Mumsnet Talk

I would love to use Barbara as a middle name after my mum. I think I've chosen Lucy as a first name. What do people think of Lucy Barbara?

Lucy Barbara is just lovely. I really like it.

I think it's fine as a middle name. Does your mum like it? Mine is Barbara too and hates it, so would have been mortified if we'd used it for DD.

No to Barbara

Yes to Lucy

Not keen I'm afraid. I know someone with a middle name after a family member, Dorothy in her case, and if it's not a nice name in itself, whoever you're named after, it's just not a nice middle name to have.

Sorry.

I think Barbara is a nice name! It isn't very now so, ok, I wouldn't have it as a first name, but it isn't inherently awful.

Aww thanks, YouCanDo!

If it's not a first name, Barbara is fine. It's not a horrible name, but can be hard to live with as a child if people wind you up about 'Barbie' (not that I'd know, obviously...)

Seriously, though, people have always told me that it is cute to have such an unusual-for-someone-my-age name. It is a good name if someone is going to be spending much time abroad, because it is used in so many languages.

If you don't want to use the name itself but want to refer to it, there are a lot of different variants. I like the eastern European ones like Basia and Varya.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_(given_name)

thanks badtime is your name Barbara? ;-)

Might be...

I think it sits very well in the middle spot with Lucy. Good call.

I think it's lovely and middles names should be meaningful......I know you probably wouldn't.......but......I think Babs is soooooooo cute as a nn!

Barbara is actually a lovely feminine name. A lot of us associate it with our middle aged women due to us knowing so many of that age. But our children won't have those associations.

Barbara Lucy or Lucy Barbara are both lovely!

You might think me odd for saying this but I like the name Barbara a lot and could be tempted it to use it should another dd come my way. There'd definitely be no Barbie's though, but I have no problem with Babs, like Wonky Willie I think it's a very cute nn.

I LOVE Barbara. I don't really understand comments along the lines of 'It's not very current'... I love kids with names that sit just off balance with the rest of their generation. I wanted DD to have Patricia but the abuse was just ridiculous.

I am sorry to say, I hate Barbara - it's just awful.

I'd put it with Maureen, Mavis and Pauline. To me they are ugly names that women in their 70s have.

If you must.

I doubt your dd will thank you though, sorry.

It's my middle name, I hate it. Don't do this to your daughter! ( having said that, I think I went through a brief period, in about 1987, where I asked my parents to refer to me as Babs, I was about 8 at the time though )

You're a different generation though. A generation ago, calling your kid Ethel, Norah or Maud was considered awful, yet it's pretty normal now. Barbara could easily be one hell of a cool name in 20 years.

Thanks for your comments guys, I love the name because it has lots of personal meaning to me and if I give it to my child, she's bound to love being named after my mum as shes such a special person and thats the most important thing :-)

My little granddaughter is Barbara Virginia, it suits her, we love it.

I think Lucy Barbara sounds lovely, a bit Chalet School.

And as sure as eggs are eggs Barbara will be an uber trendy name 20 years from now. Go for it!

I don't actually like the name Barbara but I think the meaning behind you choosing the name is absolutely lovely and is reason enough for you to use it.

My middle name is my gran's and it's a very plain name but I like being named after someone, so I say go for it. FWIW I like Barbara a lot more than some of the current it names.

Fine middle name.. I think it's really nice to have one with a meaning rather than a common place one.