My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Baby names

Sybil....what kind of vibe do you get from it?

54 replies

JanuaryJuniper · 18/10/2015 22:46

From reading old threads it certainly seems to be love it or loathe it.

I'm really loving this name at the moment. For me I think it has a quirky yet timeless vibe. I think it would be so sweet on a little girl yet perfect for a woman.

I also love the unusual sound it has iykwim?

Do you think it goes well with Eli & Aphra?

TIA

OP posts:
Report
DramaAlpaca · 18/10/2015 22:51

It's a name that's grown on me recently & I love it. Quirky & timeless is a good description. I love Sybbie as a nn, as in Downton Abbey Smile

It goes very well with Eli & Aphra.

Report
UrbaneF0x · 18/10/2015 22:53

like it. sister to a nancy or an edith or a hazel or a lois
that kind of vibe

Report
gymboywalton · 18/10/2015 22:53

well..either sybil from fawlty towers or split personalities
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil_(1976_film)

it's certainly not a name i would tihnk was cute or nice for a new human being

Report
MaisieDotes · 18/10/2015 22:54

I find it really difficult not to picture (and hear) Prunella Scales in Fawlty Towers- which is a shame because the name itself is beautiful and actually quite elegant.

Report
IHaveBrilloHair · 18/10/2015 22:55

Old lady with cauliflower perm.

Report
AbeSaidYes · 18/10/2015 22:56

I always think of that thing with Sally Fields about the woman with a multiple personality but I do like it and the shortened Syb. I might be a bit weird though because I think Gertie is a lovely name.

Report
Theimpossiblegirl · 18/10/2015 22:57

I agree with the Sybbie from Downton connection, it's a lovely name.

Report
CultureSucksDownWords · 18/10/2015 22:58

I do just hear Basil Fawlty saying it in that particular manner, and then that's all I can think about. It's actually a nice name, but I think a certain generation and older would always think Fawlty towers.

Report
JanuaryJuniper · 18/10/2015 22:58

Ha, I don't mind the old lady thing, they were all little girls as some stage and hopefully a little baby will live long enough to be an old lady!

Love Prunella Scales, so that isn't a negative either!

Smile

OP posts:
Report
JanuaryJuniper · 18/10/2015 23:00

Oh yeah LOVE The nn Sybbie!

OP posts:
Report
celtictoast · 18/10/2015 23:04

Sybil and Syb are both due a comeback I think. Similar vibe to Sylvia, Edith, Ivy.

Report
Lj8893 · 18/10/2015 23:06

I automatically thought of the multiple personality disorder film too! That film scared me!

Report
Salmotrutta · 18/10/2015 23:09

I like it but I like Sybilla more I think- sounds a bit softer in a way?

Report
hairbrushbedhair · 18/10/2015 23:13

I thought of the MPD woman, sorry

Then I thought of the comedy Roseanne. She reminds me of someone called Sybil Confused

Report
NoMoreMarbles · 18/10/2015 23:15

My mum had a cockatiel called Sybil... Not a name I would choose for my own little girl but it isn't one I would have a huge negative reaction to.

Speaking as a woman who was given a classically old lady name, I have another 40 years before I fully 'grow into' my name and there has barely been a day where I don't wish I was given a more modern/young/contemporary sounding name... I could change it, yes but it would really hurt my mum so I don't think about it. I would urge you to think about how you think a child saddled with such a marmite name would feel when the name goes out of style again

Report
LetTheRiverAnswer · 18/10/2015 23:26

It might just be my accent, but it's a name I find hard to say nicely. I had a great aunt Sybil and when my family said it it the way it sounded was very ugly - sort of Syb-ool. It might sound nice in different accents though!

Report
Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 18/10/2015 23:55

I think it'd cute.

Report
Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 18/10/2015 23:57

Are you considering this name. January. If so you should definitely go for it. Not many little Sybils about now

Report
Sophronia · 18/10/2015 23:58

I like it, think I prefer the original Sibyl spelling though.

Report
squoosh · 18/10/2015 23:59

It's one of those names I'd have recoiled in horror at ten years ago but now really like.

Love Sybbie.

Report
Sophronia · 18/10/2015 23:59

Sibylla is nice too.

Report
TheNewStatesman · 19/10/2015 03:36

I just don't like the sound of it--"Sibble." Like "wibble" and "quibble."

How about some variant on Cecily?

Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

CakeRattleandRoll · 19/10/2015 04:55

I'm of the generation that would automatically think Fawlty Towers.

Report
smartyclogs · 19/10/2015 09:05

I really don't like it.
Old lady, blue rinse, curly tight perm.
I know all these old lady names are in vogue right now and I personally don't like the majority of them. Sybil is particulary awful.

Report
JanuaryJuniper · 19/10/2015 09:06

Yes iliveinalighthouse this is definitely moving to the top of the list, ttc has commenced so very excited to start thinking about names again!

OP posts:
Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.