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Baby names

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

Original poster

Mildly posh, long, classic girl's names?? Please help!

89 replies

YumMum94 · 25/08/2015 22:39

Hi! Three months till baby and I'm completely stuck for girl's names.
Big hitch is our surname, which is one of those ridiciously posh, like laugh out loud, old english surnames- think Cholmondley or Beaufort, double barrel it and you're there. I would love to use a flouncy, unusual name like Arabella or Seraphina but saying the full name out loud sounds like a made up posh person name.On the other hand a "modern" or (sorry) "chavvy" name really doesn't fit. We still want to go with a long name, preferably one with potential for nicknames.
For boys I've got Jonathan and Frederick. Both outside the top 100 but still classic and recognisable, with lots of shortenings- I can't stand calling babies long names.
Ideas so far:
Catarina: Love nns Cara and Tara, but the most obvious would be Cat, which I can't stand
Rosemary: Nice, but a touch too old lady
Cordelia: Love, but bit too posh, and dh's ex-girlfriends name
Sorry it's so long!!

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Musidora · 26/08/2015 23:57

Natasha
Evelina
Belinda
Ursula
Philippa
Dorothy/Dorothea
Christina (due a comeback imo)

booksshoescats · 26/08/2015 23:28

Araminta, Persephone, Isadora, Constance

ToadsforJustice · 26/08/2015 23:22

Jocasta
Evangeline
Lucinda
Endymion

Enkopkaffetak · 26/08/2015 23:22

Eloisa
Ilona
Verity
Karenza
Amabel
Clarissa
Jennifer
Mary
Fredericka
Patricia
Blanche

CruCru · 26/08/2015 23:13

Camilla
Rosalind / Rosamund
Miriam
Marianne
Claudia
Elizabeth
Hannah
Susannah
Beatrice / Beatrix
Ingrid
Ruth
Cecilia
Eleanor
Helena

DachsandPup · 26/08/2015 22:33

Camellia, Calliope, Augusta, Felicia, Iolanthe, Portia, Ginevra, Xanthe, Clementine, Cassandra, Ophelia

Junosmum · 26/08/2015 22:16

Cressida, Persephone, Hermione, Harriet, Hester, Lavinia, Verity.

triathlon · 26/08/2015 21:12

Rowena
Anneliese
Christina
Lucia
Vanessa

Bloodyknakard · 26/08/2015 20:20

Francesca?

Gingernut81 · 26/08/2015 20:16

We're going for Emmeline if ours is a girl.

susurration · 26/08/2015 17:53

Victoria, Elizabeth, Catherine, Eleanor, Matilda all spring to mind. Rosamund or Rosalind also nice. Classic without being pretentious.

Sophronia · 26/08/2015 16:53

Susannah?

ArcheryAnnie · 26/08/2015 13:21

Stephanie
Harriet
Lucy

CelestiaLuna · 26/08/2015 12:13

Caroline

NeitherHereOrThere · 26/08/2015 11:30

Alice

MuttonDressedAsGoose · 26/08/2015 11:26

Katherine/Catherine is a good name. It's a classic name that is never in style or out of style.

It can be shortened to a variety of things to suit different personality types. (She may be a Kate, Kathy, Katy, Kitty, or even a Cat sort of person.)

mandy214 · 26/08/2015 11:18

I think - if avoiding "chavvy" names is your objective then you need a very classic name. Lots of "chavvy" names (in my opinion) are where people are trying too hard, especially if you have to double barell a surname. Some of these more unusual suggestions sound a little "wannabee" - which is what makes it "chavvy" in my humble opinion.

I think Anna, Lucy, Elizabeth, Grace are all good suggestions.

NeitherHereOrThere · 26/08/2015 11:16

With a very long surname, a shorter first name would be better?

Eliza
Elena
Kirsty
Eloise
Esme
Elspeth

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 26/08/2015 11:12

Henrietta
Annabella

marshmallowpies · 26/08/2015 11:09

Ooh how about Arabel as a shorter alternative to Arabella? Or Mirabel.

Davinaornot · 26/08/2015 11:06

You asked about Davina. For very obvious reasons, I have name changed for this post!

I'm a Davina. I loved it as a name right up until the advent of Big Brother. Then I did feel it was cheapened somewhat. I already had a nickname (kind of a short version of Davina) at school amongst my closest friends, and so that's how I then introduced myself at uni. Lots of people still call me by the nickname, others by Davina (colleagues, other parents at DC's school, people I've met more recently).

The Davina McCall thing should be less relevant to your DD. She's not so much in the spotlight now and I am learning to re-like my name.

But it just goes to show that, whatever name you choose, you cannot at all predict who will come along in 5, 10, 20 years time and create new associations for a name. So, if you like it, go for it!

sofato5miles · 26/08/2015 10:58

Have a look through the Torygraph's birth announcements to see the going UC names. Pretty plain really, though Arabella is in there with Elizabeth and Clementine.

I particularly like this for the hospital reference:
On 19th August 2015, in the Lindo Wintal reg, at St Mary's, Paddington, to Alexandra (née Munro Ferguson) and Nicholas, a son, Arthur Ralph.

Mine was more:
On xx date, out of my vagina vulva, onto a blood spattered bed to Sofa and Armchair, a son, Chaise Longue, a sister for Deckchair.

Enb76 · 26/08/2015 10:57

Kathinka - pronounced Katinka

Dutch name but rather nice and different to your average posh name. Don't know how well it would go with your surname.

sofato5miles · 26/08/2015 10:50

Lucy i know it's short but it has a lovely ring to it
Elizabeth (Lizzie)
Victoria (Tory)
Camilla
Annabelle
Isobel
Eloise

Twinkle186 · 26/08/2015 10:49

OP, I don't know if this has already been mentioned, but I know an 11 year old Josephine who uses the nickname Fifi. If you like the name would you consider that?