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Baby names

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

Original poster

Josephine, Frances, Harriet or Lydia?

39 replies

AlexanderS · 23/11/2012 16:13

Which do you like best and why? And if you have a serious dislike of any of these names why?

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Rutietootie · 27/11/2012 18:49

Lydia is my middle name and I have always loved it and wished it was my first name. If my baby is a girl we are going to call her Lydia Belle. Smile

Anonymumous · 27/11/2012 18:41

Lydia - pretty, until you start thinking that it sounds remarkably like Chlamydia...

Josephine - lovely, this is my favourite out of your choices. And I love the nickname Sephie.

Frances - OK, but I prefer Francesca.

Harriet - Makes me think of Harriet Harman / Harperson / Harridan - yuck!

hatsybatsy · 27/11/2012 09:47

OP -Harriet was a surprise choice for us too -wasn't even on my radar until she was born

She is Hats for short - don't like hattie personally

Of your other names - I also love Lydia.....

RarelyUnreasonable · 27/11/2012 09:27

I have a baby Josephine and also love Lydia.
Not keen on Harriet/Hatty or Frances/Fran.

Rhubarbgarden · 24/11/2012 20:52

Gah - where did that rogue apostrophe come from??

Rhubarbgarden · 24/11/2012 20:52

I like them all. I'd put them in this order:
Harriet
France's
Josephine
Lydia. I've met quite a lot of small Lydias recently.

mathanxiety · 24/11/2012 17:42

I like Josephine and Frances, not so keen on Lydia and Harriet.

Bearwantsmore · 24/11/2012 06:51

Harriet is my favourite by far.

Can I throw another name into the mix... Francesca??

Gugglebum · 24/11/2012 06:26

Harriet for me too. Josephine next, and then not keen on the other two.

scarlettbrooke · 23/11/2012 23:24

Harriet is my favourite.

StrawberryMojito · 23/11/2012 18:40

Harriet is lovely. The shortened version is Hattie which I like less. Not keen on your other choices though I'm sorry.

Mylittlepuds · 23/11/2012 18:36

We're having a Hattie is this DC is a girl. Sunday name Harriet. Love it!

exoticfruits · 23/11/2012 18:06

Harriet but not Hattie or Hetty.

jan2013 · 23/11/2012 17:59

i love Lydia sounds nice

YoullScreamAboutItOneDay · 23/11/2012 17:45

Like it as a boy's name

YoullScreamAboutItOneDay · 23/11/2012 17:45

I like Hattie personally. Hetty is nice too. I'm not a fan of Harry. Don't know why, as I like it as a girl's name. I always think of posh sloany types for Harry

Original poster
AlexanderS · 23/11/2012 17:41

What would you shorten Harriet to? I like Hetty and Harry...

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YoullScreamAboutItOneDay · 23/11/2012 17:38

My favourites are probably Lydia and Harriet. Frances is nice.

Not keen on Josephine personally - I'm not that fond of female variants of male names myself. You know, Paula, etc. I don't know if Josephine developed separately from Joseph, but I'd think of it in that category

EssieW · 23/11/2012 17:34

Like all of them.

Probably in this order. It's a close run thing between the top two though...

Harriet, Lydia, Josephine, Frances

DizzyPurple · 23/11/2012 17:13

I like Lydia and Josephine. My Dd has Josephine for her middle name after my Mum! So yes i like it very much. I do call my Dd . . . Josephina sometimes too which i think is softer. Good luck.

baskingseals · 23/11/2012 17:11

I would pick Harriet. for me it has a certain style and elegance, i also like Hattie as nn. I also like Frances, very understated, but i am not so keen on Fran.

marshmallowpies · 23/11/2012 17:11

Love them all. Josephine is my gran, Lydia is my cousin, Harriet is my middle name and Francis (male version) is a traditional family name on my dad's side going back generations, so if I had a DS or DD I'd be very tempted by Frances/Francis.

So, all of them are good!

IHeartKingThistle · 23/11/2012 17:07

yy to Joey.

My gran was Frances. We're from the West Country so she was Fraaaaaaaances or Fraaanse. Still love it!

Original poster
AlexanderS · 23/11/2012 17:07

Sorry, now it strikes me as chic.

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Original poster
AlexanderS · 23/11/2012 17:06

Mixed feelings about Harriet then. When I was a kid I thought it was ugly. But now it feels strikes me as chic. But I'm wondering if it's good to pick a name you've done a complete 180 on, maybe you're better off picking something you've always loved...On the other hand your name tastes change over time - I used to think Donna was the height of sophistication!

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