please remember your child will probably live for more than100 years into the future

[southeastastra]

so don't saddle the poor things with silly names

[Olihan]

Is this off the back of Harley, amongst others?

I completely agree.

Imagine them as a balding, middle aged man with a paunch and then decide.

[BroccoliSpears]

I think that the idea that some names are silly and some aren't is already a little old fashioned and will only become more so. When you have a generation of children who have grown up with Milos and Vashtis and Atlantas and Brooklyns alongside the Christophers and Jennifers, they are not going to know or care that some of their friends' names are newer than others, or that their parents think that some of their friends' names are silly.

It's also a cultural thing. Once upon a time in this country you got whole schools of white british children called David and Elizabeth and the like. Now you have so many different cultures and ethnicities and names you have never heard of that no one is really going to notice one little boy who maybe should or maybe shouldn't be called Dante.

[TheNaughtiestGirlIsaMonitor]

Yeah I think it's the parents who snigger!

I went to school with an Omar. I had no idea it was 'foreign' ooo-er 'til I was about 11, and even then, I thought it was Irish for some reason! Because I grew up with one, I still feel it's quite a normal name.

[Clary]

yeah agree with others.

None of my kids look askance at some of the names I think odd. It's just what their friends are called, so what?

[frazzledoldbag34]

I'm interested to know where you draw the line to distinguish a 'silly' name from a 'sensible' name?

I mean, I assume that Mary would be regarded as 'sensible' and Madison (for example) is a bit more modern and therefore potentially 'silly' but who decides that one is sillier than the other?
Just wondering..................
(Although there are obviously some obvious sillies out there (Tallulah does the Hula from Hawaii, Fish, Chips etc) which are so silly as to be off the scale.

[frazzledoldbag34]

Maybe in 100 yrs Madison will be thought of as old fashioned and Mary will be a bit racy and/or common??!! Who could predict?

[zippitippitoes]

in a 100 years they will all be old hat tho?

i think imagining that life expectancy will be 100 is optimistic

the figures for glasgow are currently 54 for some areas

[cheesychips]

Who defines silly?

[frazzledoldbag34]

Well, I don't know, but I think most people would agree that to name twins 'Fish' and 'Chips' is 'silly'.....no?
Other than that don't know where the line is drawn....

[cheesychips]

Well fish and chips wouldn't be my choice but once Summer, India, Skye and River would have been thought ridiculous and are now (largely) accepted.

[frazzledoldbag34]

Well exactly. So I'm interested to hear what the OP would define as a 'silly' name so we can judge comment...

[ThinWhiteDuchess]

Agree with Broccoli re the multi-cultural aspect. Who are we to judge anyway?

[TheNaughtiestGirlIsaMonitor]

Mackenzie for a girl. Or Makenna. That strikes me as silly.

[TheNaughtiestGirlIsaMonitor]

Madison is a perfect example of the point PP was making thoguh. Taht struck me as a masculine, trendy, silly name.

But it was the number 3 name in the US, so it became so mainstream that its origins (Former US president, Avenue, Mermaid) became irrelevant. It doesn't even make people pause for thought anymore, it's just so mainstream.

[Hulababy]

What seems unusual now will seem normal to our children, who are growing up with these names within their normal lives.

Same goes for names at different stages of life. The child just becomes that name, and the name will seem very normal on that person regardless of their age or their status in life.

[southeastastra]

started this thread on a whim, inspired by the harley thread, but do think some silly names are coming up

[Blandmum]

I was quite taken aback at the MN who was seriously considering the name 'Alias' as a name for her child.

I stand by my original view that calling your child 'Otherwise known as' is a bloody stupid thing to do

[spudballoo]

I work with a Honey. It's actually embarrassing to talk to serious, business people and say, "oh could you call Honey and arrange xyz"

I know siblings called Gypsy and Pirate. Just so so so so SO unthinking.

[TotalChaos]

particularly when Elias is very similar, and a sensible name!

[frazzledoldbag34]

Southeastastra - as I said earlier give us a couple of your 'sillies' and 'sensibles' to illustrate your point - interesting to know what other people think of as acceptable / unacceptable......