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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Tabitha or Frieda?

32 replies

TremoloGreen · 23/02/2015 11:46

Just that really. She would have two middle names to come from the following (all family names):

Margaret or Pearl
Agnes or Ines
Elizabeth or a diminutive
Dorothea or Dorothy
Joan

Which first name do you prefer and what combination of MNs do you think go? To go with siblings Helena and Isaac.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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couldhavebeenrachel · 24/02/2015 15:01

I love the name Frieda. Really love it. I can never decide whether I like Tabitha or not. It's hard not to hear Tubby when I hear Tabby as a nn.

Frieda Agnes, Frieda Ines or Frieda Elizabeth. It all sounds too much of a mouth full to add any of the other names as a second middle name. Are 2 middle names really necessary?

Original poster

TremoloGreen · 24/02/2015 09:14

ch1134 Don't really understand your comment. I'm not going to get into a discussion of whether I have money or not (!) but I'm perfectly comfortable choosing names that I like for my children without needing to worry about whether they make some kind of 'statement' about me.

Thanks for all the other comments! After speaking to DH, I think we'll probably drop Margaret/Pearl from the running, complicated family history there!

OP posts:

ScaryChicken · 23/02/2015 23:42

Agnes is waaay better than Ines imho (or you could use Senga )

I like Tabitha Agnes Elizabeth

Sophronia · 23/02/2015 23:28

I like Tabitha Agnes Joan

bluelamp · 23/02/2015 21:49

DS would have been Frida if he'd been a girl so you can guess which name I like! We used all family middle names as well and both the grandparents and the children liked us using names that link people across the generations.

Margaret and Joan are due a revival, Elizabeth is timeless, Dorothea, Agnes and Ines are cool, I like Pearl the least, I think it's a lot less classy than the other names, maybe it's just dated the worst.

trinitybleu · 23/02/2015 21:30

Well, I have a Tabitha (ignoring previous poster) and she's known as T, Tabby, Abi and only toddlers call her Tabfa

Tabitha Agnes Joan sounds fabby

DarkBlueEyes · 23/02/2015 21:26

ch1134 · 23/02/2015 21:19

Frieda Joan.
Personally I really can't stand the name Tabitha. I know everyone mentions the cat thing, but to me it also sounds 'I wish I had money but I don't'.

Minty82 · 23/02/2015 20:21

Oops, should have been a closed bracket in there!

Minty82 · 23/02/2015 20:20

Absolutely love Tabitha - would have been DS's name if he'd been DD2 and am slightly wistful we didn't use it for DD (it was on the cards but we knew a little one at the time and thought it might seem odd as it's not a common name - but we've since moved away and aren't in touch with her family any more. Annoying! Frieda doesn't do it for me so no contest there, and in terms of middle names my vote would be for Tabitha Margaret.

mathanxiety · 23/02/2015 20:15

I love Frieda Eliza Ines.

Frieda Elizabeth Ines
Frieda Margaret Ines
Frieda Margaret Agnes
Frieda Margarita Elise
Frieda Dorothea Pearl
Frieda Dorothea Agnes
Frieda Theodora Ines

Blahia · 23/02/2015 19:04

I love Frieda and would like to use it if I ever able another daughter (I would spell it Frida though)

How about:

Frieda Margaret Pearl (I know this wasn't an option, but I like the flow of it!)

Frieda Dorothea Pearl

Frieda Eliza Ines

HootOnTheBeach · 23/02/2015 17:05

Tabitha because Frieda is likely to be mispronounced a lot

Marcipex · 23/02/2015 16:53

I like both names. I know quite a few people who would say Tabifa though.
I'm always hearing Marfa and Feo.
So I'd go for Frieda.

OnlyLovers · 23/02/2015 16:53

I also think Tabitha sounds like a cat (sorry) but LOVE Frieda. It's beautiful.

I don't really like Joan; think it's a bit 'plain'. I love both Agnes and Ines but think they should be the 'second' middle name as IMO they don't go with Frieda. So, favourite first:

Frieda Pearl Ines
Frieda Elizabeth Agnes
Frieda Pearl Dorothy (don't think Dorothea goes)

squoosh · 23/02/2015 16:45

'she refused an invitation to a christening once because it came addressed to Great Auntie Dot!'

I like her style!

DarkBlueEyes · 23/02/2015 16:42

OMG! My DD2 is Tabitha Ines, so I think you might be able to guess where I'm going to put my vote! Personally I don't like Frieda. Too Abba for me....

I get sooooooo many compliments on my daughters' names. We shorten it to Bibi or Beebs or Tabs, but never Tabby.

Go for it! The world needs more Tabithas!!!!

Original poster

TremoloGreen · 23/02/2015 16:37

OK, don't worry Skipper, I've been there, with painkillers!

So now I'm leaning towards Tabitha Dorothy Ines. I might sound MIL out on how she feels about Ines as a modern version of Agnes (the name comes from her Grandmother). If she hates it, we'll go with Agnes.

Dorothea is my own beloved Grandmother. She wouldn't mind Dorothy, although she always found Dot beyond the pale... she refused an invitation to a christening once because it came addressed to Great Auntie Dot!

OP posts:

LabradorMama · 23/02/2015 15:19

I love Tabitha, I'm hoping I get to use it someday

Tabitha Agnes Joan

I think you're very lucky to have such beautiful names to
Choose from OP

reuset · 23/02/2015 14:40

Frieda. Hmm, well it's the 'e' I don't much like here, I prefer Freda or Frida. But definitely also prefer something like Elfreda.

So based on that Tabitha would have to be first here.

Qwebec · 23/02/2015 14:25

Frieda is amazing

SkipperBlueEyes · 23/02/2015 14:16

In which case surely you use the one that means the most? Sorry I was overly rude. I'm on a lot of pain killers atm and pretty spaced out I shouldn't have been so rude and I missed the bit that said family names. Sorry.

Original poster

TremoloGreen · 23/02/2015 14:11

Thank you everyone. We would like to use Agnes somewhere (even though I don't love the sound of the name) because she was a very important figure in our family and part of the reason we've enjoyed a lot of good fortune.

Lots of votes for Tabitha - I like them both, but Frieda is my fave (means peace). Tabitha is DH's favourite!

Skipper - these are family names that mean a lot to us, that's why they're 'old lady' names. You're being very rude and unpleasant.

OP posts:

LorelaiVictoriaGilmore · 23/02/2015 14:08

Tabitha is lovely. I would go for Tabitha Ines, Tabitha Joan or Tabitha Pearl. For my taste there are too many syllables in some of the other names to go with Tabitha, given that Tabitha has three.

Arsenic · 23/02/2015 14:00

Tabitha is beautiful.

I think I prefer Elizabeth Pearl for MNs but you have some gorgeous names to choose from there.

Are you ok Skipper?

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