There are also times that people can get stuck on certain names and close out others. Then when those names are brought to their attention, it turns out they really like them. I have found many names I like but never thought of when I was naming my kids. It is a useful tool to be able to get unbiased, honest opinions from outsiders. Then there are some who are just really excited and just want to share it.

I don't know this drives me crazy too in a way. Because if you have already named your kid what ya gonna do now change because online people don't like it, tuff!

I mean if you are debating a couple of names fine but still the choice is yours find a name you love and it will be fine.

It also drives me crazy when people make up there own names and then get offended when other have no idea what it is. If you are going to get mad because I can't read it or say it then name your kid Sue or Johnny and sit down.

I don't think that it's a matter of Y/A posters making that big of an impact on the names they choose. But more of the idea that they want to have an idea of what other people think and what other people are naming their children. Kind of like a community feeling. I mean, do you ever ask the opinions of other people in your life about other topics??? Do you change your mind about the decisions you make b/c someone told you they didn't like it??? Or did you just ask b/c you were curious and wondered what someone else thought??? That's similar to what people do on Y/A, they're not asking for your negativity anymore than they need the a**holes that make snide comments.

It's important to get some different perspectives when you name a child. It may be YOUR child, but it is NOT YOUR name. The child will be encountering strangers his or her entire life and having to deal with their reactions to his or her name. They won't be able to choose their own name until they are old enough to deal with the legal system, and they are trusting you with an important choice that will influence their self-image and how people perceive them. So, I think it's a great idea to get some unbiased opinions on name choices before they are finalized. Good for you parents who do some "market testing" on the names they choose for their children.

i like to ask to get others views on what NOT no name my child. If i ask a question and i constantly see a name being typed in... ill stay away from that cause it is being used alot alot. I dont want my kids going to school with 10 other kids with the same name even if they all are spelt different. Also i like to hear others point of views on different names, maybe they are aware of something im not. any way... over all it dont matter what anyone says or thinks, its my child ill name him what ever i want. God Bless u

I feel the same way you do, however I think sometimes you get feedback about a name you never thought of, like probable nicknames or weird associations, and it can be useful. Someone may not be able to see the "whole picture" on a name they thought of, and the public may point something out. I agree that you can't name you kid based on popularity polls, but getting opinions and thoughts is OK. If someone is on the fence about a name it may help sway them one way or another, you know? I do agree though - not everyone likes my sons name (Indiana) but we don't care!!!!

I agree with you for the most part.

But some parents come up with some pretty ridiculous made-up names. That honestly if I were their child, I would save up money and change it as soon as I turned 18.

As for the people that tell me my future son's name should be a middle name and not his first. I tell them " I like it the way it is."

I agree for the most part with your comment. You are a strong, confident woman. But some people are not like that. They need the reassurance of others in affirming their choice of names.They don't feel secure enough to make that final decision without the approval of others. So, they come here, where they can get almost any answer they want and they pick the one that suits their needs. I don't think that is a bad thing, it is just human nature for some people to need that reassurance.

That's why we don't tell people our name choices. Even names that are on our list, we don't share. We don't want opinions. We just want to name our baby the name we pick out without others influencing us. And it's not easy to ignore bad comments on names, so it's not like most people can just share, hear bad comments about the name they chose, and just stick with it.