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Baby names

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

Valentine

30 replies

nervatious · 09/06/2011 20:14

for a boy. what you reckon?

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Oopsie · 13/06/2011 19:24

I prefer traditional boys' names personally. Although I do like Valentina for a girl.

nervatious · 13/06/2011 19:21

Valentine Warner is well posh, that's true, and he does stuff his mouth very full of food whilst trying to speak... mind you he is the only one I know and he's not all that famous.

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PatriciatheStripper · 13/06/2011 14:32

Never heard of Valentine Warner but then I hardly ever watch telly now.

mopsyflopsy · 13/06/2011 14:32

I love Valentine Warner - much more so than Jamie if I'm honest Smile.

The German version of the name is Valentin, pronounced Valen-teen. But in English I would always pronounce it Valen-tyne.

Bucharest · 13/06/2011 14:21

It reminds me of Valentine Warner as well......yuk. Now the only image I have is a wannabe Jamie talking with his mouth full of seasonal produce which he's spitting in every direction.

I honestly (and I know a lot of Valentinos who for some reason manage to carry it off) think that unless you are very posh (the very posh can usually manage to get away with any name) you'd be setting up your child for a lot of mickey taking. It's just too girly. Like Gabriel. That sort of thing.

TidyDancer · 12/06/2011 13:13

I like it, but would never use it. It's too....something I can't put my finger on!

Hatterbox · 12/06/2011 12:54

This is my son's name, he wasn't born on Valentine's Day, rather Christmas Day!! We used it as we love it

We pronounce it the original, and dare I say correct way, which is val-en-teen and call him Tino for short.

nervatious · 11/06/2011 14:15

It is girly at first but the original st Valentine was a man, so why is this? Just because Valentines day is about love? Boys should be able to love too...

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quirrelquarrel · 10/06/2011 18:08

I quite like it.
If only because I have nostalgic ties...about the only stuffed animals I didn't shun as a tiny were a husband and wife pair of hedgehogs, called Valentin and Valentine :o

If you were really worried about people thinking it's too feminine, you could use the French masculine form, Valentin, Val-on-tan (close to that pronounciation). Or you could take a stand :o who cares if it's "girly" or not! Your DC's name isn't the only proof of their gender!

PatriciatheStripper · 10/06/2011 16:37

I don't think it's sissy.

radancer · 10/06/2011 15:36

I like the name.

Bit sissy tho innit

PatriciatheStripper · 10/06/2011 13:58

Go for it! He will have his own special day as well :o

Purplebuns · 10/06/2011 13:49

I love this actually!

nervatious · 10/06/2011 13:46

Ooooo I was expecting more people to say they hated it! My dh is set against but i might be able to persuade him...

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superjobeespecs · 10/06/2011 13:34

when i was younger a friend of mines dad was called valentine and was incredibly manly looking i think its a great name i remember my mates dad as being something of a ladies man lol

sophiesmummie · 10/06/2011 13:28

I like Valentine very much. As others have said our children won't associate Val with any girls names, so it would be a great nickname imo. Plus, Valentine runs off the tongue nicely enough not to have to shorten at all.

FlingonTheValiant · 10/06/2011 12:47

I wanted to call DS Valéry - DH wasn't too keen, but he's ended up with something very similar - just a bit more Roman sounding.

FlingonTheValiant · 10/06/2011 12:45

Actually I think if you live in the UK you can spell a name a foreign way and pronounce it how it looks in English.

I say this as someone with a German name that no one pronounces in the German way, married to a Frenchman whose name no one (not even people who can speak French) pronounces in the French way, and with a DS with a French name that no one pronounces in the French way.

Before I had DS all English friends and family went on and on about how it would be difficult to get people to pronounce a French name for DS - we never expected English people to pronounce his French name in any way other than the English way, so we specifically picked one that we didn't dislike the English pronunciation of. In the same way that if we'd given him an English name we wouldn't have expected our French and German family and friends to say it in the English way.

I think it's something that in theory no one likes, but in practise it's what everyone does.

Sorry to ramble on - but the short version is, in the UK Tintin is not pronounced in a French accent, so I don't think Valentin would need to be either.

But seeing as it's Valentine you're after it's all a bit irrelevant anyway Blush

PatriciatheStripper · 10/06/2011 12:36

Valerie is not in fashion atm, so perhaps it's time for Valentine.

I've only ever met one male Val, but don't think its necessarily 'girly'. Well-known figures like Val Kilmer, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Val Doonican never really raised any eyebrows.

evamummy · 10/06/2011 12:32

I like Valentine. Think of Valentine Warner too. In the UK I'd go for the English spelling (Valentine).

If you go for Valentin, then it would be either Valen-teen (German) of Valen-tuh (French), and would be confusing in English.

Bellbell · 10/06/2011 12:29

My cousin is called Valentine (Val) after my grandad - he probably got a bit of teasing when he was younger but now he's in his early 20s he loves it because the girls love it!!! It's a great name. It's also quite 1930s/40s but so much nicer than Arthur, Alfie etc.

FlingonTheValiant · 10/06/2011 12:28

Mr grandad was at school with a Valentine and says none of them thought it was a girly name (came up when we were naming DS). Given how many names from his generation are now back in fashion I would think a Valentine would fit in fine.

However, you could always go with the French version, Valentin, if you want it to look a bit more masculine.

BuntyPenfold · 10/06/2011 12:24

I know it is a man's name, but it still sounds girly to me.
Don't you think a boy called Valentine will get a lot of jeering?

hellokitty123 · 10/06/2011 12:17

I like it.

lostinindia · 10/06/2011 12:00

Nope. Don't like it.

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