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Baby names

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

Original poster

Is this as bad as I think?

41 replies

Cjax · 22/07/2011 09:25

I am 6 months pregnant and my French husband and I are pretty much in accord on first names so far. He was incredibly close to his grandmother who died about 5 years ago and he would like to use her name as a middle name. I think this is a very nice idea except that his grandmother was called Raymonde which I think sounds really bad from the UK perspective. I have tried to explain that it is the equivalent of calling a little boy Andrew Sarah xxxx but he is pretty adamant. We live in France at the moment and it would be fine there if a little old fashioned but we are likely to move back to the UK in the medium term and I feel that it would be a really tough one for our daughter to deal with in childhood/adolescence etc. I should point out my husband is not just being stubborn, I think this is very important to him and he sees it as a really meaningful way to honour the memory of his grandmother, who he often describes as his second mother as she was so important to him.

So am I just being paranoid or is it really as bad as I think?

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GwendolineMaryLacey · 22/07/2011 11:17

Middle name fine. I think it would cause problems in the uk as a first name. Having said that, I worked with a French Laurence but no one ever spelled her name correctly.

heavenstobetsy · 22/07/2011 11:14

I think middle names are exactly for this! she doesn't need to publicise it if she doesn't want to when she's older.

..... however, I always loved Rae for a middle name. Would this work as a shortened version?

pookiet · 22/07/2011 11:11

how about Monde then instead? i think that sounds really pretty tbh or maybe find out if anyone ever called her by anything else, shortened down her name perhaps....
but in all honesty i wuldnt worry too much about it. i am assuming her surname will have a french feel to it?? so im sure it will all sound really lovely when you say her full name anyway. and i think to be far, middle names are always a little different and in the uk they are hardly mentioned anyway (in my experience anyhow. i think you should just embrace the fact that your daughter will be sharing her name with someone whom your husband obviously felt a great deal of love for.
thinking about it aswell. i dont immediately see RAYMOND when see the name, not sure if its just me......

SiamoFottuti · 22/07/2011 11:08

in Ireland there are men with middle name of Mary. I shit you not.

ExitPursuedByAGryffin · 22/07/2011 11:01

I think it would be fine as a middle name - how is it prounounced - is it just Raymond, or is it Raymondey (iyswim)?

PaperBank · 22/07/2011 10:54

How about Ramona? It's a feminine form of Ramon and Raymond.

LeoTheLateBloomer · 22/07/2011 10:45

I have very little recollection of knowing my friends' middle names growing up so don't worry. It will only be an issue if you allow it to.

Your DD could invent another name beginning with R if any friends do ask and she doesn't want them to know. Or she might say very proudly that it's French and that she's named after an important person in her father's life.

AmaraDresden · 22/07/2011 10:40

As a middle name it'd be fine, she doesn't need to tell anyone and it doesn't need to used - my DP's middle name is hilarious as it was chosen after one of his parent's favourite musician at the time... He never uses it, just the initial.

Original poster
Cjax · 22/07/2011 10:39

Thank you I feel a bit better about it. I'm not aware of a middle name, I did suggest using her surname but he wasn't keen on that. Raymonda is slightly better but I doubt he will go for it as it wasn't her actual name...

OP posts:
RitaMorgan · 22/07/2011 10:36

Not an issue at all as a middle name.

Actually I think Raymonde would be fine as a first name too if you live in a more diverse cultural area. It wouldn't raise eyebrows where I live.

TrillianAstra · 22/07/2011 10:33

This is what middle names are for - slightly odd family names.

supadupapupascupa · 22/07/2011 10:28

did she have a middle name you could use instead?

PipFEH · 22/07/2011 10:24

I think it's fine as a middle name. It could easily pass for a surname and I know a few people who have given girls their maiden name as a middle name.

razzlebathbone · 22/07/2011 09:50

I think it's absolutely fine as a middle name.

Leena78 · 22/07/2011 09:33

I think, as it is a middle name, it will be fine?

Cattleprod · 22/07/2011 09:32

I think a lot of people have middle names which honour relatives and so happen to be old fashioned or a bit embarrassing.

I looked up Raymonde in my names book and there is an alternative spelling of Raymonda. Would your husband agree to that, as the a makes it more obviously feminine (along the lines of Nigella, Paula, Georgia etc)?