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Baby names

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

Original poster

Laurence?

29 replies

Linguaphile · 30/04/2015 10:05

Have had a great uncle Laurence just pass away, and I've taken a fancy to his name for our coming baby... feels a bit more fresh than some of the other classic boys' names floating around. Could we use Laurie as a nn for a boy without it seeming too feminine? I did love Laurie's character in Little Women... Laurence feels quite distinguished to me. Middle names would probably be Peter and Robert.

Our other two DDs are Philippa (Pip/Pippa) and Vivienne (Vivi), so want it to fit with those. What do you reckon, would it go with our other two? Vivi, Pippa and Laurie?

Other possibilities we're considering include:

Felix
Robert
Ewan
Hugh

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Sbear22 · 01/05/2015 14:49

It's lovely :) my BIL is called Lorcan which is Irish for Laurence, I like that too.

Laquila · 01/05/2015 13:32

Haha MsJupiter, I get a similar reaction to my son's name, which has a similar feel to Laurence. The assistant in M&S last week looked puzzled and said "Oh...where does that, um, come from, then...?", as if I'd nicked it from the aliens. (It's a pretty well-known biblical name!)

IvoryMadonna · 01/05/2015 01:29

"It's the kind of name where when you tell people they don't quite know what to say as it's not cutesy like Charlie or Alfie"

I'd say, "Oh thank God it's not a cutesy name like Charlie or Alfie". Grin

MsJupiter · 01/05/2015 00:21

I have one. He does sometimes get called Larry which I thought I'd hate but actually it's quite cute and it makes me laugh when shop assistants say ah, he's happy as Larry and I say yes he is!

It's the kind of name where when you tell people they don't quite know what to say as it's not cutesy like Charlie or Alfie etc. I had lots of 'oh that's... old-fashioned' type comments.

I love the other comments made by pp, I also thought it was a fresh sounding name that suited any age - I met quite a cool one in his 20s and all the Ls I know are very nice people.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 30/04/2015 22:38

I do like Laurence. However, I went to school with a Laurence and he was nicknamed Florence.

OddBoots · 30/04/2015 17:00

Oh I love it, it makes me wish I was expecting.

bunglesbuddy · 30/04/2015 16:44

We have a Laurence and have had nothing but compliments about the name. nn Lars (but we have Scandinavian roots).

mrscatmad31 · 30/04/2015 16:29

I know a Laurence, he's always called just Laurence although he does get annoyed with people spelling it with a w!
I think it goes with your daughters names

LaVolcan · 30/04/2015 16:23

My Dad was Laurence. Called Larry/Laurie by some. The only problem he ever encountered was having his name mispelt as Lawrence.

Original poster
Linguaphile · 30/04/2015 15:02

Wow, sounds like a winner then! I don't think I've ever had a unanimous name thread before... Shock

OP posts:
greenishfingers · 30/04/2015 14:58

I love Larry as a nickname! Happy as Larry - just great. Go for it!

Laquila · 30/04/2015 14:55

Love it! I know an adorable little Laurie.

DramaAlpaca · 30/04/2015 14:54

Lovely, and perfect with your daughters' names.

carbolicsoaprocked · 30/04/2015 14:53

Love it :)

BubGal13 · 30/04/2015 14:33

Adore it will be on list for DC2... every Laurence I know (not too many) is easy going, cool and popular.

BlueChampagne · 30/04/2015 14:14

Excellent name. Was on our list till a friend beat us to it Smile.

Makes me think of Laurie Lee.

Sophronia · 30/04/2015 12:47

I love it, and Laurie is great. It goes very well with your DDs names.

IvoryMadonna · 30/04/2015 12:44

I love it, and as someone has already said there is Larry as an alternative nn which may sound a little more masculine.

Just one thing about the spelling, which may not matter very much, but Laurence is a girl's name in France. My own name is a boy's name in Europe, and occasionally I've surprised people who expected me to be a bloke. It's never been a major problem though.

TempsPerdu · 30/04/2015 11:40

Really like it, especially spelled with a u. Agree that it feels fresher than lots of the other classic choices. Love the Little Women connection and nn Laurie, and it also has plenty of other distinguished namesakes like Laurence Olivier etc.

Laurence Peter is lovely.

ArcheryAnnie · 30/04/2015 11:27

I love Laurence, too. And Laurie is lovely. Go for it!

glittertits · 30/04/2015 11:27

Love it. Much nicer spelled your way than with the W too.

Hedgehog1977 · 30/04/2015 11:25

Really nice name and unusual, but not unheard of. With a family connection I think it's a winner! Having said that, do you like Larry? It's a possibility that he might use it when he's older. We have a family name Larrad, which we considered using but discounted as we didn't like Larry as a shortening.

Hx

OgreIt · 30/04/2015 11:25

I love it and think it fits very well with your girls' names. Laurie is lovel.

CloserToFiftyThanTwenty · 30/04/2015 11:24

I like it too, especially as it is a family name

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 30/04/2015 11:21

Laurence is lovely. I know a very cute like Laurie. Smile

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