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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Which names are would you consider 'too posh/try-hard/odd' to be used?

433 replies

AKMD · 25/07/2011 13:40

Having seen a few names pop up which, when read out to my office colleagues, have caused great hilarity, I was wondering which names poeple on MN generally consider too posh/try hard/odd to be passed off in RL. I absolutely love Arabella but have been told that DH and I aren't posh enough to use it :( Ditto Lucinda.

I have to admit I did laugh at Mungo. Sorry to any Mungos/parents of Mungos out there!

OP posts:

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gapants · 26/07/2011 12:23

The right old money friends I have, have given their children family names as is quite traditional--

Thomas, William, Richard, Hugh, Bernard, Andrew,

Florence, Lucinda, Elizabeth, Rebecca,

the class thing is weird is this country and no matter what we might say or think, it does impact.

I am poor but of an old family and we used to have money/land, before my time alas. We all have boring names. Surname is double barrelled though

lockets · 26/07/2011 12:16

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Nomdujour · 26/07/2011 12:05

I know a Sophus and an Erasmus. They are both gorgeous and suit their names.

Cattleprod · 26/07/2011 11:55

I find it a bit 'try hard' when parents insist on putting the long version of the name on the birth certificate, even if they don't like it much and have no intention of using it. They seem to find it odd to put a shorter name on there. For example, if you want to call your son Max, why put the overly long and pompous Maximilian on the bc, which will just be a source of embarrassment for poor DS on the rare occasions it is used (graduation, wedding etc)?

TheSecondComing · 26/07/2011 11:48

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fraktious · 26/07/2011 11:39

DH has small relations called Ulysses and Hippolyte.

Throughout my pregnancy we maintained that if we had a DS he would be Marcus Aurelius. When he was born I was so high on gas and air that had DH not been sensible I'd have gone through with it!

ZZZenAgain · 26/07/2011 11:20

aw shucks. Thanks lockets. I'm wondering if it is because I'm overseas I'm not being exposed to the usual range....

I had a Rex following me around when I was at secondary school, dogging my footsteps. I remember he was spouting off about golf once which I didn't play and I told him I had some (totally made up) handicap which must have been very good - and he went out and practised every day after that.

I am sure his parents loved me for that, very wholesome lifestyle. I could never have a Rex though for that reason. My sister was trailed by a most peculiar Hamish. he fell in love with her when she told him to get lost and stop bothering her best friend. Hamish and Rex , ahh the joys of youth.

Chandon · 26/07/2011 11:17

I like these threads.

My DSs names are always on there

I find it amusing as I am not British, but do live here now, and am often mistaken for a posh-wannabe Brit. Until they hear my accent and/or see my surname.

On previous threads I have already vowed to name my next son Tarquin.

This British class thing is so VERY amusing to us foreigners

lockets · 26/07/2011 11:14

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LynetteScavo · 26/07/2011 11:14

No name is too posh for me if I like it enough!

Ds2 would have been Hugo (but it didn't suit him when he popped out) and I know lots of people think it's a bit posh. DH said he would have called him Huey or Hugh.

ZZZenAgain · 26/07/2011 11:11

I never encounter people with these kinds of names anywhere. What I do hear is a lot of names I find ugly and I assume the dc must have been named after a relative or something. I never meet people with these kind of pompous names or names that sound like they're names for pets etc

lockets · 26/07/2011 11:10

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narmada · 26/07/2011 11:07

I was at the park a while ago and heard a dad shout 'Ulysses!'. No word of a lie. I wasn't very succesful at swallowing my snorts.

munstersmum · 26/07/2011 10:41

Merlin. There is a boy at school named Merlin.

Original poster

AKMD · 26/07/2011 10:32

I'm laughing out loud at Marmaduke, although I do actually quite like it as a teddybear name. Love Peregrine and St John though (Georgette Heyer?).

OP posts:

ZZZenAgain · 26/07/2011 10:11

off-hand can't think of anything that strikes me as trying to0 hard, definitely not Helen. How is Helen trying too hard?

I find plenty of names odd though. Wouldn't know where to start...

sieglinde · 26/07/2011 10:05

I really don't get this notion - I chose names I loved and dont' really give a toss about their class value. Ds has a very plain name, and Dd a name from The Lists, but a plain second name Just in Case (might be a good compromise strategy. Octavia Jane. Tabitha Jane.). As it is, nobody worries about it as her fancy name is almost always shortened, whereas Ds's plain name never is.

narmada · 26/07/2011 09:57

Anything that fails the back-door test - imagine yourself standing on the back step and shouting the name really loud to gain playing child's attention.

lockets · 26/07/2011 09:52

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BulletWithAName · 26/07/2011 09:38

Fair enough

lockets · 26/07/2011 09:37

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grumpypants · 26/07/2011 09:34

But once the child is here, running around, being gorgeous, at school, whatever, surely the name is insignificant? I certainly don't do a double take when one of the dcs bring home a child with a 'posh' name or a 'common' name - 'oh no, quentin, we can't have sebastian over, his mummy is pretending he is one of us...'

BulletWithAName · 26/07/2011 09:33

Oh, don't get so defensive lockets, please. People on here slag off my DS's name constantly, I really couldn't give a shit. If you like the names you gave your DC, then why do you care what anyone else thinks?

If there was an edit feature on here, I would have edited my first post, hence why I posted again.

CaptainNancy · 26/07/2011 09:33

Wow- 'Helen' is try hard?

CaptainNancy · 26/07/2011 09:32

This thread is so funny- both MIL's ex-H and her brother's names are on here... not in the least bit posh.

Most of the boys names on my shortlists are too...

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