Mumsnet Talk

We are sorted for boys names and have narrowed our girls list down to 3 names.

Nellie, Ethel and Mabel.

I have always loved Mabel and it was my great grandmother's name. But I already know 3 others under 5. There's a Mabel in Dd1's class.

I LOVE Ethel. I think it is soft and pretty (i know most people hate it) but don't know if i can handle negative reactions every time i introduce her.

I like Nellie... Am I encouraging her to be picked on? Nellie the elephant/ smelly Nellie?! I like Nell but think it is too harsh sounding for a baby.

LOVE Nell Soft, feminine and oh so cool. Lovely.

What about Esther instead of Ethel - much prettier imo. Not sure about Nellie - I had a friend who called her yellow VW beetle Nellie when we were teenagers! And elephant does spring to mind..

I already have a Hetty so I think Esther is too close

Would prefer Nell. Classic, imo. Nellie just invites a reference to elephants.

Love Nellie!

Have always loved Nellie. Elephants have never crossed my mind...

I think the link with nellie the elephant is quite strong but these things can be overcome.

How about:
Eliza
Elouise
Lillian
Nerys
Violet
Audery
Vivienne

She may get teased a bit too much for having an OAP name.

Nella, is daughter on kelle Hampton blog, I think it's a lovely name and music relatef

Sorry but Nellie is a no-go, I have a friend who called her DD Nellie and everyone that heard it (outside of her earshot!) said 'like the elephant?! - not being deliberately cruel but surprised. Ethel and Mabel are pretty though

Nellie Olsen was a right cow.

I do like Nelly Furtado though, so that kind of balances it out..?

I'm not a fan of diminutives used as full names, Nellie is short for Ellen or Eleanor, so give her the full name and see which nn works best for her.

My mum was named Mabel absolutely hated it (1930's child) she always called herself Cathy .. Eleanor is a beautiful name in my humble opinion

Lol @ Nellie Olson, glad I wasn't the only person to immediately think of her! Definitely prefer Nell.

All quite trendy at the moment and all absolutely horrible in my opinion. When there are so many beautiful names in the world how anyone can saddle a child with the name Ethel is beyond me.

Nellie = Nellie the elephant to me, sorry.

Also, we bought a CD of childrens songs to keep DS amused in the car a month or two ago, and that features Nellie the Elephant. So it's not like the song has faded into obscurity.

If you thnk that Nell's too harsh for a baby, maybe Helen / Ellen / Eleanor instead? Nell's a nickname for all those.

Not that keen on Mabel or Ethel either.

nn for Penelope?

Elephant. Sorry.

Not on your Nellie! My grandmother's name was Ellen but my grandfather called her Nell, never Nellie.

Love Nellie and Nell.

I never understand the negative reaction against Ethel - it's really cute, really pretty, really soft, and gorgeous. If you love it, go for it - I think it would be so cute on a toddler and people's negative reactions would melt once they saw her.

Nell is also pretty, esp as a nn for Eleanor? Not keen on Nellie.

You might know three Mabels, and I know one, but really - look at the baby name lists, it's not popular at all in the grand scheme of things.

Go with your gut

Nellie the Elephant is the first thing I thought. Ethel is just awful, old lady name and I would hate to be called that and for a teenager I imagine it wouldn't be much fun. Not keen on Mabel but the best of a bad bunch.
Why are these old lady names so popular they are just horrible?
It's ok if you can handle it when she is little, but please think about what it will be like for her when she is a teenager and adult.

Nell = death knell for me, sorry.

Ethel = not ready for a comeback yet. Just think of the reaction Lily Allen had when she named her daughter Ethel! And she's a celeb and they can get away with odd choices - she was heavily criticised! No one is cool enough to carry off, Ethel, sorry.

Mabel = the best one.

There are plenty of granny chic names a million times nicer than Ethel. For example, Ada, Agnes, Annie Delia, Edith, Elsie, Eugenie, Ivy, Jemima, Lillian, May, Olive, Rosa, Sylvia, Winifred.

Quite like Nellie as a nickname for something sensible like Helen.

I think the Just William TV adaptation from a couple of years ago did a lot to help Ethel - and it helped that the woman who played her was seriously gorgeous.

And.. <whispers> .. I rather like it

<runs>