Bernadette

PollyMorphic, I agree with your thoughts here.

Barbalala - It really doesn't matter if your DH doesn't have any association other than the French saint -- it's what others associate the name with that sort of counts more and I think Bernadette Devlin has scuppered Bernadette.

There are lots of lovely Hungarian names and also the international Marie/Maria, etc., if he is thinking of some marian connection. Or how about Regine, Consuela, Stella Maris..

Beata is fab imo.

I really like it. I know a couple (in Australia) and, yes, they are rc.

I quite like it, but it does make me think RC - second only to Philomena as Irish RC

Some of those are not, shall we say, advisable for use in the UK.

What about one of these from the 2009 Hungarian baby name list?

Jázmin
Anna
Hanna
Nóra
Boglárka
,Réka
Lili

Viktória
Zsófia
Petra
Dóra
Laura
Eszter
Vivien
Noémi
Dorina(582, 101) -1
Fanni(579, 93) -1
Csenge(578, 145) -1
Emma(577, 117) +3
Lilla(561, 167) -2
Gréta(555, 112)

Sára(466, 336) +2
Rebeka(444, 133) +3
Bianka(435, 127) -1
Virág(412, 200) +2
Alexandra(385, 91) -6
Kitti(385, 91) +6
Panna(369, 110) +3
Flóra(361, 115) -4
6 Regina(357, 75)

Tímea(347, 94) -2
) Fruzsina(332, 60) -4
Ramóna(329, 76) +11
Kata(325, 144) +2
Nikolett(311, 68) -2
Maja(309, 46) +15
Zoé(308, 146) +6
Liliána(307, 55) -3
Barbara(305, 118) -5
Emese(297, 59) -1
Dorka(294, 61) -4
Tamara(285, 67) +14
Kinga(284, 62) -3
Vanessza(278, 79) +9
Lara(277, 57) -1
Léna(263, 57) +14
Szonja(254, 65) +11
Amanda(249, 68) -6
Enikő(249, 38) -4
Blanka(248, 58) -9
Vanda(234, 81) -13
Kamilla(231, 73) -5
Veronika(228, 95) +4
Kiara(224, 81) +17
Júlia(206, 95) -6
Adrienn(206, 29) -1
Dzsenifer(202, 54) -6
Janka(200, 36) -3
Dorottya(196, 38) -9
Lilien(187, 24) +6
Mira(186, 40) +24
Liza(184, 28) +2
Krisztina(180, 136) -15
Zita(174, 49) +7
Dalma(171, 42) +25
Borbála(170, 82) +10
Míra(170, 27) -3
Natália(165, 33) +14
Izabella(163, 64) +11
Leila(162, 58) +27
Melissza(158, 45) +4
Adél(156, 16) -12
Zsanett(154, 34) +7
Emília(152, 39) +7
Kincső(152, 37) -4
Kira(149, 54) -7
Gabriella(147, 80) new
Cintia(147, 39) -19
Alexa(146, 44) -3
Katalin(145, 183) -13
Diána(141, 63) +9
2 Patrícia(141, 44) -16
Evelin(141, 36) -17
Hanga(140, 31) new
Melinda(136, 54) +11
Johanna(136, 44) +6
Orsolya(136, 42) -15
Brigitta(127, 39) -7
Anita(126, 59) +9
Amira(123, 31) -5
Klaudia(122, 41) -4
Nikoletta(122, 34) -14
Zsuzsanna(121,124)new
Kíra(121, 53) -25
3 Szófia(121, 42) new
Ágnes(120, 75) -1
Mercédesz(120, 58) -10
Renáta(119, 41) -20

I think it's lovely and a refreshing change.

As a Catholic, I wouldn't make the assumption that a Bernadette was a Catholic. It would never occur to me. To be honest I can't think of any names that would cause me to make an assumption about anyone's religious background in this day and age.

Dh's primary school 'head nun' was Sister Bernardina. I know a nice mid twenties Bernadette (Bernie);apart from that I'd say 70 year old Irish lady. I'm in Cork, it isn't used here (Alison and Gillian are teenage names in Cork).

I chose Bernadette as my confirmation name when I was 8. I'm indifferent to it to be honest; I don't use it often as it's not a legal name (and I already have 2 'official' middle names - add that to a 7 letter first name; my parents clearly wanted to challenge me). I think I would have liked Ettie or Dettie as a nn.

I chose it because I thought there were only 3 female saints (I was only 8!) and my other middle names covered the other 2 (Catherine and Marie/Mary). I loved the story of St Bernadette at Lourdes and also the Song of Bernadette sung by Jennifer Warnes. I also rather like that it means 'Courage of a Bear'

All in all, I'm happy with my choice though I sometimes wonder what I would have chosen if I was let loose on the whole book of female saints names.

I love it but I'm biased

How about Beata instead of Bernadette? It has a similar feel. Though it might sound a bit too 'forrin' to some ears.

I think Bernadette makes a refreshing change from all the little Evies, Ellies, Lilys etc. Lots of lovely nickname potential - Bernie, Ettie etc and, as others have said, works in most languages.

I'm not sure why you feel that you can't have a long first name if you opt to use Bernadette as a middle name. Both me and my cousin have long first names and long second names (I have 3, 3, 1 and then a single syllable surname, she has 5, 4 and a four syllable surname) I don't think it's ever been an issue. From a list of longer Hungarian names that are also used in the UK:

Alexandra Bernadette
Anastasia Bernadette
Andrea Bernadette
Barbara Bernadette
Cecilia Bernadette
Diana Bernadette
Edina Bernadette
Elisabeth Bernadette
Erika Bernadette
Francisca Bernadette
Helena Bernadette
Isabella Bernadette
Julia Bernadette
Katerina Bernadette
Marianna Bernadette
Natalia Bernadette
Olga Bernadette
Susanna Bernadette
Theodora Bernadette

I think that all these work (depending on your surname of course) but you still should be able to tell your dh if you really don't want to use it at all.

I don't think Bernadette is too bad, although I too would expect an Irish Catholic connection. Betty would be totally acceptable, even mainstream in the UK. Mostly as a nn of Elisabeth, but also I suspect growing as a name in it's own right. I can't imagine a Bernadette usually called Betty (or Betsy) would have any problems at all. Personally I think it 'goes' perfectly well with your other children, and I wouldn't tag it as pretentious at all, because it's not a name I associate with the upper classes or particularly showy IYKWIM. Lourdes on the other hand is a celebrity wannabe name to me.

However if you don't like it surely that is good enough for a reason not to use it? Can't you just say 'sorry dh, I just don't like it for soon to be dd'?

Christ, no.

Puts me in mind of a semi-alcoholic housewife with badly dyed hair on holiday on the Costa del Sol.

She has a three syllable first name, one syllable second name, then Bernadette, then two syllable surname. We wouldn't have had two middle names but Bernadette was added in after MIL died and we'd already chosen first name and middle name. It sounded better after the one syllable than after the first name so we decided to have it last.

We gave DD it as a middle name - it was MIL's name and she died a few months before DD was born. I don't like it particularly as a name in its own right but I like it in our particular context, if you see what I mean. MIL was Bernie and really suited it. (Also Irish Catholic - as you'd expect!) Can you find an equivalent Hungarian old-fashioned name and point out to your DH that it would be like using that?

Alternatively you could just go for Euro-classic? Things like Alexandra, Viktoria, Magdalena, Katerina, Sofia etc, that will work in any country and language.

I do like Bernadette, but I can't get past the associations. If you like it and can get past that, then go for it, cos people will get used to it. But rightly or wrongly, to most Brits it will still say "Middle-aged Irish woman".

My sis is 34 and a Bernadette. Non catholic. Very cool lady.

Named because mum LOVED that song. BERNADETTE!!! dur dir dum dum dum DUM!!!

Hungarian? How about Ilona? I love that.

P.S. The Bernadette I knew would be about 28 now and yes, her family were devout Catholic.