Two additional points. One is mechuyav to make a person feel good about himself, whether or not that is the truth. Remember Kesuvos where Bais Hillel says Kallah Naeh Vachasuda. His reason was if somebody buys something in the shuk, when he brings it home should you make him feel bad about it, or good?
The same with a name. Imagine you are teaching in the public schools where it is common that many of these multinational students have very unusual names. You tell a little girl on the first day of school, Wow, that is a beautiful name. How did your parents give you such a pretty name? You will have made her feel great and put a smile on her face for the whole year. She will probably tune into everything you say the entire year. This is our chiyuv as menschen.
Now even granting that one has some kabbalistic belief or premonition that the name will bring a bad omen, are you allowed to say to a little girl or her Mommy, I think you need to change your name? Obviously not. It will cause terrible pain and hurt. What about the bad omen? Simple–Bahadi Kavshi dRachmana Lamah Lach. One does not conduct himself based on predictions of the future.
This comes from the gemara in Brachos that says that Chizkiya did not want to have children because he foresaw they would be reshaim. The Navi told him the phrase above. It is your job to do your mitzvah, and not worry about Hashem’s secrets.
For the above reasons, I find it almost impossible to believe Reb Chaim could have said such a thing.