it would seem the mn masses hate my dd name!

One of my most posh (grown up) friends is called Layla (she also has mixed Arab-British heritage).

I wouldn't let it bother you, my sons name is always coming up on threads as being too popular. I don't care, I named him four years ago and I still LOVE his name. Would use it all over again. I don't think Laya is chavvy btw.

oh dear my dd is also Leila (So I think it's a lovely name :o . Coincidentally she is also half arab and we chose it for the same reasons as you that it would cross the British-Arab culture. It is popular in the Middle East and I have always had a positive response from people there.

Layla is perfectly lovely, Layla Violet even more so.

If you'd named her Laeiiye-Lah on the other hand...

It's a lovely name and for what it's worth, anyone who describes anyone as a chav has got social and communication problems of their own.
The first person I told my own dd's name to, promptly remarked that it sounded like 'someone from the back streets of Belfast.' (Mil, by the way!)

She might have been right about that. I wouldn't know.

I would never think of it as being 'chavy', especially with her heritage.

If people don't invite her to tea because of her name, then I think the name has done very well in getting rid of some very shallow people from your lives!

Sympathies. I once 'admitted' that a name under discussion was my son's name (he was 12 by then), whereupon even more people piled in telling me exactly how ugly and awful they thought a child with this name must be, and that it reminded them of a rather foul nick-name for someone with SN. Then, when I objected, I was told not to be over-sensitive and an AIBU thread was opened by one of them along the same lines.

I bet your daughter is lovely, OP! SHe'll prove 'em wrong.

Only read your OP but I don't think it's chav at all .

Honestly I can't imagine one of my friends saying "ohhh you'll never guess what they've called her...Layla, yuk" I can imagine "they've called her Layla, its lovely"

Really don't associate the name with chavtasticness at all

But why should everyone love everyone else's name? That is what I don't understand. We (thankfully) don't share the same tastes - we have diferent hair styles, like different foods, choose different wall colours, so why on earth are we all expected to love a name that someone else happens to like?

OP, I think you need to become more confident about your name choice, feel happy with your decision, regardless what others think. Lots of people think my ds's name is 'try hard' (whatever that means ) - but I still adore his name !

And, while I'd be very surprised to meet a Bacardi, I'd actually remember him/her better than yet another Jack of Ellie .

OP- I think you have to remember that most people who post on name threads have very strong opinions on names (or a personal link to the particular name being discussed). Most people in real life, hear a name and either think 'ooh, that's nice' or don't think very much at all. Even if it's not a name they'd choose for their own child, that doesn't mean that they will judge yours. [Disclaimer, if you have named your child Bacardi or similar, I will feel free to judge away.]

Of those people with strong opinions,some will love it, some will hate it. I've seen both for both my DD's names on here.

I wouldn't choose Layla/Leila personally, but then you'd probably not choose my kids' names either - Thankfully we all have different tastes .

I love it, was on my shortlist with a different spelling - and it fits your DD's heritage too so who cares what the MN masses think!

i like it, but my dd is called autumn and it never accured to me until someone asked, 'oh was she born in the autumn' i suddenly though oh god yes i just smiled and said no oops

Difficult thread to answer as nobody is going to critisise a baby's name, especially if the op is already upset that some people don't like her choice.

But I think we all have to remember that no name is going to be loved by everyone, thankfully so, as life would be boring if we all chose the same names! Lots of people dislike my dd's name, but then I wouldn't like their choices either.

They hate dd's too

To me it looks like you are fishing for compliments.

I'm sorry, but to me Layla and Lyla (and its variants) are down market in my opinion.

Layla is also found in north-eastern Europe; it's a name I associate with my Scandinavian childhood.

have you read some of the suggestion people on MN give? They are terrible!

I name my little boy Jonah, thinking it meant Dove. But apparently it's also associated with bad luck and I'm a terrible human being for inflicting such a name on him!

Rather surprised by this thread - a wee bit self-indulgent, needy and fishing for compliments - in the nicest possible way!

You seem genuinely surprised to learn that there are people out there who don't like your name, as if you had miraculously stumbled upon the holy grail - that name which is universally liked!

It doesn't exist, of course. And luckily it doesn't, as otherwise everyone would choose it, and then it would be derided for being popular/common/boring! And we'd have no way of differentiating people.

I love the name Leila, not so keen on the Layla spelling, but many people wouldn't like my DCs' names. That's OK.

But why should we expect that the rest of the world like our choices - thankfully we all have different tastes and preferences. Life would be pretty dull if we all loved and chose the same things and named our kids the same names . Those who dislike the name Layla may well have named their kids names you dislike. Thats ok!

Layla is lovely.

(an' I is not a chav, arigh'?)

ha! This made me laugh ... I'm a Layla, mid 30s, white British middle class (gloriously hippy!) family. Two degrees & I'm a doctor so it hasn't stopped me having a proper career). My parents fell in love with the name after a couple of years on the hippy trail through India & Afghanistan. I love it (though my kids' names are far more poncey ;) )

Don't worry - unless you name your baby something public school and "classic" many MNetters won't like it . Some don't like my dd's name because although (IMO) classic (ie has been used for thousands of years) it's used by all classes. We chose it for it's meaning.

Layla is a lovely name and not at all chavvy so pants to what other MNetters think!

The only Layla I know is a doctor, so i really would not worry.