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Baby names

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

Original poster

Is it very cruel to call a little girl...

90 replies

Purplelooby · 04/10/2010 21:25

I really love unusual names but be honest with me, is it evil to call a little girl:

Apple
or...
Elfie

DH thinks so. I did have my heart set of Florence after my favourite cousin-in-law, but the Camerons have nicked it :(

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ApocalypseCheese · 05/10/2010 12:05

Eoife ?

Bagpusstree · 05/10/2010 12:01

Yeees, Elphaba, I loved that when I went to see Wicked. Would always think of a green witch though. Like Delphine and Aoife as alternatives.

PosieParker · 05/10/2010 11:38

Love Apple, Plum and Clementine. I also like Elfie...but not as much.

RunnerHasbeen · 05/10/2010 11:36

The witch in Wicked is called Elphaba - that would give you Elfie when she was little and Elle/Fab when she was a bit older.

MaryBS · 05/10/2010 11:28

Aoifa is pronounced eefa, bundlebelly.

I was nearly called Florence (after my grandmother). I was glad I wasn't! Anyone remember the Magic Roundabout?

PestoEatsPastiesandSurfboards · 05/10/2010 11:19

I love Elfie.

We met a little girl called this a couple of years ago, and we thought how much she suited her name.

I don't feel the same about calling a girl Apple though.

bundlebelly · 05/10/2010 11:18

How do you pronounce Aoife?

FellatioNelson · 05/10/2010 11:17

Sorry - my last comment about the Camerons and other high-profile people was about the name Florence, not the OP's mooted names. I wasn't concentrating!

I don't think Apple is ever going to become mainstream!

MaryBS · 05/10/2010 10:58

Elfie is horrendous! At best it sounds like Alfie, at worst, just think of all the jokes!

I know a teenage girl called Aoife, it really suits her, she has long blond fluffy hair which gives her an ethereal quality.

Pasiphae · 05/10/2010 10:58

Delphie? Delphine with Elfie as the nickname...
Elfie does not feel solid enough to stand as a first name. Too nickname -ish.

No to Apple, but I do like Clementine!

Lancelottie · 05/10/2010 10:55

Call her Elizabeth, or Felicity, or Eleanor Phoebe, and nickname her Elfie.

(I also think Elfie is cute btw, but 14-yr-olds with spots and puppy fat need other non-cute options.)

bundlebelly · 05/10/2010 10:49

Get an animal and call it Elfie, rather than a child. Then you can get it out of your system. We have an Elfie guinea pig.

Bagpusstree · 05/10/2010 09:46

I like Elfie. I considered it for a while but my mother would think I'd lost the plot. She's not your mum though!

QuickLookBusy · 05/10/2010 09:43

Not Elfie, too many bad nns-Elf, Elf 'n' saftey, Alfie..

What about Esme?

hmc · 05/10/2010 09:39

Please use Florence

mopsyflopsy · 05/10/2010 09:38

Threelittleducks, but what about all the Graces that aren't graceful?

Do meanings matter that much?

Threelittleducks · 05/10/2010 09:31

Don't do it!! What if you call her Elfie and she ends up being HUGE?

What about Evie?

Kid has to go to school at some point.....

LaTristesse · 05/10/2010 09:26

I was tempted by Elfin when we were chosing... would that work?

I don't like Apple FWIW...

notagrannyyet · 05/10/2010 08:20

Hope her surname wasn't Jelly.

frakkinnakkered · 05/10/2010 08:20

Strawberry is cruel :(

Elfie as a nickname is lovely, just as long as she has something she can replace it with when she's older! I knew a wonderful (and wickedly funny) old lady whose name was Philomena, nicknamed Elphie.

Or why not have an El... first name and a Fe/Fi... second name and run 2 together to make Elphie as a nickname. Like Elizabeth Fiona - El/fi.

mrswoodentop · 05/10/2010 08:11

I work in a school and we have just registered a Strawberry.Coincidentally it was strawberry crumble for pudding at lunch yesterday.

piscesmoon · 05/10/2010 08:05

What is wrong with main stream names? To my mind you either love Florence or you don't-I really can't see why it is suddenly nice if unusual but not nice if others use it.

GooseyLoosey · 05/10/2010 07:54

The Irish name is Aoife not Aiofe (just in case you go for it OP).

FellatioNelson · 05/10/2010 07:53

But although it is currently a very popular middle class name, it is not yet common. But it will become very mainstream now. It always happens when someone high profile picks a name. It's happened with Noah (Chris Evans) and it happened with Molly (Philip Schofield) Cameron (Ulrika Jonsson and Carol Vorderman) Chloea and Jack (Richard and Judy) and any character name or actor's name that appears in a popular soap (Courtney, Bradley, Beth, Isla, etc etc.)

Best avoid anything where you were inspired by anyone in the media - because you won't be the only one! (unless of course you don't mind in which case go ahead.)

SandStorm · 05/10/2010 07:51

Unless you're close friends with the Camerons I can't see what relevance it has that they called their daughter Florence.

Without meaning to upset I think both the other names are a bit silly.