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Baby names

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

Original poster

Names you secretly like but could never burden a child with?

163 replies

ThroughTheRoundWindow · 27/01/2013 20:17

Was talking baby names with my husband yesterday and he admitted to wanting to name a son Aubrey. When I stopped laughing he agreed that it might lead to a little bit of bullying. But then I love
Evelyn (for a boy!) which is equally bad...

Have you or your DP got a secret soft spot for a name that might not go down so well in the playground?

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Dfg15 · 05/02/2013 13:51

I love the name Guinevere, but wouldn't use it.

mydadsdaughter · 03/02/2013 22:39

Have to say I love the names Wolfie and Aubrey, I also love Clement and Elvis but it they were a definite no from dp

luanmahi · 03/02/2013 22:35

I know of several babies with names on this list: Rufus, Atticus, Arthur (x2) and Merlin.

I knew a boy called Jody when I was at primary school. He'll be in his 30s now.

A lot of the names I like aren't particularly unusual but are fairly old fashioned as they are family names and hubby vetoed them when I was pregnant: Margaret, Alfred, Vincent. On the other hand, I vetoed, Wolfie and Flame(!).

Turniphead1 · 03/02/2013 19:30

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MakingAnotherList · 03/02/2013 14:21

I love the names Persephone and Aurora.

Two of my daughters' names have been mentioned Shock

SmallKindnesses · 03/02/2013 14:15

Mortimer

insanityscratching · 03/02/2013 14:07

I love Merlin and Buster and Rastus, I'd never have given them my boys but my youngest was Buster or Rastus for years as a pet name.

thegreylady · 03/02/2013 13:59

I know a Loveday in her 80's
Turnip are you a fan of The Little White Horse?

thegreylady · 03/02/2013 13:58

I like Simeon but the simian association vetoes that!
Gideon is great and I like Gilbert too.

Turniphead1 · 03/02/2013 13:53

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IJustWoreMyTrenchcoat · 03/02/2013 13:53

Aureliano for a boy from One Hundred Years Of Solitude it is so beautiful but I couldn't use it, even as a middle name. I have a boys name picked which my partner and I love, so have come to terms with it!

I also love Gram after Gram Parsons (whose real name is Ingram) but it would be a source of ridicule in the playground. I think it is a very cool name.

Sasparillo · 03/02/2013 12:53

I love the name Jody for a boy, but i feel it's a bit girly to justify using it. I do have a real soft spot for it though x

PurpleStorm · 03/02/2013 08:23

I like Persephone.

But DH refused to take that seriously as a suggestion and kept insisting on pronouncing it Percy Phone.

DiscoTent · 01/02/2013 20:33

DP and I had serious discussions about Phoenix, Apollo and Rocco. I love Judas but couldn't do it (Jude considered but rejected by DP). Now it's too late and I'm not having any more DC, I keep thinking it would have been nice to have an Oberon.

Lots of the names on this list aren't that outlandish at all...

lollypopsicle · 01/02/2013 20:16

Oberon. How cool it would be to be named after the king of the fairies! Smile

amazingmumof6 · 01/02/2013 10:09

Caleb. really wanted to use it , but it means dog.Sad

when we have a dog one day we will have call him Caleb ( "eb" in Hungarian actually is a word for dog, haha!

Kamilla - means Chamomile in Hungarian, but was never going to be an option as my English DH's family have strong views on the Duchess of Cornwall.

a lot of Hungarian names went out of the window coz of difficulties of pronunciation - Kristof, Bence, Gyongyi, Emese - to mention just a few

and I love Antonia for a girl, but that would be shorted to Toni, which I dislike

love Tamara, Valentina too - but didn't wantkids to be forever asked if they were Russian.

went with beautiful Bible names instead.

BabyClam · 31/01/2013 23:09

I love Araminta (Minty for short, like the girl in Moondial) or Persephone for girls and Kester for a boy.

The longer this baby goes overdue (now 40+4) the more likely it is to get one of these names.

JazzAnnNonMouse · 30/01/2013 23:16

Judas
Jezebel

HelpOneAnother · 30/01/2013 12:42

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LittleBoxes · 30/01/2013 12:34

Boy: Magnus.

Girl: Patience, Patty for short.

Anjou · 30/01/2013 12:24

Oh God, I've got millions. They're no sercret and actually, I would have no qualms using any of these. My husband, however, has qualms. Lots and lots of annoying qualms. Even though he agrees that he wouldn't bat an eye if someone else were to call their kid any of these.

Spike (I too have wondered what this is short for, as I'm desperate to give DS2, due in 2 days, a name I can shorten to Spike!)
Digby
Diggory
Iggy
Ziggy
Wolf
Atticus
Ludovico (Ludo is so sweet/cool)
Etienne
Rex
Rufus

I think they're all ace. Loki, that's pretty cool too, but the recent Avengers films have scuppered that.

Original poster
ThroughTheRoundWindow · 30/01/2013 04:48

Merlotandme Gemma is one of those names that were popular with my generation (early '80s) but you never hear now, like Claire or Vicky. Funny how things really fall out of fashion.

lljkk Alfred is our current serious top choice boys name. I make the same cat bum face at Alfie but just love the idea of having a baby Fred. Too cute! And baby can choose whether he is named after Alfred the Great or Fred Astair. Quality namesakes!

MadstaringEyes Bilbo, really??? :)

OP posts:
monsterchild · 30/01/2013 01:54

Wilberforce. I loves it!

MerlotAndMe · 30/01/2013 01:51

I think the name Gemma is beautiful but mumsnetters hate it. I know of a boy called Kim though. I like it on a boy. I wouldn't like it on a girl.

MadStaringEyes · 30/01/2013 00:00

For a boy, Julian, Bilbo, Ettienne and Colin were all rejected by dp.

The only girls name he refused was Dandy or Dandylion. I would have had a Cyd or Edith had I had a girl.