AIBU to be angry about comments on my granddaughters' names?

Oh dear.

Absolutely. Couldn't agree more.

Well she only said it because they have that type of name! Don't call kids silly names if you can't cope with the fallout!

Oh go get a sense of humour!
Why is it always the people who use unusual names who get the abdabs when anyone comments. If you are sensitive( shown by your defensiveness when asked what their names are) then call them proper names. Simple!

"Showgirl names" doesn't sound like a compliment... only you know how it was said of course but why comment on kids' names at all? Comments that are slights dressed up as jokes show the heart and mind of the commenter. When people show you who they are believe them... I'd give them a wide berth, personally.

Isn't that the reaction the parents wanted when they chose the names Roxy, Lola and Ruby? Or else you would have picked names like Orla, Erin and Freya that make less of a statement.

Actually now that I think about it - Roxy, Ruby and Lola were all in Eastenders.

They are all popular names and I don't really understand the showgirl reference. I've always assumed Ruby is named after the gemstone and it has been around for generations.

Well I never thought about the names as "showgirl " . Sixty years ago I had a friend Lola who would be over a hundred now . There are a few Roxanne's (Roxy) mid fifties in my area probably named after the song by the Police . Ruby is an old name much like Pearl . Both were aunts names in the 1950's. I think they are all lovely and the friend needs a head wobble .

surely ANYONE who calls their three daughters those names has thought they’re glam theatrical showgirl names!''

Yes, I think the DD - a ballerina - has been going for a performing arts vibe.

Nonetheless, it was rude of the lady to cast a judgment of any kind.

Maybe OP just tell her the comment has stuck with you and you feel hurt by it? She may surprise you with her explanation.

Ruby is actually loved on MN.

I notice that because I am personally not a fan as it makes me think of Ruby Wax (who is perfectly nice, but just not my idea of a little girl).

Lola is quite sweet in the Charlie and Lola dvds.

Roxy sounds really tough to me, more than showgirl, but also like the sort of character that might have been in that very retro FAME series.

But none of them are really unusual these days.

I like the names; they are also showgirl names. Lola is Copacabana; Roxy is Roxie Hart; Ruby is the name for quite a few burlesque artists!

honestly, given the songs “Whatever Lola Wants”/the Kinks’ “Lola”, “Roxanne”, and “Ruby Tuesday”, showgirl isn’t bad. Maybe she shouldn’t have said it but surely ANYONE who calls their three daughters those names has thought they’re glam theatrical showgirl names! It’s like taking your grandsons Solomon, Tobit, and Isaiah round and being offended when someone says “those are very Old Testament names…”

So if it wasn’t an insult what is wrong with Roxy or Lola as a name?

Norhing. But names can have connotations (these can change over time/apply in different circles or circumstances etc etc). And you are upset because someone has pointed out what those names connote to her, which lost have agreed demonstrates a lack of manners (or at least, lack of filter) on her part. But many names are like that. If the girls were Elizabeth, Alexandra and Mary, people would be saying “ooh - very regal and queenly”. If they were Victoria, Geri and Melanie, people would say “ooh - like the Spice Girls”. You get the drift. Your friend was a bit tactless, but I don’t think it should be seen as more than that on any level.

My cousin & their spouse named both thier girls really awful names, and I assumed they’d grow on me… they haven’t .. and it’s been more than a decade… I wouldn’t say I didn’t like the names though. Although I think most of the family have privately commented!
We can’t all like all names. I think some people comment before they think..
No point being furious after the event though

FWIW @Ellenay I love all three names. I agree with you that this woman should have just kept quiet, it was rude to comment in any way that might have been interpreted as negative. It sounds to me like it’s her problem, she’s got a spiteful streak because she feels inadequate.

I would have assumed “Roxy” was a nickname for Roxanne. I think all three names are fine. As a teacher, I’ve encountered far, far worse. A friend of mine named her daughter “Edna” after the grandmother who raised her. People gave her a hard time. Edna herself has no problem with it.

I know a few kids with those names, I like Ruby especially. It was a mean comment with the intention of putting you down when you were feeling proud about your grandkids. Listen to Annalisa Barbieri’s podcast on envy as might help to understand what was going on in that exchange and why you came away feeling bad about it. It likely says much more about them than about you or your lovely grandkids - perhaps they couldn’t tolerate your happiness in your grandchildren for whatever reason and so deliberately rained on your parade to make you feel bad. Either that or they’re just bloody stupid and rude. It’s definitely not a normal response to a happy moment. So your instinct is right, it’s not really about the names at all, which are all perfectly nice, so take no notice of the original mean comment or the typical mumsnet pile on here.

Nobody put @Thundertoast in the corner!!

I personally hate showgirl/burlesque names- Lola, Star, Marnie (especially hate that one- it reminds me of a silly 1920s flapper). Although, I also hate "middle class" names such as Oliver, Jasper and Joanna, so hey ho....

OP Being called a showgirl name is a compliment. Look at all the female leads in West End musicals over the years dancing and singing. Dancers in shows are great too.
I like your grandaughters names. Maybe the person who was a bit abrasive to you wishes she has 5 granddaughters and is jealous of you?

Those names don't conjure up show girl or prostitute to me. So I don't know what she was on about.

Ruby reminds me of Ruby in Anne of Green Gables

Roxy has a show business feel to it.

My son used to do sport with a girl called Lola - (and a friend has a dog called Lola).

I wouldn't care.

Strangers don't upset me.

Could be worse. I work with someone who called their baby girl Sapphire 😂 Thank goodness I didn’t reply “Haha, good one”. They’re so middle of the road, normal name people too.

Also know someone in the same town with two girls, Mercedes and Porsche (spelt like the car, not the Shakespeare character) 😆

You don't say how old the woman who made the comment was, but people do tend to have ideas about different names, often linked to when they grew up, either names they encountered or cultural references, and they also often group into types of names. Some people think some names are very girly names or old lady names, for example. It's not necessarily negatively and will often say they have a preference for e.g. old fashioned names.

Lola and Ruby are very common names these days, and Roxy isn't unusual, and if I heard someone had daughters with those three names I would definitely consider them the same sort of name, but lots of people (on Mumsnet) think that they have to give their children names that go together.

Roll your eyes and take no notice. Some people are unable to keep their mouths shut.