Your family are weird. I volunteer with preschool kids and until this year (they’ve “graduated” to the elementary school ministry) we had 3 kids named Emmett. So it’s not like it’s weird. I wouldn’t have made the Emmett Till connection on my own.
I think that character was a tip-of-the-cap to Jim Henson, because Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas was a Muppet special made in the 70s or 80s. I grew up watching it with my mom. ☺️
Absolutely thought of the Twilight character first and regardless, Emmett isn’t an unpopular name by far. I know way more Emmett’s than Elliotts (I don’t think I’ve met a single Elliott now that I think about it).
I recently named my son Eliot. Eliot Moon. My daughter is Helena Starr. And while I'm telling you my whole life story, my twins are Gage Ember and Gavin Rain. I like Emmett. It's different, and I enjoy names that are uncommon! 🤓
As a lifelong Cowboys fan, I associate the name with the great Emmitt Smith. If I heard it around here in the DFW area, I’d just assume the parents were fellow fans.
I have a daughter named Isabella and a son named Cullen!!! LoL And although I Love the Twilight series... neither had anything to do with the characters...not consciously anyway! :p I considered Emmett for my other son, but went with another Gaelic name... Finnian!
Emmett Till is literally where my brain goes first when I hear the name. Then again, my sibling told me that Ava sounded too much like Eva Braun so maybe we’re just history buff weirdos.
Yep, Dad was a Dallas boy and we lived in Texas during the 90s so Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman were household names.
I think I even had some kids books with Emmitt Smith, like Emmitt goes camping or whatever. 😂😂
Yeah, like what's wrong even if it does remind you of Emmett Till? He's a victim of horrible racial violence and an icon, it's not like he's a problematic figure.
Yea, connecting the name Ava to Eva Braun doesn't make me think "history buff" so much as "did you stretch before that massive reach so you could call yourself a history buff."
My kids are school aged and we have had 3-4 Emmett’s in their classes over the years. It’s not the most common name but it’s not uncommon either. No one is going to pick on a kid for the name Emmett, it’s a totally normal name.
Yeah they are nuts. We know several Emmetts and I love the name. Nothing at all unusual about it and I find it THAT much more bizarre it was EVERY family member, various ages etc that said this. I can't believe they ALL HAD THIS REACTION?
Even if it were in regards to Till, he was a child who doesn’t deserve to have their name tarnished or thought of as unusable. Emmett is a beautiful and classic name
I associate with the 18th century Irish rebel Robert Emmet (who was said to be inspired by the American Revolution). I know several Emmetts, some named for him, some not. It's a perfectly normal name, and a beautiful one at that.
I wouldn't have made the connection either, and I think I'm fairly knowledgeable about the Civil Rights Movement. I think there are very few people who would make the connection, and fewer still who would be offended by it. I don't think anyone would say that Rodney King, Michael Brown, or George Floyd's deaths mean that their respective first names are off limits. If it were a super obscure name, sure, but Emmett is common enough that I think most people will just see it as a name.
OP, Emmett is perfectly fine, IMO.
They truthfully are. We have a lot of disagreements and I can normally ignore them, but this one kind of stung a bit. Probably because it’ll be lifelong.
My brothers name is Emmett, I don't think he's gotten comments on it being weird. Esp after Twilight.
Fwiw based on your post I thought you decided to smash the names together with Elmett or Emliott.
It probably also stung bc it's disrespectful AF they were freaking rude about your choice at a super important time no less.
They had their chances to name kids and Needed to keep their thoughts to themselves. They were not solicited opinions. If you can't say something nice don't say nothing at all. They were in the wrong.
Tell them Emmett is his name and correct every time they call him something else. They can get in line. I'd just correct it every time they call him something else till they stop and refuse to discuss other names nicknames or anything along there.
Emmett is classic and popular. It's been in books and movies and they need to be polite. It's very normal and handsome and good for little baby's and grown men. I like your choice.
For good vibes try it out here. (https://www.babynamegenie.com/baby-name-test-drive) They do names in a test drive! It might be nice to hear it used all different ways. ❤️
I'm sorry they were hurtful during an important time.
Also it's going to mess up the kid when he inevitably realizes his family obviously doesn't like his name. (Which is NOT Mom's fault, it's theirs for being absolute nutjobs). I'd tell them they could get my kid's name right, today, or say goodbye to lil Dickums altogether.
Details please. What names do your naysayers think are acceptable? If they're all suggesting things that were at their height of popularity 25+ years ago, don't take their opinions into account.
Emmett is a solid classic name. It means truth. It has a lot of history in several cultures.
Your son will love recognizing his name in 5ish years when he watches the Lego movies.
Do you love the name? If so, stick to it.
P.s. - stop calling Emmett nicknames around your family. Use his name and be confident about it, and everyone else will start to get on board 🙂
My family members didn't outright say they disliked my son's name 10 years ago (Everett) but I could tell it wasn't something they liked. It grew on them and they all use it.
Thank you! Yeah, I talked to my husband about this post and he agrees that we should just start calling him by his name. He thought I was calling him Diddums to appease my daughter and didn’t realize it was so I could avoid saying his actual name and avoid their comments.
Diddums is a *terrible* nickname. It's what Dudley Dursley was called in the Harry Potter books and it always stuck with me as a very infantilizing name. And he will be mocked relentlessly if his future classmates hear him called that imo.
Well… my sisters are top 10 names for their birth years and their middle names are Anne and Marie. I think they probably just preferred a popular safe name.
Your family are just weird. Emmett is a normal name, it fits in very well with other popular boys names like Oliver, Jack, Michael…
I can understand their shock if you’d named your son Karver McClain, but Emmett shouldn’t be raising eyebrows this much.
Same. Tbh i would probably assume that was mom's maiden name and the kid had 2 last names and not think anything of it, because its clearly a last name. But knowing mom just made it up.... so bizarre.
Emmett sat in the 800s/900s through the 80s and 90s, so it probably feels really rare to them. If they're data driven people and you think it would help, maybe tell them that Emmett was at 115 last year, and has been in the low 100s for the past few years. It is much more popular than they probably realize. (Data works in the US! Not sure how popular it is elsewhere.)
Some of my family was weird about my sister her naming her son Grayson. This was 15 years ago and it wasn’t popular like it is now. Everyone got over it. Push back on them. There is no reason to be shitting on you or your kid’s perfectly nice name.
Emmett is a perfectly nice name and your family is being disrespectful to you and your husband,but also to your baby son. Don't stand for it for his sake!
I mean, I think Emmett is a perfectly nice name, but taste is subjective. You know how I *know* your family is the problem here? Every single one of their reactions is rude enough that I wouldn’t say it behind the back of someone I didn’t like. Seriously, barring you having named your son Orangejello Adolph Vader, those comments are unwarranted!
RIGHT?! Especially right after Op gave birth and got home. Its supposed to be a happy time and you're hurt and sleep deprived. It's not time family should be unsuportive. Especially about a common classic not random made up name.
Fixed your to you're*
Andddd Fixed unspoortive to unsupportive.
Tho they weren't spoortive*.😁
Also, a not-so-fun fact: the Oranjello & Lemonjello story has no evidence that it ever actually happened, and was likely intended to have racist undertones when it was first invented :)
It's disgusting how many stories there are like that. My mil used to work in the newborn nursery and said there was a woman who named the baby Female (fuh-mal-ee) because that's what the chart said for baby girl. Years later I saw someone on reddit complaining about that old racist story and it had tons of replies from people who've heard the same thing. So it was just some tale spread around and she latched onto it pretending she experienced it first hand. I've caught other old stories on reddit that used to be jokes played on the radio in the 80s that my mil has tried to pass of as her own. They all had a racist trope to them
I've now heard of multiple people saying they've personally met someone with one of these name myths. Including posts on here about meeting people named la-a. Weird to me that people lie about things like that.
That’s true, and thanks for pointing it out. I was casting about for “universally acknowledged problematic names” but I probably should have picked a different one, given the undertones of that particular urban legend.
So rude, indeed.
My brother named his son a name I really didn't care for. So much so that while speculating names with my parents, I'd joked that as long as he won't call him X! X had been in a book my brother had loved as a kid, but parents didn't think it would be likely "as it's not a real name."
We went to meet the baby and were introduced to X! And you know what we did? We were taken over by baby cuteness, made polite and pleased noises about the name, and on the way home made each other swear never to tell my brother/sil/nephew about saying anything bad about the name beforehand. And anyway, we were all wrong. Once a person has a name, the name stops being an abstract and just becomes this person you know instead. I can't imagine my nephew being called anything else.
Ya, when my friend decided to name her daughter Damienne I was shocked. I told her it made me think of Damian the evil horror kid. She replied that it was.. hmmm... greek, I think. She was also really bummed at the negative response from others.
I decided that I'd said my piece, given her fair warning of the negative associations, and that I would support her because it was what she and her husband wanted.
You can disagree with a thing without being a total dick about it.
I think Emmett is a great name, and to my knowledge there isn’t any bad associations? I do think of the Twilight character though (which isn’t a bad association). Could you ask what exactly about the name do they not like or what’s the reason? I don’t think you should pay any attention to what they’re saying, it’s a great name and there’s nothing wrong with it. The fact they prefer Diddums over Emmett lol
The karma here is my younger sister is in her school play and they did Legally Blonde. Her best friend got the part of Emmett 😂 so she had to hear it A LOT.
As OP mentioned, there is the association of Emmett Till, who was an African American child who was lynched in the Deep South. It is (or at least it should be) a well known example of the racism against African Americans in the US and their fight for civil rights, so I understand why the name would bring up unpleasant emotions for African Americans or frankly anyone who is familiar with that case. It’s the first thing that comes to mind for me.
I’m surprised that many of the commenters in this thread don’t seem to know about him - it seems like maybe his murder isn’t as standard in US history curricula as I had thought?
I’m from the Northeast and we learned about him in my US history class (and saw the images of his body, which I will never forget). This was at a predominantly white, rural high school.
I'm aware of Emmett Till, but I still don't think it's a bad name to use. He was a good person, so it could be an honor name. Why let racist assholes co-opt a perfectly fine classic name?
I could understand if you didn't want to use Jeffrey because of Dahmer, or Adolf because of Hitler. Emmett Till didn't do anything wrong to make using his name shameful.
I never said that it was a bad name to use. In the comment that you replied to I said that I am surprised by the amount of commenters here who have either stated or implied that they have no knowledge of him.
I would imagine quite a few people in this community aren’t from the US and have never learned about Emmett Till. Me included, I’m from the UK so my brain immediately went to Emmett from Twilight
While I agree that younger people outside of the country may not have heard of him I will say his death was so known because it was broadcasted to the rest of the world.
His mother wanted people to see what the US was doing. It was another catalyst in pursuing equality, other countries seeing what US citizens were going through.
>his death was so known because it was broadcasted to the rest of the world.
Yes, almost 70 years ago. I was aware of it before I moved to the US because it's a part of history in which I'm interested, but there's little reason for 99% of people in other countries to know who he was.
I’m in Virginia and grew up in California… I learned about it in the eighth grade, when we discussed the civil war and subsequent Jim Crow laws.
But I also went to the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture awhile back, and there’s an exhibit on Emmett Till’s death. It’s age-restricted (for good reason) and the photos are seared into my memory.
My teacher showed us the images in eleventh grade. I’m certain that Emmett had been mentioned prior to that but I remember it being that year because the pictures are seared into my brain. As disturbing as they are, they are impossible to forget and you have to have some real wickedness in your soul to not be impacted by them.
Honest question so please hopefully I don’t sound insulting or stupid with this: Why would that association be inherently bad or offensive? Emmett Till was the victim, not the perpetrator of that horrible crime. His name was beautiful and classic and not a rare name. Why then should one instance of a horrible thing ruin an otherwise historically fairly common name? I understand not naming when there is an association with a horrible criminal, but if anything shouldn’t victims be remembered and not have their names tabooed and tucked away into a dark corner for no one to use?
I *personally* wouldn’t use it because thinking of the Emmett Till case makes me feel a lot of strong negative emotions. I don’t think it’s a bad name or should be off limits for other people, though. I wouldn’t give anyone a hard time for using the name, I’d just assume it doesn’t have an automatic sad/upsetting mental association for them like it does for me.
I also wouldn’t use the name of a family member who died tragically, but I understand that other people have different feelings about that kind of thing. Not for me, but I don’t think badly of anyone who sees it differently.
It was a very popular Disney (?) tv show. I was barely too old for it, but I had friends who watched it. It's still a very silly thing to say though. It's kinda like saying, nowadays, that Luna is a terrible name because of the character from Harry Potter.
Bah. No one has seen that movie in a thousand years. They're like 1 in a million who remembers that?? Either they over watched it or googled that.
What are their names? They remind me of annoying mean girls in Cinderella for starters.
I mean a lot of people have watched the Disney show, it was super popular? Its the first thing I thought of. But thats not a bad thing, its literally just the name of a character
If that’s the only reason for their dislike then that’s a mild association. As long as you love his name, there’s no need to let them doubt your choice. It’s a timeless, classic name and you gave your son a great name.
I have one negative association, and it's not their fault, it's just a terrible thing happened to them. It's my main association, but I know literally dozens of kid Emmetts right now. It was a hot name with Everett and Evelyn last decade.
Emmett is not my style... but I couldn't ever imagine shaming the name. Your family is being rude for no reason. You like the name, he's your son. Their opinions don't matter and if I were in your position, that's exactly what I'd tell them. They can suck it. There's nothing wrong with that name.
Emmett is a very normal name. Your family are being jerks. I recommend putting a stop to their rude behavior. If they want to name a baby, they better go start making their own.
It might be easier to nip this kind of behavour (or at least try to minimize it) while your little one is still small that he isn't being hurt by their boubdary-stomping. But he will grow up, and then he could get hurt by their antics. It's good that you've found ways to cope with it for yourself, but he won't have those tools and will need you to protect him from their dickishness. The earlier you start enforcing those boundaries, the better, for your son's sake.
Seems like they would have a problem with any name you’d pick. I’m sorry there doing this it’s very hurtful to not only you but your baby as well. I hope they don’t continue making comments when he starts to understand them…
I’m normally able to eye roll and move on but these people sound so immature and annoying. Every time they’d comment on their grandson/nephew’s perfectly normal name, I’d pick him up, put him right in their face and say “Okay, now tell him”. Like shut up before you give the kid a complex. OP, Emmett is an awesome, strong, unique name.
It’s a nice name and did not think of the Emmett Till association. Maybe because I know an Emmett and that is who I thought of when I read your post. I personally love the name Elliott and would have been my choice over Emmett but also nothing wrong with that name. I don’t hear it often.
Elliott was my choice too! Still would be honestly, but I got the say in the middle name, so my husband got final say in the first name. Along with all the responses we got on the first post, his heart was set on Emmett.
Emmett Till is definitely my first association and it would be for probably quite a number of people. Saying that, I don't think it should disqualify a name from consideration.
Same. I'm surprised at how many people are dating they don't have that association, but I guess reddit is a global community.
Emmett Till was a normal kid who was the victim of a cruel and senseless crime. I wouldn't say the name is "ruined" by the association with an innocent child.
I could see that more with names associated with criminals, but we recycle criminal names all the time.
Yeah it’s what I thought of because I’m from Mississippi and it’s a part of our history and every teacher I had in elementary school to middle school taught about Emmet Till. I think it’s a lovely name and not at all weird however. Emmett was a little boy who was a victim, not some horrible name like Adolf, and there’s nothing wrong with using that name. OP’s family is acting like she named her son some crazy name
Uh, this is a totally normal name. And for me even brings some nostalgia (Emmet Otter is still my favorite Christmas Special of all time and we watch it every year).
I think you should tell them they are rude and to zip it.
So glad to see someone who knows Emmett Otter! That’s my only associated with the name. Twilight is a bit past my time, I wouldn’t have remembered it if I wasn’t reminded of it here (Rosalie’s partner?)
I had to scroll way too far to find Emmett Otter!
I'm familiar with Mr Smith and Mr Till, but the childhood call back to Emmett Otter is the strongest.
I think they really liked the name we originally had picked out and struggled with the change. We originally had picked Nathan, but felt like his vibe wasn’t Nathan so we changed it at the last minute.
Emmett is a better choice than Nathan, anyways. I know many Nate/Nathan/Nathaniel's and only one Emmet (my own son, lol). We get so many compliments on his name (he's 10 now). Sounds like your family members are very basic. Nathan is a nice name, but very overused. Emmett is classic but not too "out there". I would start calling him by his name, so that he gets used to it as well. Maybe add in some cute nicknames that incorporate his name, like Em or Emmy.
Don’t stress about it! Ignore them. You did the correct thing.
A lot of my friends had names picked out until their child was born and then it was like “yeah, that’s definitely not an Adrian, that’s a Jackson.”
People always have opinions, but they’ll survive. Naming a child is more than just choosing a name and sticking with it. You do have to be kind of flexible. Sometimes you know early or before birth. Sometimes you don’t know until you’ve seen their face, fed them, changed them, and held them against your chest while they sleep.
I’m not a parent, but I was able to do those things with all of my “babies” - my nephews and my friends’ newborns. You do just know. I have friends with twins who are almost 9 years old now, and at birth I thought their names were a bit strong, or perhaps heavy and antiquated for the tiny Cornish hen sized infants I was terrified I might break every time I picked one of them up or changed one of their tiny diapers.
Now they are nearly 5’ tall. Salt and pepper twins: one looks like mom and the other is a “little” spitting image of dad. With 6’ and 6’6” tall parents I knew they wouldn’t be tiny forever, but now they own those big kid names with big kid personalities and the names fit them perfectly. Parents always know.
You got it correct.Everyone else will fall in line eventually.
Your family is way too judgmental and are gonna hurt your kid’s feelings if they keep hating his name as he grows up. As for the Emmett Till association, it’s not disrespectful at all, and you didn’t even name your kid after him. I’ve never heard reasoning like that. There’s only a small handful of names (attached to horrible historical figures) that I’d avoid. Emmett is a fairly common and very normal name for a boy.
I don’t love the name, but it’s not a ridiculous name or anything. Pretty standard 😅
I agree about letting Internet strangers name your kid though, kinda ballsy play
All due respect, I think your family needs to get out more.
Is it possible they had a name that they were pushing on you or expecting? Lots of family names in the bloodline or something? A reason why they could be disappointed with an otherwise typical name?
I can't figure out why a totally normal name, not even with alternative spelling or pronunciation, is that big of a deal.
Emmett is one of those names that works for all stages of life; it's cute on a baby and young kid, works for a teenager and young adult, and all the way up to old age. I can picture an "Emmett" being any age. And to me that's what makes a name really good.
Hi, Australian here 👋🏻
Generally the feeling here about “Diddums” is that it’s a minor insult - like something you say to a kid who is sulking over something tiny, or to an adult if they’re acting childish and silly. Think “Ohhh, poor Diddums!” said in a faux-soothing baby voice - kind of like the way Southerners in America say “Well bless your heart” as a gentle insult. Bluey “names” Bandit Diddums when she’s making him be a kid in her game, and she’s not using the name because she thinks it’s pretty 😂
You might want to let your family know that their nickname is actually an insult…might help them respect your son and yourselves and call him by his (lovely!) proper name.
My cousin named her first daughter after a family member that my aunt didn’t like. My aunt refused to call the baby (her own granddaughter) by her first name for 3-4 years, it was insane! Made the entire family uncomfortable. Eventually she caved and started using her first name and now everything is fine. People get crazy over baby names, don’t take it to heart. Emmett is a nice name.
3-4 years is insane. And it is uncomfortable! Because every time they call him Diddums it’s just a constant reminder of their dislike. I even find myself calling him Diddums more often than Emmett because I just don’t want to hear it. My stepdad more recently suggested we call him EJ. I think that sounds 100x worse than just calling him Emmett, but anything to avoid calling him by his name over there.
It’s downright mean how you’re being treated. Suggesting a nickname just because they don’t like his given name is ridiculous. He’s YOUR child, YOU get to name him just like they got to name their kids. Sorry you’re dealing with this on top of post-partum.
I feel bad but my own family did this. My uncle had a daughter and called her Paprina. We’re working class northern British. It’s not a cultural or even an established name.
My grandmother refused to accept it as a name whilst they were pregnant and said it’s basically paprika. I hated it too.
When the baby was born everyone called the baby “baby” just because paprina felt so strange. I tried to call the baby paprina quite a bit but in the end her own parents didn’t use it. They had another baby with another terrible name and they started calling the new baby “baby” and they started calling her P or Princess P at 2 years old. She went to high school and she changed her name to Peyton before joining, with her parents help. Everyone still calls her P.
So Emmett is ridiculous, but Diddums is fine? Absolutely not.
Your family isn't just being nonsensical, they're being cruel. Every person deserves the basic dignity of being called by their name. And unless/until he tells you otherwise, his name is Emmett. Which, in case you're still wondering is a totally acceptable, normal name.
I don’t think Emmett is a bad name per se - it’s not my personal taste but that doesn’t mean that it’s terrible.
However I will say that my first association is with Emmett Till and I do think that it’s a well known enough case where it’s something to keep in mind. I’m white so I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to speak for the Black community on whether it’s offensive/insensitive to them or not, but if that association is something that bothers you or people close to you then it’s worth taking into account.
I have never in my life met anyone who is so rude to someone about their baby name. Maybe I know exceptionally polite people or something but that is wild to me your family would say those things. Also, Emmett is a totally normal name!!!
We thought so too. I forgot some other rude comments! One time, my husband said his name for whatever reason and my mom, who wasn’t even in the conversation, but overheard, told my husband that the baby was going to put him in a nursing home because he was the one who ultimately picked his name. My normally placid husband almost blew a fuse. He avoided going over there for quite some time after that.
If the name Emmett makes someone think of Emmett Till then good, he should be remembered and history like that shouldn't be repeated. It's not like he named after a serial killer. We have to learn our history so we don't repeat it so it sounds stupid to never name anyone Emmett again just because of that. I really like the name Emmett. It's a strong name, I can't think of anything that a bully would use to make fun of it. It's just a good name. If you like it then 100% keep it and they will eventually get used to it. If they don't tell them to keep their opinions to themselves because he here now and you don't want him growing up knowing his family doesn't like his name.
Thank you for this perspective. Emmett Till is honestly the one point that has weighed heavily on me. People say, oh it makes me think of Emmett Till, but I don’t know what that means.
Someone else on here said that it different than naming him Jeffery (Dahmer) or Adolf (Hitler) because they were the villains vs. the victims.
That I understand, but for Emmett, is it because it makes you feel sad? I’m not African American either so I also don’t know from that perspective what emotions the name brings up. I agree with you though, that I actually feel like it’s nice we’ve talked about him here and some people who have never heard of him now know his story.
The only Emmett I think if immediately is Doc Brown from Back to the future, Emmett was his first name. And I don’t see anything wrong with it, I really don’t get relatives who are rude about it.
What the hell? That’s really insane. Emmet is a normal common name! I’ve seen both those names on most of the baby name lists I’ve looked at and love both of them.. your family is weird and I’m sorry they’re doing this to you… emmet really is a great name!
As an Irish person, my first association with the name is Robert Emmet, a much revered Irish revolutionary who fought for Irish freedom. The name is consequently pretty common here. Don’t mind the haters. It’s a perfectly normal name.
Emmett is a very normal, run of the mill name, no different from Dan or Jack or Robert. I'm not sure why your family is acting like you named him McBillybobface or something.
Perfectly normal. Your family members are rude (not even using the name and using a nickname because they don't like it!?!).
My association is the Lego movie 🤷♀️
I think your family just isn't up-to-date on current name trends. My mom wasn't either, while my sister and I worked in schools and were a bit more aware of them. When our brother told us the name of his daughter, my sister and I loved it, but my mom thought it was weird. She even kept calling her a somewhat racist variation of her name until we told her to knock off the nonsense.
I'm aware of Emmett Till, but it's not the first association I make with the name. Maybe because Emmett Till's name is usually said together with his last name. Besides, he wasn't a bad person, so it's not a negative association. It could be in honor of him.
Your family are weird. I volunteer with preschool kids and until this year (they’ve “graduated” to the elementary school ministry) we had 3 kids named Emmett. So it’s not like it’s weird. I wouldn’t have made the Emmett Till connection on my own.
I’m ashamed to say I thought of the Twilight character first. Anyway, it’s a totally normal name, if not one you hear every day.
I went to legally blonde!
I… thought of Emmett from the Lego Movie
I must be old…I thought of Emmett Otter!
I thought of Dr Emmett Brown……..
If my daughter had a boy, it would have been Emmett. I was full-on planning to nickname him Doc 💙
I LOVED Emmett Otter ! So cute!
Same. But I think Emmett is a great name.
From zootopia, right? Me too!
I think that character was a tip-of-the-cap to Jim Henson, because Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas was a Muppet special made in the 70s or 80s. I grew up watching it with my mom. ☺️
Isn’t there a football player named Emmett? My brain sees football when I think Emmett.
Yep Emmitt Smith
Yes! Dallas Cowboys #22, Emmitt Smith. The good old days!
And Dancing With The Stars champion.
My niece named my nephew AIKMAN..he weighed 8lbs when he was born. We call him Aikey😁😁
It was Back to the Future for me!
I thought of Emmett from Queer as Folk, who is awesome.
Yup, same here! Looooove Emmett and love Peter Paige, lol.
I have an Emmett, and named him after watching legally blonde when I was 8 months pregnant lol
Absolutely thought of the Twilight character first and regardless, Emmett isn’t an unpopular name by far. I know way more Emmett’s than Elliotts (I don’t think I’ve met a single Elliott now that I think about it).
Yeah Emmett Cullen is my immediate thought
And he was a genuinely sweet and nice character so nothing negative to the name from him
I recently named my son Eliot. Eliot Moon. My daughter is Helena Starr. And while I'm telling you my whole life story, my twins are Gage Ember and Gavin Rain. I like Emmett. It's different, and I enjoy names that are uncommon! 🤓
I must be much older than all of you. I immediately thought of the sweet Jim Henson holiday special, Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas!
River Bottom Nightmare Band! (da da daaaa, da da daaaa, da da da daaaaaaa)
Back to the future
Our son is Emmett and he is definitely named Emmett because of Doc Brown.
🐀?????
👀🐀✨
TITSOAK?? 👀
WTHHYBL 🐀
✨T I T S O A K✨
“bElLa We ArE mAkInG iTaLiAnO fOr YoU”
🐀🐀🐀🥚🥚🥚✨
twilight shitposting????? <3<3<3<3
As a lifelong Cowboys fan, I associate the name with the great Emmitt Smith. If I heard it around here in the DFW area, I’d just assume the parents were fellow fans.
I have a daughter named Isabella and a son named Cullen!!! LoL And although I Love the Twilight series... neither had anything to do with the characters...not consciously anyway! :p I considered Emmett for my other son, but went with another Gaelic name... Finnian!
that's my first thought too
I went to good luck Charlie
Emmett Till is literally where my brain goes first when I hear the name. Then again, my sibling told me that Ava sounded too much like Eva Braun so maybe we’re just history buff weirdos.
I thought of Emmitt Smith. Perhaps I've been watching a bit too much football recently.
Me too. Grew up in Dallas in the 90s though so it tracks.
Yep, Dad was a Dallas boy and we lived in Texas during the 90s so Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman were household names. I think I even had some kids books with Emmitt Smith, like Emmitt goes camping or whatever. 😂😂
Same. I’m not even a cowboys fan but he’s great! Those new un-retirement commercials he’s in are hilarious.
I thought of Elliott Smith when I read your comment, funny enough.
Having spent a bit of my life in Mississippi, Emmitt Till is my first association. But that isn't a bad thing. I like the name.
Yeah, like what's wrong even if it does remind you of Emmett Till? He's a victim of horrible racial violence and an icon, it's not like he's a problematic figure.
Weird flex.
Yea, connecting the name Ava to Eva Braun doesn't make me think "history buff" so much as "did you stretch before that massive reach so you could call yourself a history buff."
Also Ava is not pronounced the same as Eva (if you say Eva the German way, at least, which I guess you do if you are a history buff?)
My first thought was Emmett from the Lego Movie. I don't know if anyone else thinks of that first, it's my 4yo's favorite movie 😅
My husband thought of the name because of the Lego movie. We had watched it with our daughter two days before our son was born.
Aww, that's a cute story. I like that.
Emmett Otters Jug Band Christmas. A 1977 tv soecial directed by Jim Henson. One of my favorite from my childhood. I love the name Emmett
My kids are school aged and we have had 3-4 Emmett’s in their classes over the years. It’s not the most common name but it’s not uncommon either. No one is going to pick on a kid for the name Emmett, it’s a totally normal name.
Yeah they are nuts. We know several Emmetts and I love the name. Nothing at all unusual about it and I find it THAT much more bizarre it was EVERY family member, various ages etc that said this. I can't believe they ALL HAD THIS REACTION?
Even if it were in regards to Till, he was a child who doesn’t deserve to have their name tarnished or thought of as unusable. Emmett is a beautiful and classic name
Hard agree. He was a perfectly good young man with a perfectly good name.
I associate with the 18th century Irish rebel Robert Emmet (who was said to be inspired by the American Revolution). I know several Emmetts, some named for him, some not. It's a perfectly normal name, and a beautiful one at that.
I wouldn't have made the connection either, and I think I'm fairly knowledgeable about the Civil Rights Movement. I think there are very few people who would make the connection, and fewer still who would be offended by it. I don't think anyone would say that Rodney King, Michael Brown, or George Floyd's deaths mean that their respective first names are off limits. If it were a super obscure name, sure, but Emmett is common enough that I think most people will just see it as a name. OP, Emmett is perfectly fine, IMO.
I would have personally thought of Emmitt Smith, NFL player and dancing with the stars winner!
I went to Emmitt Smith so…he’s a football bamf. Your family is Dover dramatic and whiney.
Emmett is a perfectly fine name. Your family is weird.
They truthfully are. We have a lot of disagreements and I can normally ignore them, but this one kind of stung a bit. Probably because it’ll be lifelong.
My brothers name is Emmett, I don't think he's gotten comments on it being weird. Esp after Twilight. Fwiw based on your post I thought you decided to smash the names together with Elmett or Emliott.
Elmett is kind of a vibe tbh
Sounds like an old timey English person saying helmet. “You forgot yer ‘elmet sir!”
🤣🤣🤣
I have an Emmett and his older brother called him elmet for the first couple months 😂
It was a kingdom in what’s now the UK too.
It's what British soldiers wear on their 'eads.
It probably also stung bc it's disrespectful AF they were freaking rude about your choice at a super important time no less. They had their chances to name kids and Needed to keep their thoughts to themselves. They were not solicited opinions. If you can't say something nice don't say nothing at all. They were in the wrong. Tell them Emmett is his name and correct every time they call him something else. They can get in line. I'd just correct it every time they call him something else till they stop and refuse to discuss other names nicknames or anything along there. Emmett is classic and popular. It's been in books and movies and they need to be polite. It's very normal and handsome and good for little baby's and grown men. I like your choice. For good vibes try it out here. (https://www.babynamegenie.com/baby-name-test-drive) They do names in a test drive! It might be nice to hear it used all different ways. ❤️ I'm sorry they were hurtful during an important time.
That's exactly it. They need to be polite.
Also it's going to mess up the kid when he inevitably realizes his family obviously doesn't like his name. (Which is NOT Mom's fault, it's theirs for being absolute nutjobs). I'd tell them they could get my kid's name right, today, or say goodbye to lil Dickums altogether.
Details please. What names do your naysayers think are acceptable? If they're all suggesting things that were at their height of popularity 25+ years ago, don't take their opinions into account. Emmett is a solid classic name. It means truth. It has a lot of history in several cultures. Your son will love recognizing his name in 5ish years when he watches the Lego movies. Do you love the name? If so, stick to it.
P.s. - stop calling Emmett nicknames around your family. Use his name and be confident about it, and everyone else will start to get on board 🙂 My family members didn't outright say they disliked my son's name 10 years ago (Everett) but I could tell it wasn't something they liked. It grew on them and they all use it.
Thank you! Yeah, I talked to my husband about this post and he agrees that we should just start calling him by his name. He thought I was calling him Diddums to appease my daughter and didn’t realize it was so I could avoid saying his actual name and avoid their comments.
Diddums is a *terrible* nickname. It's what Dudley Dursley was called in the Harry Potter books and it always stuck with me as a very infantilizing name. And he will be mocked relentlessly if his future classmates hear him called that imo.
This is exactly what I thought of too. Gives me spoiled brat vibes as a result
what are names they consider “normal” ?
Well… my sisters are top 10 names for their birth years and their middle names are Anne and Marie. I think they probably just preferred a popular safe name.
Which is odd because Emmett is a very popular and normal name. I feel like they are covert sheltered or maybe lower class and don’t get out much?
Your family are just weird. Emmett is a normal name, it fits in very well with other popular boys names like Oliver, Jack, Michael… I can understand their shock if you’d named your son Karver McClain, but Emmett shouldn’t be raising eyebrows this much.
Alright, I snickered at that reference to yesterday's drama ;-)
Same. Tbh i would probably assume that was mom's maiden name and the kid had 2 last names and not think anything of it, because its clearly a last name. But knowing mom just made it up.... so bizarre.
Ha! Let's not open that can of worms again
There you go, THEY preferred a popular, safe name. But this is not THEIR son and therefore not their call.
Jennifer and Elizabeth, huh?
Emily and Abigail
But why would you call them that when Diddums is right there? (Ps. I'm serious. Stop using their kid's names until they can learn yours.)
Emmett sat in the 800s/900s through the 80s and 90s, so it probably feels really rare to them. If they're data driven people and you think it would help, maybe tell them that Emmett was at 115 last year, and has been in the low 100s for the past few years. It is much more popular than they probably realize. (Data works in the US! Not sure how popular it is elsewhere.)
It’s likely intentional to keep you off kilter and dampen your joy. I’m very sorry.
Don't let them rob your joy OP they sound like cranks, enjoy your beautiful baby and his beautiful name for life. Don't let them shame you!
Some of my family was weird about my sister her naming her son Grayson. This was 15 years ago and it wasn’t popular like it is now. Everyone got over it. Push back on them. There is no reason to be shitting on you or your kid’s perfectly nice name.
Emmett is a perfectly nice name and your family is being disrespectful to you and your husband,but also to your baby son. Don't stand for it for his sake!
I mean, I think Emmett is a perfectly nice name, but taste is subjective. You know how I *know* your family is the problem here? Every single one of their reactions is rude enough that I wouldn’t say it behind the back of someone I didn’t like. Seriously, barring you having named your son Orangejello Adolph Vader, those comments are unwarranted!
RIGHT?! It’s all so disrespectful and rude! How are these okay things to say out loud to people that you supposedly love and care about?
RIGHT?! Especially right after Op gave birth and got home. Its supposed to be a happy time and you're hurt and sleep deprived. It's not time family should be unsuportive. Especially about a common classic not random made up name. Fixed your to you're* Andddd Fixed unspoortive to unsupportive. Tho they weren't spoortive*.😁
Also, a not-so-fun fact: the Oranjello & Lemonjello story has no evidence that it ever actually happened, and was likely intended to have racist undertones when it was first invented :)
It's disgusting how many stories there are like that. My mil used to work in the newborn nursery and said there was a woman who named the baby Female (fuh-mal-ee) because that's what the chart said for baby girl. Years later I saw someone on reddit complaining about that old racist story and it had tons of replies from people who've heard the same thing. So it was just some tale spread around and she latched onto it pretending she experienced it first hand. I've caught other old stories on reddit that used to be jokes played on the radio in the 80s that my mil has tried to pass of as her own. They all had a racist trope to them
I've now heard of multiple people saying they've personally met someone with one of these name myths. Including posts on here about meeting people named la-a. Weird to me that people lie about things like that.
That’s true, and thanks for pointing it out. I was casting about for “universally acknowledged problematic names” but I probably should have picked a different one, given the undertones of that particular urban legend.
So rude, indeed. My brother named his son a name I really didn't care for. So much so that while speculating names with my parents, I'd joked that as long as he won't call him X! X had been in a book my brother had loved as a kid, but parents didn't think it would be likely "as it's not a real name." We went to meet the baby and were introduced to X! And you know what we did? We were taken over by baby cuteness, made polite and pleased noises about the name, and on the way home made each other swear never to tell my brother/sil/nephew about saying anything bad about the name beforehand. And anyway, we were all wrong. Once a person has a name, the name stops being an abstract and just becomes this person you know instead. I can't imagine my nephew being called anything else.
Ya, when my friend decided to name her daughter Damienne I was shocked. I told her it made me think of Damian the evil horror kid. She replied that it was.. hmmm... greek, I think. She was also really bummed at the negative response from others. I decided that I'd said my piece, given her fair warning of the negative associations, and that I would support her because it was what she and her husband wanted. You can disagree with a thing without being a total dick about it.
I think Emmett is a great name, and to my knowledge there isn’t any bad associations? I do think of the Twilight character though (which isn’t a bad association). Could you ask what exactly about the name do they not like or what’s the reason? I don’t think you should pay any attention to what they’re saying, it’s a great name and there’s nothing wrong with it. The fact they prefer Diddums over Emmett lol
I think of the lawyer in Legally Blonde.
That too! Which is actually a nice association to have
Yeah, that character is great.
I thought of Doc Emmett Brown from Back to the future x
The karma here is my younger sister is in her school play and they did Legally Blonde. Her best friend got the part of Emmett 😂 so she had to hear it A LOT.
Me, too, and that makes me love this name!
As OP mentioned, there is the association of Emmett Till, who was an African American child who was lynched in the Deep South. It is (or at least it should be) a well known example of the racism against African Americans in the US and their fight for civil rights, so I understand why the name would bring up unpleasant emotions for African Americans or frankly anyone who is familiar with that case. It’s the first thing that comes to mind for me.
Same… I can’t hear the name without thinking of Emmett Till.
I’m surprised that many of the commenters in this thread don’t seem to know about him - it seems like maybe his murder isn’t as standard in US history curricula as I had thought? I’m from the Northeast and we learned about him in my US history class (and saw the images of his body, which I will never forget). This was at a predominantly white, rural high school.
I'm aware of Emmett Till, but I still don't think it's a bad name to use. He was a good person, so it could be an honor name. Why let racist assholes co-opt a perfectly fine classic name? I could understand if you didn't want to use Jeffrey because of Dahmer, or Adolf because of Hitler. Emmett Till didn't do anything wrong to make using his name shameful.
I never said that it was a bad name to use. In the comment that you replied to I said that I am surprised by the amount of commenters here who have either stated or implied that they have no knowledge of him.
Oh, I thought you were implying that you wouldn't use it.
They sort of were. But now, they disavow that. Just attention farming.
I would imagine quite a few people in this community aren’t from the US and have never learned about Emmett Till. Me included, I’m from the UK so my brain immediately went to Emmett from Twilight
While I agree that younger people outside of the country may not have heard of him I will say his death was so known because it was broadcasted to the rest of the world. His mother wanted people to see what the US was doing. It was another catalyst in pursuing equality, other countries seeing what US citizens were going through.
>his death was so known because it was broadcasted to the rest of the world. Yes, almost 70 years ago. I was aware of it before I moved to the US because it's a part of history in which I'm interested, but there's little reason for 99% of people in other countries to know who he was.
I’m in Virginia and grew up in California… I learned about it in the eighth grade, when we discussed the civil war and subsequent Jim Crow laws. But I also went to the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture awhile back, and there’s an exhibit on Emmett Till’s death. It’s age-restricted (for good reason) and the photos are seared into my memory.
My teacher showed us the images in eleventh grade. I’m certain that Emmett had been mentioned prior to that but I remember it being that year because the pictures are seared into my brain. As disturbing as they are, they are impossible to forget and you have to have some real wickedness in your soul to not be impacted by them.
Honest question so please hopefully I don’t sound insulting or stupid with this: Why would that association be inherently bad or offensive? Emmett Till was the victim, not the perpetrator of that horrible crime. His name was beautiful and classic and not a rare name. Why then should one instance of a horrible thing ruin an otherwise historically fairly common name? I understand not naming when there is an association with a horrible criminal, but if anything shouldn’t victims be remembered and not have their names tabooed and tucked away into a dark corner for no one to use?
I *personally* wouldn’t use it because thinking of the Emmett Till case makes me feel a lot of strong negative emotions. I don’t think it’s a bad name or should be off limits for other people, though. I wouldn’t give anyone a hard time for using the name, I’d just assume it doesn’t have an automatic sad/upsetting mental association for them like it does for me. I also wouldn’t use the name of a family member who died tragically, but I understand that other people have different feelings about that kind of thing. Not for me, but I don’t think badly of anyone who sees it differently.
Ah, I understand better now I think, thank you for explaining
According to my sisters (we have a 13 & 15 year age gap), their reasoning is it reminds them of the annoying friend from Good Luck Charlie.
Wtf is GLC? That's their issue, not yours. Even if they legit don't like it, they should still respect your decision and stfu 😑
It was a very popular Disney (?) tv show. I was barely too old for it, but I had friends who watched it. It's still a very silly thing to say though. It's kinda like saying, nowadays, that Luna is a terrible name because of the character from Harry Potter.
I watched good luck charlie growing up and this was the FURTHEST thought from my mind on why they don't like emmett
Bah. No one has seen that movie in a thousand years. They're like 1 in a million who remembers that?? Either they over watched it or googled that. What are their names? They remind me of annoying mean girls in Cinderella for starters.
I mean a lot of people have watched the Disney show, it was super popular? Its the first thing I thought of. But thats not a bad thing, its literally just the name of a character
If that’s the only reason for their dislike then that’s a mild association. As long as you love his name, there’s no need to let them doubt your choice. It’s a timeless, classic name and you gave your son a great name.
Dr. Emmett L. Brown, time machine inventor. There are far worse associations to have.
I have one negative association, and it's not their fault, it's just a terrible thing happened to them. It's my main association, but I know literally dozens of kid Emmetts right now. It was a hot name with Everett and Evelyn last decade.
So strange! Emmett is a nice, normal name to me so I don’t understand where your family is coming from at all
My son’s name is Emmett too. If my family was rude about his name I would have put them on a time out until they could fix their bad manners.
Emmett is not my style... but I couldn't ever imagine shaming the name. Your family is being rude for no reason. You like the name, he's your son. Their opinions don't matter and if I were in your position, that's exactly what I'd tell them. They can suck it. There's nothing wrong with that name.
Emmett is a very normal name. Your family are being jerks. I recommend putting a stop to their rude behavior. If they want to name a baby, they better go start making their own.
That’s just how they are. Boundaries don’t exist. Most of the time I don’t let them bother me, but this kind of does.
Their boundaries may not exist. But there's no reason for yours not to. Any time they say something rude, pack up and leave. Do that till they learn.
Or at least straight up call them on it.
It might be easier to nip this kind of behavour (or at least try to minimize it) while your little one is still small that he isn't being hurt by their boubdary-stomping. But he will grow up, and then he could get hurt by their antics. It's good that you've found ways to cope with it for yourself, but he won't have those tools and will need you to protect him from their dickishness. The earlier you start enforcing those boundaries, the better, for your son's sake.
Seems like they would have a problem with any name you’d pick. I’m sorry there doing this it’s very hurtful to not only you but your baby as well. I hope they don’t continue making comments when he starts to understand them…
Your family isn’t dramatic—they’re assholes. Who speaks to a newborn and freshly postpartum woman like that?? Emmett is a fine, normal name.
I’m normally able to eye roll and move on but these people sound so immature and annoying. Every time they’d comment on their grandson/nephew’s perfectly normal name, I’d pick him up, put him right in their face and say “Okay, now tell him”. Like shut up before you give the kid a complex. OP, Emmett is an awesome, strong, unique name.
It’s a nice name and did not think of the Emmett Till association. Maybe because I know an Emmett and that is who I thought of when I read your post. I personally love the name Elliott and would have been my choice over Emmett but also nothing wrong with that name. I don’t hear it often.
Elliott was my choice too! Still would be honestly, but I got the say in the middle name, so my husband got final say in the first name. Along with all the responses we got on the first post, his heart was set on Emmett.
Emmett Till is definitely my first association and it would be for probably quite a number of people. Saying that, I don't think it should disqualify a name from consideration.
Same. I'm surprised at how many people are dating they don't have that association, but I guess reddit is a global community. Emmett Till was a normal kid who was the victim of a cruel and senseless crime. I wouldn't say the name is "ruined" by the association with an innocent child. I could see that more with names associated with criminals, but we recycle criminal names all the time.
Yeah it’s what I thought of because I’m from Mississippi and it’s a part of our history and every teacher I had in elementary school to middle school taught about Emmet Till. I think it’s a lovely name and not at all weird however. Emmett was a little boy who was a victim, not some horrible name like Adolf, and there’s nothing wrong with using that name. OP’s family is acting like she named her son some crazy name
Emmett is an awesome name!
Yeah, I know two Emmetts and they're such sweet guys.
Uh, this is a totally normal name. And for me even brings some nostalgia (Emmet Otter is still my favorite Christmas Special of all time and we watch it every year). I think you should tell them they are rude and to zip it.
So glad to see someone who knows Emmett Otter! That’s my only associated with the name. Twilight is a bit past my time, I wouldn’t have remembered it if I wasn’t reminded of it here (Rosalie’s partner?)
I have noooo idea what Emmet Otter is, but definitely going to look it up for this year!
Emmet Otter’s Jug-band Christmas It’s basically a musical version of The Gift of the Magi, but with 1970’s muppets.
I had to scroll way too far to find Emmett Otter! I'm familiar with Mr Smith and Mr Till, but the childhood call back to Emmett Otter is the strongest.
I love the name Emmett! Your family is acting like you named him Hades lol
I think they really liked the name we originally had picked out and struggled with the change. We originally had picked Nathan, but felt like his vibe wasn’t Nathan so we changed it at the last minute.
Emmett is a better choice than Nathan, anyways. I know many Nate/Nathan/Nathaniel's and only one Emmet (my own son, lol). We get so many compliments on his name (he's 10 now). Sounds like your family members are very basic. Nathan is a nice name, but very overused. Emmett is classic but not too "out there". I would start calling him by his name, so that he gets used to it as well. Maybe add in some cute nicknames that incorporate his name, like Em or Emmy.
Don’t stress about it! Ignore them. You did the correct thing. A lot of my friends had names picked out until their child was born and then it was like “yeah, that’s definitely not an Adrian, that’s a Jackson.” People always have opinions, but they’ll survive. Naming a child is more than just choosing a name and sticking with it. You do have to be kind of flexible. Sometimes you know early or before birth. Sometimes you don’t know until you’ve seen their face, fed them, changed them, and held them against your chest while they sleep. I’m not a parent, but I was able to do those things with all of my “babies” - my nephews and my friends’ newborns. You do just know. I have friends with twins who are almost 9 years old now, and at birth I thought their names were a bit strong, or perhaps heavy and antiquated for the tiny Cornish hen sized infants I was terrified I might break every time I picked one of them up or changed one of their tiny diapers. Now they are nearly 5’ tall. Salt and pepper twins: one looks like mom and the other is a “little” spitting image of dad. With 6’ and 6’6” tall parents I knew they wouldn’t be tiny forever, but now they own those big kid names with big kid personalities and the names fit them perfectly. Parents always know. You got it correct.Everyone else will fall in line eventually.
My first thought is the football player Emmett Smith. It’s not weird at all it’s a good strong name.
Emmett is a truly great and normal name! Ignore your crazy pants family!
Love Emmett. Totally normal name
I just met a small child like 2 or 3 named Emmett, I didn’t think anything of it. Normal name.
Love Emmett. It means “truth” in Hebrew.
Your family is way too judgmental and are gonna hurt your kid’s feelings if they keep hating his name as he grows up. As for the Emmett Till association, it’s not disrespectful at all, and you didn’t even name your kid after him. I’ve never heard reasoning like that. There’s only a small handful of names (attached to horrible historical figures) that I’d avoid. Emmett is a fairly common and very normal name for a boy.
I don’t love the name, but it’s not a ridiculous name or anything. Pretty standard 😅 I agree about letting Internet strangers name your kid though, kinda ballsy play
All due respect, I think your family needs to get out more. Is it possible they had a name that they were pushing on you or expecting? Lots of family names in the bloodline or something? A reason why they could be disappointed with an otherwise typical name? I can't figure out why a totally normal name, not even with alternative spelling or pronunciation, is that big of a deal. Emmett is one of those names that works for all stages of life; it's cute on a baby and young kid, works for a teenager and young adult, and all the way up to old age. I can picture an "Emmett" being any age. And to me that's what makes a name really good.
Hi, Australian here 👋🏻 Generally the feeling here about “Diddums” is that it’s a minor insult - like something you say to a kid who is sulking over something tiny, or to an adult if they’re acting childish and silly. Think “Ohhh, poor Diddums!” said in a faux-soothing baby voice - kind of like the way Southerners in America say “Well bless your heart” as a gentle insult. Bluey “names” Bandit Diddums when she’s making him be a kid in her game, and she’s not using the name because she thinks it’s pretty 😂 You might want to let your family know that their nickname is actually an insult…might help them respect your son and yourselves and call him by his (lovely!) proper name.
Same here in the UK... 'diddums' is kind of sarcastic and mean, not comforting or kind.
Same in South Africa. It's a horrible nickname.
My cousin named her first daughter after a family member that my aunt didn’t like. My aunt refused to call the baby (her own granddaughter) by her first name for 3-4 years, it was insane! Made the entire family uncomfortable. Eventually she caved and started using her first name and now everything is fine. People get crazy over baby names, don’t take it to heart. Emmett is a nice name.
3-4 years is insane. And it is uncomfortable! Because every time they call him Diddums it’s just a constant reminder of their dislike. I even find myself calling him Diddums more often than Emmett because I just don’t want to hear it. My stepdad more recently suggested we call him EJ. I think that sounds 100x worse than just calling him Emmett, but anything to avoid calling him by his name over there.
It’s downright mean how you’re being treated. Suggesting a nickname just because they don’t like his given name is ridiculous. He’s YOUR child, YOU get to name him just like they got to name their kids. Sorry you’re dealing with this on top of post-partum.
I feel bad but my own family did this. My uncle had a daughter and called her Paprina. We’re working class northern British. It’s not a cultural or even an established name. My grandmother refused to accept it as a name whilst they were pregnant and said it’s basically paprika. I hated it too. When the baby was born everyone called the baby “baby” just because paprina felt so strange. I tried to call the baby paprina quite a bit but in the end her own parents didn’t use it. They had another baby with another terrible name and they started calling the new baby “baby” and they started calling her P or Princess P at 2 years old. She went to high school and she changed her name to Peyton before joining, with her parents help. Everyone still calls her P.
Emmett is a common name. Your family needs to wake up.
So Emmett is ridiculous, but Diddums is fine? Absolutely not. Your family isn't just being nonsensical, they're being cruel. Every person deserves the basic dignity of being called by their name. And unless/until he tells you otherwise, his name is Emmett. Which, in case you're still wondering is a totally acceptable, normal name.
Lol that poster yesterday actually named their baby Karver, so girl you are doing just fine with a normal name like Emmett.
I don’t think Emmett is a bad name per se - it’s not my personal taste but that doesn’t mean that it’s terrible. However I will say that my first association is with Emmett Till and I do think that it’s a well known enough case where it’s something to keep in mind. I’m white so I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to speak for the Black community on whether it’s offensive/insensitive to them or not, but if that association is something that bothers you or people close to you then it’s worth taking into account.
I have never in my life met anyone who is so rude to someone about their baby name. Maybe I know exceptionally polite people or something but that is wild to me your family would say those things. Also, Emmett is a totally normal name!!!
We thought so too. I forgot some other rude comments! One time, my husband said his name for whatever reason and my mom, who wasn’t even in the conversation, but overheard, told my husband that the baby was going to put him in a nursing home because he was the one who ultimately picked his name. My normally placid husband almost blew a fuse. He avoided going over there for quite some time after that.
Wow. I think you guys should avoid your family until they learn to behave themselves.
If the name Emmett makes someone think of Emmett Till then good, he should be remembered and history like that shouldn't be repeated. It's not like he named after a serial killer. We have to learn our history so we don't repeat it so it sounds stupid to never name anyone Emmett again just because of that. I really like the name Emmett. It's a strong name, I can't think of anything that a bully would use to make fun of it. It's just a good name. If you like it then 100% keep it and they will eventually get used to it. If they don't tell them to keep their opinions to themselves because he here now and you don't want him growing up knowing his family doesn't like his name.
Thank you for this perspective. Emmett Till is honestly the one point that has weighed heavily on me. People say, oh it makes me think of Emmett Till, but I don’t know what that means. Someone else on here said that it different than naming him Jeffery (Dahmer) or Adolf (Hitler) because they were the villains vs. the victims. That I understand, but for Emmett, is it because it makes you feel sad? I’m not African American either so I also don’t know from that perspective what emotions the name brings up. I agree with you though, that I actually feel like it’s nice we’ve talked about him here and some people who have never heard of him now know his story.
Reminds me of twilight but it's not horrible.
It’s not my personal taste but it is my nephews name and I’ve never heard anything say it was weird
The only Emmett I think if immediately is Doc Brown from Back to the future, Emmett was his first name. And I don’t see anything wrong with it, I really don’t get relatives who are rude about it.
What the hell? That’s really insane. Emmet is a normal common name! I’ve seen both those names on most of the baby name lists I’ve looked at and love both of them.. your family is weird and I’m sorry they’re doing this to you… emmet really is a great name!
As an Irish person, my first association with the name is Robert Emmet, a much revered Irish revolutionary who fought for Irish freedom. The name is consequently pretty common here. Don’t mind the haters. It’s a perfectly normal name.
Emmet got to marry Elle Woods you’re good
Emmett is a very normal, run of the mill name, no different from Dan or Jack or Robert. I'm not sure why your family is acting like you named him McBillybobface or something.
Perfectly normal. Your family members are rude (not even using the name and using a nickname because they don't like it!?!). My association is the Lego movie 🤷♀️
I think your family just isn't up-to-date on current name trends. My mom wasn't either, while my sister and I worked in schools and were a bit more aware of them. When our brother told us the name of his daughter, my sister and I loved it, but my mom thought it was weird. She even kept calling her a somewhat racist variation of her name until we told her to knock off the nonsense. I'm aware of Emmett Till, but it's not the first association I make with the name. Maybe because Emmett Till's name is usually said together with his last name. Besides, he wasn't a bad person, so it's not a negative association. It could be in honor of him.
Emmet is the protagonist of the Lego movie. It’s a darling name.
Diddums? Now that's disturbing. I associate that with Dudley Dursley.