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Baby names

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

Original poster

Mo

33 replies

CheshireSplat · 13/11/2013 21:59

I'm really keen (tonight!) on the name Mo.

What could it be short for? Don't like Maurice. And Mohamed, Muhammad wouldn't be appropriate. (We're devout atheists.)

Maurice on birth certificate but never used?

I've always like it (since watching Mo Johnson play football) and Mo Farah is super-cool.

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HopeS01 · 19/11/2013 20:54

I know a(nother) Maureen, and a Moses both shortened to Mo.
Moses I LOVE, and would use it for my baby boy if I didn't know one already

SomethingOnce · 17/11/2013 22:54

Moses or Maurice.

Shoutymomma · 17/11/2013 22:25

Maurice traditionally shortens to Mo, but I like the idea of Cosmo so I guess it would work for Elmo as well. I've heard it as a shortening of Morgan for a girl.

trainersandcake · 17/11/2013 22:24

Maurice from the Bee Gees was called Mo as a nickname - always thought that was cool!

DziezkoDisco · 17/11/2013 22:24

Maurice, maximo, elmo, monty,

curlew · 17/11/2013 22:20

To me, Mo would either be a Muslim man or a woman. Well, that's the pattern for all the ones I've wver known,

WithRedWine · 17/11/2013 22:16

Thesea

Original poster
CheshireSplat · 14/11/2013 23:18

Wow, thanks everyone. I didn't expect such a response. Stat, I'm loving your idea about the initials. And thanks to everyone else for clearing up whether or not it is masculine or feminine!!

OP posts:
TheNunsOfGavarone · 14/11/2013 18:05

Moacir - Brazilian name I rather like!

Lubiloo · 14/11/2013 12:22

I would assume Mohammed for a boy and Maureen/Monica for a girl.

Sounds unisex to me, just like Jo.

squoosh · 14/11/2013 12:01

And of course there's always the world famous Moe Szyslak.

squoosh · 14/11/2013 11:59

I certainly wouldn't assume Mo was a girl, as I know a male Mo and a female Mo. Not sure what the male Mo's full name is, think the female Mo is Monica.

SavoyCabbage · 14/11/2013 11:22

I would definitely think his name was Mohammed. I've a friend called Mel and everyone thinks she's Melanie but she's not she's Melissa, I knew her at least five years before I found that out.

Mattissy · 14/11/2013 11:07

I know a male Mo, short Maurice.
It's common for Morris/Maurice to be shortened to Mo, but because there's more Maureen's than Maurice's most people know it as feminine.

Devora · 14/11/2013 10:40

I know a Mo short for Morris. He's a cool dudey.

Morris nicer than Maurice.

I wouldn't assume a Mo was female.

bex2011 · 14/11/2013 10:35

Murray. My dad is Murray and was called Mo by his family.

fanoftheinvisibleman · 14/11/2013 10:32

I'll be honest and say Mo Farrah is the only time I have ever heard it used for a male.

thistlelicker · 14/11/2013 10:30

I thought mo Farrah was a Mohammed ???

SS3J · 14/11/2013 10:30

Yes, sorry, I would assume Mo was a girl.

GrandstandingBlueTit · 14/11/2013 10:07

I assumed, on opening the thread, that you meant a girl, too. Maureen is therefore the obvious (and let's face it, not great) choice.

AnyFuckerWillDo · 14/11/2013 10:01

Monty!! Grin

Bunbaker · 14/11/2013 10:00

I thought Maureen as well, because I used to work with a Maureen and we all called her Mo.

Stat · 14/11/2013 09:59

Maybe this is a bit of a stretch, but I could see Mo as a nickname for names that start with M and end with O, or names that end with mo. So things like,

Marco
Milo
Matteo

Cosmo
Maximo
Timo

Middleagedmotheroftwo · 14/11/2013 00:08

Montgomery?
Montmorency?

adaloveslace · 14/11/2013 00:01

You could also give him the initials MO- eg Mark Oliver - and call him Mo. I think it's quite cool. (My granny was Maureen 'Mo' but with Mo Farah I'd say it's unisex leanings towards the masculine.)

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