A mum was shocked by her family’s reaction when she told them she intended to call her baby girl ‘Iris James’.
Mumsnet user AyGirl shared her frustration on the parenting forum to gauge other mums’ views on the gender neutral name.
“Finally, after much indecision, we’ve decided a girl will be Iris James,” she wrote on 16 November.
“I mentioned it to [my brother] who got very upset and kept on saying it’s not a girls’ name.”
The mum continued: “My mother has rung me this morning and said [my brother] was so upset because he wants to name a son of his James. Keep in mind he is not married or having a child.
“But I want to use Iris James. She said that I shouldn’t and should save it for him, because it will be his first child and a son.
“So what, the two beautiful little girls I’ve delivered into our family are nothing? If it’s a boy [we will] probably call him Gage Theodore.”
Many mums commenting on the thread said they didn’t think the mum should call her daughter Iris James.
“James is definitely a boy’s name,” one person wrote. “I’ve never heard of it being used for a girl and people may end assuming its a family surname being used as a middle name.”
Another wrote: “Well imagine if you had always wanted to call a girl Annabelle and your brother was expecting a boy and announced he would have the middle name Annabelle.
“Are you saying you wouldn’t be in the least bit pissed off that the name you wanted had been used by another family member for a baby of the wrong sex?”
Others could relate to the issue of telling people your baby name choice only to be met by disapproval.
“This is why you should say nothing about name choices to anyone else,” one person wrote.
“I have learned to always keep it a secret. If you intend to call your daughter Iris rather than Iris James then I’d just ignore.
“It really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.”
Whether you’re looking for a name that is ‘cool’, ‘cute’, ‘pretty’, or ‘unique’, our Baby Name Generator is here to inspire you. Discover the meaning of your favourite name, browse the 100 most popular baby girl names and baby boy names in England and Wales, or let our Random Name Generator throw up an unusual suggestion.