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Baby names

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

Original poster

"American" names in London - will they go over well?

82 replies

lily3 · 10/11/2012 21:16

As expats in London, I'm wondering how our children's names will go over. I also just found out I'm pregnant with DC 3 and I'd love to hear what names are considered "trendy" (to avoid them) or what names would not go over well, that might be popular in America.

Our baby twins are named Rowan (girl) and Weston (boy).

The other names we like are Beatrice, Winifred & Hadley (for a girl) or Finn, Harrison & Asher (for a boy).

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DontmindifIdo · 11/11/2012 09:05

also OP, if you say "Winifred" many English people will think of (this might not be a bad thing)

lljkk · 11/11/2012 09:02

They all sound entirely acceptable to me (expat Yank myself).
Names you need to avoid are names of cities or foods. And very ugly surnames used as forenames.

I know an English Ashton. Any good?

DontmindifIdo · 11/11/2012 08:56

OP - I think what often pegs a name as "American" is using a name that's also a surname as a first given name. Beatrice and Winifred are both clearly first names and couldn't be mistaken for a surname, however Hadley and all your boys names are also surnames. (In fact I know people with these surnames so it really stands out to me!)

squoosh · 11/11/2012 04:25

I wouldn't think of Beatrice or Winifred as American names at all, they sound like very English middle class names to me. Finn and Harrison are also both very common in the UK. Asher less so, Hadley reminds me of the evil prison warden in the Shawshank Redemption, sorry! Plus, it's not exactly feminine.

Besides, you are American, there's no need for you to worry whether your kid's names will fit in. They'll be the glamorous American kids anyway!

BoerWarKids · 11/11/2012 00:04

Your twins have lovely names, Rowan is one of my favourite names for a girl :)

I don't think the names are particularly American, with the exception of Hadley. The only one I've ever come across is Hadley Freeman - who's American! I still like the name though.

From your suggestions for DC3, I like Beatrice and Asher.

photographerlady · 10/11/2012 23:47

I'm also from the US but we chose English names, mainly to make my mom melt when she's around the little English accents

amazingmumof6 · 10/11/2012 23:45

had to check our choices!
6 kids, 12 names - 1st and middle, so 2/kid - found 8 of them on the lists above!

could it be that I'm fashionable after all? Grin

(note to self - must check years they were born - gotta wait to find out till 2013 to find out about DD, how annoying!)

Original poster
lily3 · 10/11/2012 23:29

amazingmumof6 Wow thanks for that list! Very helpful - and interesting!

OP posts:
amazingmumof6 · 10/11/2012 23:00

you welcome! Smile

PurplyWurply · 10/11/2012 22:59

Thanks amazingmumof6 I didn't make that connection, but have heard the name in America.

amazingmumof6 · 10/11/2012 22:55

purply Asher is Hebrew, it means fotunate/blessed/happy (one of Jacob's 12 sons in Old testament)

lily3 I googled it for you (was curious!) - top 30 boy & girl baby names in 2011 in UK

boys:

  1. Oliver

  2. Jack

  3. Harry

  4. Charlie

  5. James

  6. Joshua

  7. Alfie

  8. Thomas

  9. Jacob

  10. Ethan

  11. Noah

  12. Daniel

  13. George

  14. William

  15. Samuel

  16. Alexander

  17. Oscar

  18. Lucas

  19. Dylan

  20. Max

  21. Benjamin

  22. Henry

  23. Leo

  24. Ryan

  25. Matthew

  26. Finley

  27. Isaac

  28. Aiden

  29. Jayden

  30. Jake

  31. Lily

  32. Emily

  33. Isabella

  34. Sophia

  35. Isabelle

  36. Sophie

  37. Olivia

  38. Ava

  39. Chloe

  40. Isla

  41. Amelia

  42. Jessica

  43. Grace

  44. Evie

  45. Charlotte

  46. Ella

  47. Mia

  48. Lucy

  49. Freya

  50. Ruby

  51. Holly

  52. Ellie

  53. Hannah

  54. Emma

  55. Abigail

  56. Megan

  57. Jasmine

  58. Daisy

  59. Matilda

  60. Erin

Read more: www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/naming/baby-names-2011/babycentre-top-girls-names-2011/#ixzz2Bra1oTp8

Startail · 10/11/2012 22:46

I know English Beatrice, Finn and Harrisons, so no problem there.
Asher I think would grow on me. Weston becomes Western to me, but Wes is fine.

Hope you like London, I'm a country mouse.

manicinsomniac · 10/11/2012 22:44

I really like Hadley and Harrison (but then I am a fan of American type names). Also like Asher.

I'm not keen on Beatrice or Winifred but I would think of them as traditionally British names? Beatrice is certainly popular here and I don't think it breaks top 300 in the US does it?

StrawWars · 10/11/2012 22:33

Hadley makes me think of Tony Hadley ("Gold" got played a lot during the Olympics). Or Radley handbags.

Asher makes me think of Jane Asher (Cakes...) Or Asha, as in the girl's name.

(shows age)

BikeRunSki · 10/11/2012 22:24

Winnie The Witch is very popular and rising I'd say (I have a 4 yo and 1 yo). There is a whole series of about 10 books and more still being published. Here she is.

Original poster
lily3 · 10/11/2012 22:24

Yes, he mostly goes by Pooh. And I think it must be the same scenario because Pooh is really only a hit with toddlers and thankfully they can't tease that young.

OP posts:
blindworm · 10/11/2012 22:21

I think you would actually be alright with Winnie. By the time kids get old enough to tease about names, they probably will have forgotten about Winnie the Witch. And Winnie the Pooh went by just Pooh most of the time, didn't he?

PurplyWurply · 10/11/2012 22:17

I think most schoolchildren will have heard of "Winnie the Witch".

I came across it recently when my DC loved it at story time at pre-school before Halloween, but we haven't bought the book yet.

Have a look at Amazon, there seems to be series of books plus some DVDs and CDs.

Original poster
lily3 · 10/11/2012 22:16

Ahh ok, not a mean/evil witch. I honestly have never heard of that series so I am clueless.

OP posts:
perceptionreality · 10/11/2012 22:12

I think you should choose the names you like and are true to your culture and not worry about what others think Smile

fwiw I love both Beatrice and Winifred - they were on my girls name lists.

Tickledyellow · 10/11/2012 22:08

Come to think of it Winnie the witch is very popular. My daughter's favourite books in fact! She is a nice, quirky witch though!

Original poster
lily3 · 10/11/2012 22:00

Alright, how popular is "Winnie the Witch"? We really can't call our future daughter Winnie if she's going to get made fun of and called Winnie the Witch all the time...this might be the perfect example of an "American" type name that goes horribly wrong in the UK!

OP posts:
Original poster
lily3 · 10/11/2012 21:58

PurplyWurply Winnie the Witch?? I am going to have to Google that, never heard of it! We obviously don't have that in America, or if we do it is not popular at all. I was thinking more "Winnie the Pooh", but it's not popular like it was when I was a child, and Pooh was a boy bear, not a girl - and also adorable so how bad could that be!?

maillotjaune Interesting, because we thought Hadley was a boy's name, which is why we like it for a girl. DH and I like boys names for girls (ie: Rowan!) - is that uncommon in the UK?

OP posts:
maillotjaune · 10/11/2012 21:50

Well the only Hadley I've heard of is Hadley Freeman who writes for the Guardian so I would assume Hadley was a girl.

crazygracieuk · 10/11/2012 21:47

Harry/Harrison is very popular in the Uk. I have one and in his class of 20, (10 boys) there is another and I was at a wedding last summer when a mum called Harrison and Lind 5 boys turned round.

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