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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Violet or Kiki

61 replies

lucywiltshire · 23/04/2015 21:36

DD2 is due in a few weeks and we can't decide on a name. Violet has been just about the only one DH and I agree on and we love Lettie for short. But I have recently thrown Kiki into the mix and we both love that one! Any thoughts on either name? Is Violet at risk of becoming overused?

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Tattiesthroughthebree · 24/04/2015 14:17

Our budgie is named Kiki, after the parrot in the Enid Blyton Adventure series.

florascotia · 24/04/2015 13:43

There is an actress called 'Kika' - short for Erika, I believe. What about that?

I like Violet but prefer Violaine (Vee-oh-laynn) - an old French version.

Bonsoir · 24/04/2015 12:52

Violet is pretty but, as others have said, is getting very popular.

Kiki is a nickname.

SunnyBaudelaire · 24/04/2015 12:51

oh as someone else has already said - I must have read Enid Blyton too

SunnyBaudelaire · 24/04/2015 12:51

Violet is only one letter away from 'Violent' and Kiki sounds like a pet parrot.

glittertits · 24/04/2015 12:47

"Kiki" is a term loosely defined as a meeting of friends for the purpose of gossiping and chit-chat, used mainly in gay culture, originally coming from African Americans and Latinos of the ballroom scene.

According to wikipedia. I don't like it, but it would be ok as a nickname.

I LOVE Violet. Vi or Vivi is very cute.

KoalaDownUnder · 24/04/2015 12:33

I find Kiki cutesy and a bit silly.

Violet is much better.

TheNewStatesman · 24/04/2015 03:24

Kiki...? Seriously?

Can you not call her a K name like Katherine or Kirsty or something, and keep Kiki as a nickname? It's really silly.

Violet is OK but very popular in some areas.

StellaAlpina · 23/04/2015 23:46

Kiki is lovely as a nick name I think.
It was my childhood nickname/my parents still call me it occassionally.
It's a colloquial way of saying baby in Brazil and is used lots as a girls/women's nick name regardless of first name.

You could call her Violet Katherine or Violet Kirsten and get to use both :)

Allalonenow · 23/04/2015 23:39

Violet is lovely.

IvoryMadonna · 23/04/2015 23:32

My immediate reaction was that Kiki is a parrot. I couldn't remember where that came from, but it turns out that it's Enid Blyton's "Adventure" books (The Island of Adventure, Sea of, Valley of etc)

My only other association is the singer Kiki Dee, but her real name is Pauline (had to look that up too )

DramaAlpaca · 23/04/2015 23:00

I love Violet.

I'm another who associates the name Kiki with a frog.

SirVixofVixHall · 23/04/2015 22:59

I like Violet but it is getting very popular. Kiki is really sweet, but I agree would be best as a nn. Could be a nn for Katherine? (Also agree Kiki's delivery service is fab, as is the frog actually).

hobNong · 23/04/2015 22:55

Oh and I know someone called Keerthi who is called Kiki for short. I'm not keen on Kiki itself as a name though.

hobNong · 23/04/2015 22:54

I love the name Violet and wanted it for dd but someone we know had a baby a few weeks before us and called her Violet so thought it would be a bit weird if we did too.

It's a lovely name but does seem to be getting more popular if that bothers you. I've heard of a few more recently born Violet's since.

jellies86 · 23/04/2015 22:50

I know a Kiera, nickname Kiki and she's fab.

timelyreminder · 23/04/2015 22:48

Violet

Bluestocking · 23/04/2015 22:39

Violet is a pretty name but where you are living and the local accent might be a consideration. I was in Croydon the other day and I overheard two women talking about a mutual friend's daughter called Violet. They said the name several times so I got the full benefit. Now I am a proud South Londoner myself, with an accent, but some words just don't sound great in this accent, and Violet is one of them - it comes out as Vi'le(glottal stop) and truthfully it sounds ghastly.

Kiki is terrible - it's a drag queen's name.

scarletforya · 23/04/2015 22:37

Love Kiki

wizzler · 23/04/2015 22:35

AuntieStella.. I believe we come from the same era.. Kiki is a frog

Hippee · 23/04/2015 22:31

I'm going to go against the tide - I prefer Kiki. There's a lovely girl in DD's year called Kiki.

mumofthemonsters808 · 23/04/2015 22:12

Violet is lovely, I only know of one in our whole school.

purplemeggie · 23/04/2015 22:11

I love Violet, but I had a caracature of a great aunt, complete with comedy wig, called Auntie Vi, so it's out for me. Lettie is a sweet short form, too.

squoosh · 23/04/2015 22:08

Violet.

I'm not normally an 'options' bore but in the case of Kiki I think it would only work if it was short for a more grown up K name. On its own it sounds like a parrot's name.

sweetpeame · 23/04/2015 22:02

I would go with Violet, I don't think it needs a nn so wouldn't use Lettie. I don't like Kiki at all, it sounds a little ridiculous. For example, I think I'd find it hard to take my director at work seriously if her name was Kiki...

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