Does anyone not think this is a horrible name?

[notsoclevername]

tbh all i can think of is that song that went 'badger badger badger badger mushroom! mushroom!!' not a great association imo...

Actually, I thought of that video too and I think it's a really amusing video.

Yes, there are some negative associations that go with badger but if the badger is good enough to be the mascot of some teams that means it's considered tough and worthy of respect.

There was that one male poster who said boys would find the name cool and I think he's right to say there is a lack of male perspective on this issue. I'm not male but here's my take on it. I can conceivably see it on a person. It even seems kind of cute picturing it on a little baby. I can see a young boy growing up maybe just a little tougher than his peers but can make a good reputation for himself and the name. He'll know who is real friend are and he'll be just as good and loyal to them as they are to him.

It's just gets a little tough for me to see it on an adult beyond a very outdoorsy lumberjack or mountain dweller type or a southern hick type. I could maybe see it on an artist. It's a little tougher to see it on a businessman before he's at the top (president Badger is easier to imagine than Badger, down in accounting, lol.) But I think he could make the name and not let the name make him. Just raise him right

[redtulips]

If I met a kid named Badger I would a. turn the other way and laugh, or b. make sure I had heard him right. It is really just not a name. Maybe Peregrine, tough animal, but is accepted as a name?

[erose]

I like it, and I could see it on a child and an adult. It doesn't sound that different from the other -er names for boys, and it has a history as a name! I would put a more classic name in the middle spot i.e Badger William or something, just in case he wants to go by B. William when he is older.

I say go for it. Words as names are more acceptable now, and I think of the badger character from the Redwall series by Brian Jaques, and the badger from Wind in the Willows. Both had strong personalities. Yes, people will think of the animal, but when they see *your* son as Badger, Badger he will be. If your husband can't agree on any other name, than use it. Or use it in the middle, with a less distinct name up front.

Better a badger than a mitt or a newt, honestly.

[jendub]

Yeah. Although I am not really into the animal names....Badger would be wrong. I picture a mean, crazy haired, sharp tooth, naughty toddler...who probably bites. I did like the name Bridger that was suggested. And you could have a nickname of Badger, maybe? Just as a cute affectionate name. Not the one he has to use for life.

[brisen]

Well, if it's just your husband who is dead set on it, and you only just like the name but have big reservations about how suitable it is, I would keep looking until you find a name you both like. It's not fair for one partner to be dead set on something and not compromise. (And I'm saying that as the partner who often starts off being dead set on something, and then is glad I had to compromise with my husband after the decision was made!)

If you don't want to give your son a name that people will cringe at for the rest of his life, then you don't want to name him Badger. I can see its appeal; it sounds namey, very similar to Roger, and tough and naturey, two popular name styles right now. But I think of badgering someone; that's a pretty negative connotation. And, yes, people will cringe. If that's an issue for you and you don't like the reaction you're getting after telling people now, you're not going to want to keep dealing with that reaction for the rest of his childhood, each time you introduce him to someone.

Maybe you could look through lists of B-names and find one that is similar to Badger, and use Badger as a nickname for it. (I didn't read all 8 pages, but that has probably already been suggested by now.) With one of our kids, my husband loved the name Moss, but I couldn't see myself putting that on a birth certificate. We almost went with Morris as the given name (family name on my side), planning to use Moss as a nick name. We ended up with a different name entirely, but that compromise would have worked.

[moonbeampie]

I actually know someone who goes by Badger, but their real name is Barnaby, and though not entirely unrelated, you could use it as a sort of far fetched nickname for something more traditional?

[countrylizb]

A famous namesake would be Badger Clark.
http://www.badgerclark.org/