Eleanor, Natasha, Marnie, Deborah or Christabel?

[bridgingtheabyss]

Just wondering what people think of these names, what if anything they associate with them.

Have a list of the top 2000 UK girls' names of 2008 or 2009 and they are ranked as follows:

Eleanor - 50
Natasha - 109
Deborah - 430
Marnie - 593
Christabel - not in top 2000

So bit of a variation in (recent) popularity!

Like everybody else I'd like my child to have a fairly unique name but when I read some of the 'unique' names on this page I cringe - they seem so pretentious.

Thoughts?

[ChippingInNeedsSleep]

but when I read some of the 'unique' names on this page I cringe - they seem so pretentious

Was that really necessary?

I could make a rude comment about how your names appear to me, but I wont, because it would be rude & unnecessary.

[bridgingtheabyss]

Hey, I didn't name names! The very fact that there is a page on Mumsnet to discuss baby names suggests that naming your child is not a straightforward thing and mistakes can be made. If you can't say some name choices are bonkers are here where can you say it?

[bridgingtheabyss]

Sorry, on here.

[frutilla]

I prefer Marnie and Christabel...not keen on the others.

[HoldTouchEngage]

Marnie is not a name i've ever heard and i think i love it!

I completely understand your comment on cringeworthy names, as you've said you've not named which ones

TBH i think you should just go with what you love!

I love Eleanor but couldn't bear Ellie as an nn, nn's often put me off an otherwise 'perfect' name. For me i have to like the nn's as much as i love the 'preferred' name. A reason i couldn't (personally) have Deborah, as i wouldn't like Debbie or Debs for short! or Tasha (Natasha) however i like Christable and the nn's...

[HoldTouchEngage]

apologies Christabel

[bridgingtheabyss]

Love the name Jessica and it's a family name, but when it's no. 6 in the charts and your DP's surname is Smith...

[darlingdds2]

Natasha, Deborah and Christabel are lovely names. All have nice associations for me.

[darlingdds2]

Eleanor doesn't have a good association, but then if it does for you it doesn't matter.

[mathanxiety]

Marnie is one name I can't see the attraction of, for the life of me.

Natasha and Christabel are lovely imo, and Deborah would be quite unusual (but would you be ok with the NN Debbie?)

Eleanor is really popular and there are Ellies everywhere thanks to Eloise, Elise, Elizabeth...

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Love Elinor (with this spelling not your one) and Christabel. Hate Marnie and Natasha. Deborah is okay.

[bridgingtheabyss]

Please say what it is you like/dislike. Marnie, though not that popular, fits in with the trend for names/NNs ending in that 'ie' sound - Ellie, Izzy, Daisy, Mollie etc. I think that sound is easy on the ears and tend to like those names.

Have never met a Marnie in RL (part of its appeal) but have come across two on telly recently - one, the wife of Dominic West's character in The Hour and two, the pregnant girl who Nathan got together with in Misfits. Not heroines but not unpleasant characters either. The characters of people in literature and in RL make a difference to how you feel about a name, right? I quite like the name Daisy but I used to know a real slutty Daisy and just can't shake the association.

[AnotherMincepie]

Deborah and Natasha due a comeback IMHO :)

[JustifiedAncientOfMuMu]

I like Marnie best.

Agree with Holdtouchengage about the shortened forms of the other names.

[dreamingofsun]

love the 1st 3, hate the last 2. thought marnie was short for margaret? surprised eleanor is so low down the list as thought it was quite popular. of course you might do like we did and study the ranking and go to lots of effort to find an original name and have godparents copy you. key thing is you like it...but you have 3 here that are nice

[SarahFim]

Inevitably long names get shortened, if not by you, then by schoolfriends, so

Eleanor, classic but depends if you like Ellie or Nellie
Natasha, lovely, but depends if you like Tasha or Tash (moustache?!)
Deborah, love this name but Debs/Debbie have a very different feel, IMO
Marnie, not keen, sounds "dark" to me, not sure why, also "moanie"
Christabel my fav, gorgeous but do you like Chris, Chrissie, Bel?

[Yama]

Right, you want reasons?

Eleanor - really dislike. Sounds harsh. Nicknames sound weak to my ears.

Natasha - love. Strong, striking.

Deborah - it would be pronounced 'Debra' by most which I dislike. Deborah, if pronounced as such is rather nice.

Marnie - Quite a nice name. Have only ever met one. Don't dislike. Sounds a bit clunky though.

Christabel - Years ago I would have said 'no, no, just no' but now I like it. Think I prefer Christina with the nickname option of Chrissie.

[dreamingofsun]

deborah and christabel are old people's names. i have an old person's name ...its really cruel to do this to a child

[Beamur]

Eleanor reminds me of a girl at school who really should have used deodorant.
Natasha reminds me of another girl who was a bit of a cow...but I love the name,
Deborah - not a name for a child now, I think it needs another generation to pass before it can be cool again. I know several Debs/Debbies and have no issues with the name but it is of my generation.
Marnie is cute and fresh - I know of one little girl with this name and I think it's a delight.
Christabel - bit 'posh'? for me.

[bridgingtheabyss]

If I did go for Christabel (or Christabella) I would shorten it to Christy, which I love. Makes me think of Christy Turlington in the video for Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl'.

The fact that all the Debbies I know are middle-aged women, pretty as the name is, is a bit concerning, think you might be right about Deborah needing another generation in the cooler Beamur.

[PastGrace]

Eleanor - I love. There was one at school who was a "Nellie" which I didn't like, but I like Nell or Nella. Alternatively what about Leonora? It's similar and I think it's beautiful.

Natasha - I love it, but it always seems to be the name given to the bitchy posh pretty women in films which puts me off it.

Deborah - Haven't heard that in ages. I love Debbie

Marnie - just makes me think of the fashion label Marni, sorry. It sounds sweet though - nothing offensive or any aspect of it that I dislike, it just doesn't sound like a person to me.

Christabel - Not a fan, sorry. I don't mind Christina and I don't mind Annabelle but I think it sounds like a name you use if you can't decide on two and so you put them together. I'm also not a huge fan of Christie. I like Belle though, as a nn

[Yama]

Actually Bridging, Christy is a great name.

[ThePoorMansBeckySharp]

Natasha is lovely. The rest are horrible.

[ThePoorMansBeckySharp]

Also, it's Christie Brinkley in Uptown Girl

As you were.