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Which names are would you consider 'too posh/try-hard/odd' to be used?

433 replies

AKMD · 25/07/2011 13:40

Having seen a few names pop up which, when read out to my office colleagues, have caused great hilarity, I was wondering which names poeple on MN generally consider too posh/try hard/odd to be passed off in RL. I absolutely love Arabella but have been told that DH and I aren't posh enough to use it :( Ditto Lucinda.

I have to admit I did laugh at Mungo. Sorry to any Mungos/parents of Mungos out there!

OP posts:
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MelinaM · 25/07/2011 16:34

I don't think it's necessarily 'the name', but the perception of 'the name' by certain people ...if that makes sense!

I personally don't see Lucinda as 'posh', quite the opposite in fact. Arabella is becoming more popular due to the Isabella / Annabelle connection.

Mungo is the patron saint of Glasgow, I rather like it! ..but then I am rather eccentric! Grin

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PukeyRag · 25/07/2011 20:41

I like the names Arabella and Lucinda :) however I would sway more towards Lucinda as school children can be cruel and may shorten Arabella to Arab.

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catinthehat2 · 25/07/2011 20:45

Hamish

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Ringosbaby · 25/07/2011 20:49

Ah I love Arabella. It was our choice for DS2 if he'd been DD2!

As Melina says, its peoples perception of the name...I was at school with a really horrible girl called Lucinda, so while the name is quite pretty I couldn't go there!

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reelingintheyears · 25/07/2011 20:49

Joccasta
Tarquin
Quentin
Araminta
Loads of 'em

I like Lucinda though

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EdithWeston · 25/07/2011 20:50

The truly posh people I know all have normal names.

I have come across some real eye-openers in the "trying too hard" category (especially if alternate spellings are included, and unique names).

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Taffeta · 25/07/2011 20:50

I wasn't allowed Cressida for DD as DH said it was nobbish. Hmm

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reelingintheyears · 25/07/2011 20:51

EdithWeston,are you from Rutland?

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Collision · 25/07/2011 20:51

Cosima
Cassius
Pandora
Lucien
Romilly

Would never use any of these but quite like a couple of these.

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EdithWeston · 25/07/2011 20:58

reeling: whatever gave you that idea? Wink

Not anymore.

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mumzy · 25/07/2011 20:59

If you like the name I'd use it and not think it's too posh for you. I grew up in a northern inner city and went to school with kids called Neville, Horace, Lavinia, Gracia, Xenia (I kid you not) and I never thought their names were posh or anything out of the ordinary

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JemimaMuddledUp · 25/07/2011 21:01

I love the name Ptolemy. In my parallel universe I would have called the boys Ptolemy nn Tolly and Alexander nn Xander. However DH would have divorced me if I'd suggested it in RL.

Disclaimer: I had friends called Tolly and Xander at university and they were completely normal, honest. I also had a friend called Rupert.

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Wallissimpson · 25/07/2011 21:05

OOh, loads of tryingtoohard to be middle clarrs names such as,

Monty
Cuthbert
Casper
Atticus
Quentin
Tarquin
Percy
Cosima
Cosimo

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Wallissimpson · 25/07/2011 21:06

Proppa poshos call their kids William and Jane.

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JoanofStark · 25/07/2011 21:10

Mimi. Awful. Good for a hamster though.

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PaperBank · 25/07/2011 21:16

Portia, Candida, Camilla, Bunty, Hermione, Jemima, Hester, India, Euphemia, Ophelia, Tabitha, Cosima, Araminta, Cordelia, Persephone, Matilda, Lucinda, Augusta

Crispin, Piers, Marmaduke, Digby, Ptolemy, Humphrey, Monty, Rafferty, Hugo, Roderick, Jonty, Pascal, Rupert, St John, Jolyon, Claude, Peregrine, Conrad

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DessertsInReverse · 25/07/2011 21:43

try to hard rather than posh imo would be names with greek or roman overtones eg persephone , ptolemy ,octavia .pre harry potter hermione would have been in this category . they almost feel like people are almost advertising the fact they've studied latin and greek in a look at me sort of way .

girls names with hard vowel sounds eg octavia , augusta , araminta ,georgiana . i do quite like augusta and octavia but they just don't pass the supermarket test and i'm not brave enough .

boys names that contain softer sounding constonants or unusual consonants eg tarquin ,quentin ,peregrine .

also boys names that feel more suited to a pet eg marmaduke , digby ,teddy etc

paperback i'd no longer class matilda as posh maybe 10 or 20 years but now it's well inside the top 100 and probably nudging the top 50

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lockets · 25/07/2011 21:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SpottyFrock · 25/07/2011 21:54

We know a very posh family (old money) through dh's work and their 3 kids are teddy, John and lizzie. With of course, teddy and lizzie being Edward and Elizabeth.

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DessertsInReverse · 25/07/2011 21:59

lockets if i really loved a name i'd use it too regardless of how it was perceived by others . two of our dd's have names mentioned on here just because we loved them not because we were trying to hard be different or are posh iyswim .
likewise jemima is imo a lovely biblical name .i'd have loved to use for dd4 ,if my dsis hadn't beaten me to . in the US it is seen i believe as a slaves name .

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Rhubarbgarden · 25/07/2011 23:05

Leopoldina. I didn't make that up, I just met one.

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Greythorne · 25/07/2011 23:33

Candida
Cosima
Araminta
Allegra
Electra
Arabella
Harriet
Tabitha
Belinda
Santa
Ophelia

Rufus
Peregrine
Tarquin
Cecil
Rupert
Rory
Digby
Maurice
Quentin
Toby
Bartholomew
Charles
Spencer
Columbus
Cassius
Julius
Malachi

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hester · 25/07/2011 23:39

Hester, posh? Really? Shock

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NotADudeExactly · 25/07/2011 23:45

Hmm, so am I right to conclude that anything classical, whether Greek or Roman, is basically out of the question? Shame - I've always quite liked them.

What about if the namesake is a villain?

Clytemnaestra?

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Wallissimpson · 26/07/2011 07:23

Anything wimpy Bash Street Kids like Cecil or Cuthbert are just awful and a little bit cruel.

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