Wolfgang as a middle name -- lay it on me, DCUMers!

[Anonymous]

Easy for me to say, because it is a close friend of mine, not me, who has chosen this name. She and her husband both (inexplicably) like it, and NO ONE else does. The other day she went to lunch with two acquaintances and when she told them the middle name, they both started howling like wolves. (I chuckled to myself when she told me this).

I'm trying to be supportive, because it is her baby and her choice, but I am concerned that the child will grow up hating his middle name and resenting his parents for choosing it. I had a close friend growing up who HATED her middle name and even lied and put a different name on her college applications because she hated it so much. I'm all for the idea that the only person who needs to like a baby name is the parents, but if absolutely everyone has such strong negative reactions, maybe it is time to rethink, no? (In fairness, she does have two friends who say they like the name).

What say you, DCUM?

[Anonymous]

Are they German? Please say that one of them is German or of German ancestry?

[Anonymous]

I don't like it, but it is just a middle name and probably will not get much use anyway.

[Anonymous]

Middle name? Go for it!

[Anonymous]

Dh is German and I've completely acclimated to such names. I think it's cute, and it's only a middle name and at least it's a legitimate name, not some made up nonsense. I considered a lot of very german names for our dd cause they sounded natural with our last name. Didn't go for it, but to each his own!

[Anonymous]

It's a great name, but I think you need to be German to pull this off. Not just "German ancestry," in the sense that your last name is Miller and you like beer n' brats. Otherwise it's like claiming you're Irish (six generations back) and naming your kid Aoife.

[Anonymous]

I love it for a middle name. I think its a great choice.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's bad, especially because it's a name non Germans are very familiar with.

My cousin has your friend beat, though. He just gave his son Danger as a middle name. Nope, not as a joke. It's on the birth certificate.

[Anonymous]

Ya hear him howlin' around your kitchen door Ya better not let him in Little old lady got mutilated late last night Werewolves of London again

[Anonymous]

Danger beats Wolfgang, but not by much.

It better be a family name, or else that's just cruel.

[Anonymous]

Amadeus, Amadeus, rock me Amadeus.

[Anonymous]

I like it.

[Anonymous]

I'm German, and I don't like Wolfgang. It's common, but in my father's generation (60+). So to me, it is very outdated, without being classic (Mozart notwithstanding). VERY German, not in a good way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm German, and I don't like Wolfgang. It's common, but in my father's generation (60+). So to me, it is very outdated, without being classic (Mozart notwithstanding). VERY German, not in a good way.

This, it's old and not int the "coming back in style" old. I find "American" Germans use it to be foolish.

[Anonymous]

OP here. They do not have any German ancestry that I am aware of. Also, for context, the first name will be Frederick (her late father's first name). So to me, the combination of two Germanic names sounds harsh. As I told her, it's not the aesthetic that our generation prefers (which is long vowels and names that end in -n or -a sounds).