Any opinions on Harry?

[Renaissance227]

My DP thinks that Harry will forever be linked with Harry Potter and therefore, even though we both like it, we can't use it. Any thoughts?
P.S. There is a strong chance our DC may have to wear glasses as we both do and DP is using this to strengthen his argurment. He also has no alternatives in place in case we don't use Harry!

[Bucharest]

S'OK.
It doesn't set me on fire, but it's not horrible.

I don't associate with HP at all, (and dd is currently reading N3 to me out loud at every spare minute)
I associate it with fairly posh people.

[BrainlessAndWitless]

I like Harry.
As an aside, a friend of a friend going back to when Harry Potter first became popular, really liked the name Harry, but didn't want her son to be seen as "common" so gave him the "proper" name of Harold. I'm sorry if any of you have a Harold I do not mean to offend but oh my goodness Harold, for a newborn baby!!! hahahahaha!

[fruitychicken]

I love it!! Have a nephew named Harry and he is a star!! I always associate names with people I know!! It's a really lovely, 'wee man' name!!! Would never even have thought of Harry Potter!! I would use. Good luck!!

[lovetheoneyourewith]

I don't mind Harry but I prefer Henry and if I wanted a Harry I would definitely name him Henry on the BC not Harold!

[Renaissance227]

Thank you for that everyone.
We both spent at least a month not thinking about Harry Potter until recently and I swear it is someone at work who has put this in my DP's head even though he says he hasn't told anyone the name's we've chosen!
I also like Henry but we have a cat called Henry!

I will fight for Harry because I like it and because I can't think of any better alternatives.
Thanks again [smle]x

[daisybear]

Harry's a lovely name and i wouldn't associate with HP
Its a very popular name though but that might not bother you

[Renaissance227]

It does bother me a bit that it is so popular but we can't think of anything we like as much.
We like traditional English names that preferably cannot be shortened!

[Bucharest]

Now you see,I think Harry is much posher than Henry which I think has been appropriated a bit erm, unposh people.

I'm liking Harry more as this thread progresses!

[Renaissance227]

I do like Henry but have a cat called that!

Glad you're coming to like Harry Bucharest! I think it's cute but can also see a grown man calling himself Harry. It works for both and I like that!

[sparkle12mar08]

It's a perfectly lovely, non-offensive name, and therefore very boring and always very popular. They're ten a penny round here and I would avoid at all costs on that basis alone, there'll always be three or four in a class. The Harry Potter association is strong but it's a decent enough name to outlive that.

[Renaissance227]

So decent but common as muck sparkle?

[mumoftoomany]

There are so many little Harrys around (along 5 in our Beavers group of 19 ) that I'm starting to tire of it a little, tbh. There are so many more lovely names out there imo.

[mumoftoomany]

sorry meant to write alone

[sparkle12mar08]

Renaisance - Yup! That's why names become very popular and frequently occurring - they're nice, decent, average, non-offensive, etc, etc, however you want to put it. But because they're so popular they become very boring, very quickly.

[Renaissance227]

Any suggestions then mumoftoomany? Would love to hear some of the more lovely names out there! xx

[sparkle12mar08]

The Harry Potter association worries me not a jot, and you/DP shouldn't let it worry you either. Harry is a perfectly nice name that will outlast HP a hundred years over. In my personal opinion only, it's just boring, is all :)

[Renaissance227]

Any other suggestions then sparkle?

[atrixo]

I find Harry very common I'm afraid. it's another Alfie type name to me. Henry has much more class.

[mumoftoomany]

I suggest you look at the ONS list of ALL the baby names given last year (or 2009) and you will find lots and lots of lovely names that our outside of the top 100 or even top 250.

[fifipink]

I think its a good English name but i also like Charlie and William so i wouldn't associate Harry with HP, i do associate it with Prince Harry though!!

I wanted to have kittens and call them Harry and Pippa - DP soon vetoed that idea!!

[Renaissance227]

Henry is the name of our cat atrixo!

I don't like any on that list, but thanks mumoftoomany!

Thanks fifipink. I also like William but not Charlie. We didn't choose William because of all the ways it can be shortened, which would inevitably happen!

[sparkle12mar08]

Get a name nook from the library, open a page, point randomly. The names I like won't be the same as the names you like. But for what it's worth, I quite like:
Alexander/Xander
Callum
Willoughby
Noah
Christopher/Kit
Samuel
Richard
Jonathon
Alastair
James
Robert
Benjamin
Benedict
Sebastian
William
Aaron
George
Phillip
Gervase
Hugh
Conrad
Theo

Quite a mix, really.

[rachel234]

Harry is very common and I too find it a little boring, tbh.

[sparkle12mar08]

And for amusemnets sake, some of the more fun boys ones that have cropped up in my family tree over the past 200 years include

Barcus
Aquila
Forest (1890's would you believe?!)
Verdun (1916, homage to the battle I expect)
Jabez
Jervis
Lavender (I kid you not)
Endurance
Obedience

Take your pick!

[Renaissance227]

Have got at least four name books and cannot find a name we both agree on sparkle!
Alexander/Xander - DP's name!
Callum - Yuk, already four in the family
Willoughby - yuk
Noah - Nothing biblical
Christopher/Kit - Far too common, more than Harry
Samuel -Sam for short, NO
Richard -Dick? NO
Jonathon - More common than Harry
Alastair - NO,
James - Not bad but DP hates it
Robert - BOB? NO
Benjamin - Ben? NO
Benedict - Not having a monk!
Sebastian - Had a cat called that and hate Seb!
William - Not bad but too many ways to shorten
Aaron - Evil Shakespearean character and boring
George - I like but DP doesn't
Phillip - Grandad's name but don't like
Gervase - Horrible
Hugh - Grant!
Conrad - Dog's name
Theo - No way

Thanks anyway!