Mumsnet Talk

I am not thinking of Paris, Brookyln etc but or DS is named after a small village in the north with a slight spelling change. Any interesting place names you think would work for a boy, don't have to be from this country but not one you need to pronounce with an accent. Awaiting with interest

Chester

Somerset
Devon.

Norfolk

Coll
Arran
Kyle
Keith
Leslie
Harris
Lewis

I know of a Hallam (as in Sheffield) which I think is kinda cool.

Nempnett Thrubwell?

I knew a Finchley. That was nice & got called Finch for short

Lewis
Coll
Arran
kendall
Aston

Crikey and Katolla made me laugh - reminded me I met brothers called Devon and Ambrose before. Their mum had real cravings for custard both pregnancies. I prefer the names that don't already seem like a name.

notnagging Finch just makes me think 'Shit break'!

As in American Pie.... don't know if that's stating the obvious or not!

Denby
Dale
Tobermory
Coniston has always sounded like a man's name to me
Ashton
Leigh
Beverly
Willerby

Popsicle Me too

finch = The Office.....

Or you could actually call him a name designed for people? Rather than a town or a dog or a geographical feature?

Orinocho
Wellington
Bulgaria
Tomsk

Ds1 was nearly called Carrickfergus, but that was after many hours of gas and air and morphine. His birth certificate contains a far more conservative selection of names.

Orlando

Arf @ Wellington! imaging shouting that in the park haha!

I think town names that already sound like names rather than ones that don't would be better...imagine in 20 years time, your DS introducing himself to his new colleagues as Middelfart Smith (real town in Denmark) or something else that equally doesn't sound like a name?

Ashton
Leigh
Devon

All nice names and names of places...

Forres, Nairn, Jericho, Rio, Lundy, Sydney

That's how we attempted to name our kids - we were really struggling,so we just stuck a pin in a map (of Scotland) No 1 son was almost Ross or Moray or Blaven, he ended up Craig. with No2 son we kept getting the tops of Mountains so we flirted with Cairn for a few days - but weren't quite brave enough as it sound a bit like Karin (pr Kay rin - the name of a female friend) in our accent.

I like Devon, Harris and Lewis, but can't really say any of the others sound like a good idea to me.

I know a child called Arran, I assumed his parents couldn't spell properly.

We amused ourselves with places of conception for a while- but we decided that Cahirciveen and Arbutus Lodge would be a bit hard to live with.....

Seeker it could have been worse-
Lyracompane or
Termonfeckin

It's actually not that unusual to be named after a place in Scotland - back in the days when every 2nd person was called Donald or whatever - naming them by the village or street or hill they lived near became a way of telling the various ones apart.

Lucca

Arran is the correct spelling for the Isle of Arran (in Scotland).

I've known a Lorn and a Brodie, both specific places, and a Munro (mountain over 3000ft). Angus is a region in Scotland and I once taught a boy with Sutherland as as middle name but I think that was a family name, not the area.

Most of the others (Harris, Lewis etc have already been mentioned.

Lorne,
Blair
Ben
Dornoch
Hawick
Ecclefechan

We once had a guinea pig called Ecclefechan, and another one called Prestwick!

finch: to kill a monkingbird

Great guinea pigs there weegiemum

ooh - Clyde, there's another one!

Indiana
Phoenix

Jackson
Dallas
Denver
Austin

If I was going to use a place name, it would have to be something that meant something to me or somewhere I liked or something.

That's why we nearly had Blaven or Blà Bheinn as it's one of the most beautiful mountains on Skye.

I was brought up in a place called Abram and have met 2 people called that (and a dog!)

If I chose place names that mean a lot to me, I would have children called Wimbleball, Gnejna, Siracusa, and Canterbury.

I don't know if this is an urban myth but the popularity of Devon as a male name among American baby-boomers is owing to GIs being based there during WW2.

Douglas
Preston
Alban
Kent
Crosby

Slough?

That's an eclectic mix seeker

At last most of mine would be Scottish but a lot of them would be unpronounceable as names because they are Gaelic. Given free rein my OH would have named them after mountains and he wanted to spell Craig, Creag.

Corby
Marlow
Harlow
Ashby
Kendal
Crosby
Bingley
Eton
Ramsey
Sutton
Bruton
Haxby
Blaise
Jarrow
Penryn
Thatcham

seeker

My special place names would be Benidorm, Barrow-in-Furness and Puerto De La Cruz... Classy I know! Bennie, Barry and Puerty...

I think I must be older than all of you as I see you have missed my reference to Womble names. They choose their name from a world atlas that had been found on Wimbledon Common.

Carlisle.

Might be a bit too Twilight though.

Staines.

cece - it was the absence of Madame Cholet that threw me

I had a friend at university who always said that she was going to have three children named her three favourite words- Wireless, Carpet and Vladivostok. I lost touch with her 30 years ago- I do wonder what her children are called!

I knew an Australian guy called Kent.

I was asked for boys names and Madame Cholet is a lady

Lentil - I think you'll find that is Staines-Upon-Thames

cece - I don't think she was a lady, living with all those rampant wombles

Oh I never saw that episode

Jarrow
Houghton
Blyth
Chilton
Brockley
Can you tell i live up north!?

Wooton
Henley
Arden

Lentil - I like your thinking

Warwick? Roehampton? Hampstead?Alfreton? Alnwick (pronounced annick) ? Alton? Amesby? Barnsley? Barrow? Bawtry? Beccles?Bentham? Bexley? Bradley? Bury? Calne? Chard?Colford?Colne?Corby? Darwen? Dursley? Filey? Filton? Fleet? Harlow? Harrow?Hedon? Hessle? Hinckley? Jarrow? Lewes?Lydney? Marlowe? Millom? Morley? Neston? Newlyn? Ossett? Prescott? Ramsey?

Sorry more to come.

Maggie, your MN name is magnificent in certain MN listings - all hills and valleys - up with the Ms and down with the ggs.

cece, you are quite right! But MN namers don't like hyphenated first names!

Rayleigh? Rowley? Royston? Selby? Shildon?Tadley? Thame?
I really like the concept and if I was going to have future children it is one I would employ.
Sadly, I'm not having more children so I am having my fun now.
I think there is a few good'uns in there, though in my head most seem to require a northern accent, for some strange reason!

But where does it come from Screaming?
I will be amazed if you know!

My dad is merry which is Cornish, it can be used as a boys name and is spelt Merin or merrin for a boy

Not merry merryn bloody auto correct.

Merryn is lovely, I think my fave in the ones I posted is Thame.

Yes it us lovely, we visited the village merryn when we were on holiday this year, well we drove through it!

Thame makes me think of thane which is also a name but don't know if its a place?

If we are allowed Geographical features
Trent
Seven (like Harper)
Bryn (hill in welsh)

Heath
Weston
Camden
Colston
Lewes
Lincoln
Lester
Santiago
Barry
Billericay

I know a Durham. Though spelled differently due to indian descent.

So presumably you don't actually know a boy called Durham. You know a boy whose name, in one of the languages of the Indian sub- continent, sounds, to English speaking ears, a bit like Durham. Not quite the same thing!

Thought of another - I've heard of a Merrick (name of a hill in Southern Scotland) It's a nice name but you may get the association with John Merrick.

James Cracknell has a son called Croyde

I think Warwick is a great name for a boy. Knew someone with the name once and thought it was very appropriate.

Ayton
Carlton
Danby
Robin (Hood's Bay)
Linton
Dalton

They are just an odd selection of North Yorkshire villages so there may be something to take your fancy. To be honest, I would suggest just having a good look at a map to see if anything jumps out.

Logan

We started TTC in Canada and gave our 'imaginary' children a local place name. For the boy it was Revelstoke - nickname Revy! (Girl was Louise after Lake Louise)
Am now pregnant and the family are thinking that we might be serious as we still refer to Revy or Louise!

Seeker - He changed it by deed poll from Dharam to Durham when he moved to England as he preferred the Anglicised version. So yes, I do know a Durham.

dunstan or leonard stanley - both real places and great boys names

I used to go to mother and toddlers with a woman who named her son Glasgow Mckenzie. It even made the local news.

There are some really good choices there. Really like Brodie, Meryn, Indiana and Denver but not sure DH will agree. 3 of you actually listed DS's name which was a real surprise to me. We just thought it might be nice to follow suit with names.
Have worked with kids all my life so choosing names that don't remind me of (most of)them is tricky.

I also know an Arran, VBisme, wonder if it's the same one?? He was definitely named after the Scottish island so it's not that his parents couldn't spell Aaron (which I would pronounce with a long A, anyway).

DH says that if he ever got cats, he would name them Scratchwood and Tibshelf (after service areas on the M1) <irrelevant>

I know someone with a Sawrey, after a place in the Lakes. Not my cup of tea I'm afraid!

I used to work with a Paris.

DD and I both have (different) middle names of places of significance to us. DD's also has the benefit of being a fairly common girl's name (Hope).

Audierne, Lannilis, Scaer, Lorient, Erquy, Lannion, Morlaix, Iroise?

Nazaire, Ferrand, Clermont, Lyon, Toulouse, Reims, Troyes?

Ripley
Domingo
Moseley
Cuba
Tennessee
Kingston
Sheldon
Scilly
Santiago
Oslo
Colombo
London

My neighbour is called Devon. DD went to school with an Orlando but his father was South American.

All depends on your surname though. If you're a Jones then you might get away with Ripley but not Colombo....

Drastic, wouldn't go for Indiana either if surname was Jones.
Thanks for all the great ideas folks. Like Orlando but prob because I fancy Mr Bloom (not from the allotment!) Will try some of these on DH and see how he feels