Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is Amelia really that bad?

209 replies

FleursDeFilles · 15/05/2024 02:02

We named our DC Amelia because it worked well with English speakers, DH's non-western background and also my heritage. We get lots of compliments for it too. But then the other day I read a thread on MN about naming a baby Amelia. And it sounds like it's a very overused name. I'm so sad. I really didn't realise it was so overdone and common right now.

YANBU - Amelia is a nice name
YABU - Amelia is a rubbish name

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
MsLuxLisbon · 18/05/2024 14:14

It's a beautiful name, not 'unique' (for which, read chavvy!) I love it.

Marine30 · 17/05/2024 19:36

pollymere · 17/05/2024 09:21

I like any name that is spelt and pronounced correctly. Amelia is beautiful.

I taught three Saiorse... One was Sir-Sha, One Seer-sha, One Sir-See... 🤦‍♀️

And if I teach one more Lily-May/Lillie-May/Lily-Mae I'll scream 😂

hyphen names; just no

BrightonFrock · 17/05/2024 16:23

May/Mae has become to go-to middle name of the past couple of decades. When I was growing up it was always Louise or Victoria.

pollymere · 17/05/2024 09:21

I like any name that is spelt and pronounced correctly. Amelia is beautiful.

I taught three Saiorse... One was Sir-Sha, One Seer-sha, One Sir-See... 🤦‍♀️

And if I teach one more Lily-May/Lillie-May/Lily-Mae I'll scream 😂

DreamTheMoors · 17/05/2024 02:35

@FleursDeFilles

I know exactly one girl named Amelia and actually she’s old enough to be a grandmother now.
She was a darling girl from a lovely family and although I haven’t seen her in awhile, I’m sure she’s still darling.
There will always be somebody somewhere complaining about something - don’t let them get you down.
100% of the Amelias I know are delightful. ❤️

BleedingMeDry · 17/05/2024 01:51

There are so many spellings too, so that should help with school ids and nicknames and stuff like that :)

babyOnly · 17/05/2024 01:47

I love the name Amelia. It was my Nana’s name and is one of those names that really stands the test of time and stays popular as it’s so pretty.
it can also be abbreviated in lots of ways. I know Amelias who are Millie, Mel and Lia.

Original poster
FleursDeFilles · 17/05/2024 01:22

Thank you all for your lovely replies, I feel lots better. We do love the name!

Some things I wanted to clarify that lots of people mentioned - I don't know why common or overused made me feel like it was a bad thing, maybe just the way people were talking about it on the other thread made me feel like it was a bad thing. I myself have a difficult to pronounce name and didn't want that for my DC.

The PP's mentioning Enid Blyton's Amelia Jane made me remember a time and feelings of my childhood I'd completely forgotten about!

Thank you all again :)

OP posts:
Proudmummy67 · 17/05/2024 00:55

I think Amelia is lovely and it was top of my girl's list too but I had boys.

I also debated it over it's popularity. But I have been a teacher for 10 years and taught 3 Amelia's maximum in that time (all lovely). My 3 year old has no Amelia's in his nursery and my baby hasn't met any Amelia's in his baby classes.

Olivia in comparison - I've taught loads. Once I had 5 in one class.

I don't think it will be everywhere and it's a gorgeous pretty name, so use it :)

BrightonFrock · 17/05/2024 00:52

GoodEggy · 16/05/2024 21:11

I work in a two form entry infant primary school. We have one Amelia out of 180 children. It's not that popular.

I don’t think you can judge that on the basis of one school. I’d never met a Lorna until I went to secondary school, where there were two in my class. There were two more in my tutor group at uni. The name obviously had a bit of a “moment” around the time I was born for there to be that many - I just hadn’t come across any personally until I was 12.

HRTQueen · 17/05/2024 00:48

It’s a lovely name that is why it is popular

why does anyone need to think outside the box 🙄 for a child's name

KM123456 · 17/05/2024 00:12

It's a pretty name, easy to spell, works in different languages and cultures, can be fun, dignified, and carries no label with it. Also has lots of different nicknames if you want, but works fine as is. Great name.
If you want to see batsh*t crazy names look at the "tragedeigh" reddit sub, where millenials who want "unique" names burden their kids with horrible , trashy, pretentious names that no one can spell or pronounce.

eastegg · 16/05/2024 23:33

The whole thing about not going for popular names is weird. My eldest has a name scoffed at on MN for being boring. Classic/ageless/international/always high in the rankings. And yet there wasn’t a single other one right through all baby and toddler groups and right through primary school and all sports clubs and activities. Now at a massive secondary of course there are a few but it was crazy how we didn’t know any for years.

Meanwhile, you can’t move for Otises. Always makes me think of earwax removal.

adviceneeded1990 · 16/05/2024 22:54

It’s a lovely name! I’ve been teaching eleven years and only taught one Amelia so I wouldn’t say it’s overly common either!

LoveBluey · 16/05/2024 22:41

It's pretty and also works well for a teenager and adult.

Of my 7 year olds contempories I only know one Amelia but about 5 Wiillows and 3 Edens and 4 Jasmines. All names that I wouldn't have thought were that popular.

Redfin17 · 16/05/2024 22:23

It's nice! Very popular, but if you don't mind that then so what? You could say the same about Olivia, Oliver, Sophia, Lily, Theo, William... the list goes on! But they are all perfectly nice names and no one else has to choose a popular name if they don't want to - plenty out there! As long as you like it, ignore them. :)

wineoclockpamela · 16/05/2024 22:02

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines - previously banned poster.

WestSussexWitch · 16/05/2024 21:54

When I had my kids many years ago I don’t remember all this drama about names. Amelia is a beautiful classic name. I only know one and she’s a late teen.

canyouseemyhousefromhere · 16/05/2024 21:43

I work in a school with about 300 girls in it & we have 2 Amelias. It's a pretty name, don't worry about the people who think you have to call her something like Izcalli or Petrol.

GoodEggy · 16/05/2024 21:11

I work in a two form entry infant primary school. We have one Amelia out of 180 children. It's not that popular.

Notquitefinishe · 16/05/2024 21:04

Massively area dependant. Lots of other popular names are popular here (Ava, Phoebe, Isla etc) but I've only ever come across one Amelia and one Olivia as both a mum and a teacher. I just think there's no judging it; I've taught classes where the duplicate names have been names I've never come across until 2 children with the same name came along at once.

Ilovecleaning · 16/05/2024 20:48

It’s a lovely name. Don’t fret. 🌺

theotherfossilsister · 16/05/2024 20:34

I adore it. I think of Amelia Sedley in Vanity Fair, who has this amazing character arc from total wet blanket to really mature woman

ironblancmange · 16/05/2024 20:18

Friends named their daughter Amelia and she calls herself Meals.

ToxicChristmas · 16/05/2024 20:17

ThatsIllegal · 16/05/2024 20:13

Just cackled at this because my little girl is called Ottilie 😂

Show quote history

I love Ottilie!!