Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Peter or Otto?

30 replies

fiddlerselbow · 10/01/2012 20:16

Please help us choose! We have one DS already, who has a (fairly unusual) biblical/Hebrew name.

We are expecting DC2 in the next week or two. We have a girls' name sorted out but we're stuck between Peter and Otto for a boy. The middle name will be George, after my late grandfather.

Any thoughts? Other ideas? I was leaning towards Otto and rather dismayed when it appeared in the 'trendy Londoners' thread - we are neither trendy nor Londoners.....:-)

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
mopsyflopsy · 11/01/2012 21:50

Otto is definately VERY uncool in Germany. It is very old fashioned (but not yet 'in') and there is a famous comedian who calls himself Otto. So I certainly wouldn't be called Otto in German/Austria/Switzerland these days.

Peter, on the other hand, is a traditional, classic name. Works well in most languages.

Bluestocking · 11/01/2012 18:16

I much prefer Peter, which is beautiful and classic. Otto is OK but is definitely having "a moment" right now. I'm interested to hear that it sounds omical/uncool to German ears!

bigbluebump · 11/01/2012 18:15

Otto is awful, sorry.

Peter is a lovely classic name that works in all countries/languages.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 11/01/2012 18:09
ChocolatEtVin · 11/01/2012 18:01

Peter and Otto are both lovely, although I would go for Otto so as to avoid the nickname Pete!

brandysoakedbitch · 11/01/2012 17:54

Otto makes me think of fat bald German

not sure why that is

Peter is a lovely name

jandymaccomesback · 11/01/2012 17:53

Otto? No.

3boysgirlontheway · 11/01/2012 11:46

Peter is a great name. Would love to know your other boys name??

IndieSkies · 11/01/2012 11:43

Otto is a GREAT name!
I like Peter too.
Look, names like Otto are unusual, not absorbed as common names yet, so there are bound to be people who go 'you what?'. If you like it, use it!

guinealady · 11/01/2012 11:41

If it was a choice between those two, I'd go for Peter.

oikopolis · 11/01/2012 03:23

Peter is so lovely and so underused.

Otto just seems pale in comparison.

yellowflowers · 10/01/2012 23:13

Love Otto

shoobidoo · 10/01/2012 22:41

Definately Peter!

Otto is such a comical name in any German speaking country. Very uncool and I don't understand the appeal amongst some Brits....

exoticfruits · 10/01/2012 22:22

Peter-no contest!

mistressploppy · 10/01/2012 22:14

Peter!

Pandygirl · 10/01/2012 21:24

Peter

SecretNutellaFix · 10/01/2012 21:23

Peter.

UsedToBikeAndRunAndSki · 10/01/2012 21:22

Peter

rocket74 · 10/01/2012 21:19

i know an Otto who is now 13 and have grown to like it.
I do like Peter - not Pete - but a bit generic?

What about Ivan? Heard a little boy called that the other day and thought very cool.

everlong · 10/01/2012 21:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

tummytickler · 10/01/2012 21:04

Peter is wonderful! We used it for one of ds's middle names, and always wish I hadn't , as we would love to use it as a first name!
Otto is ok, but not wonderful.

NewYearEverything · 10/01/2012 20:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

niknakpaddywhack · 10/01/2012 20:34

Peter George is a lovely combination.

EdithWeston · 10/01/2012 20:33

I like both (unhelpful).

Peter is Perfect in Horrid Henry, which I think may have reduced how often it is used.

JestersHat · 10/01/2012 20:30

Peter - it's a classic but currently underused.

There's a bit of an Otto bandwagon people are jumping on - it's getting trendy as everyone is hearing it for the first time and saying "oh that's different", when before it would have just been considered a bit too strange.

Swipe left for the next trending thread