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Baby names

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

Critique my girl names

39 replies

ABCFamily · 20/10/2015 06:17

I've just found out that I'm pregnant, and am having fun thinking of names.

Although I'm a Brit, I've been living abroad for a while, but intend to move back to the UK in the next year or so. How would these girl names be perceived back home?

Which of these names do you like/dislike, & why?

Alice
Astrid
Beatrice
Bronwen
Celeste
Demelza
Emily
Evelyn
Hannah
Hazel
Hester
Lorna
Louise
Megan
Penelope
Phoebe
Rachel
Simone
Sylvia

OP posts:
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reuset · 20/10/2015 12:12

Demelza stands out as nice, though I wondered if there would be a slight upsurge in use after Poldark. There's a ballet dancer (RB) named Demelza.

Alice - lovely
Astrid - ok, slightly fashionable at present
Beatrice - like
Bronwen - nope
Celeste - nice and unusual
Emily - ok
Evelyn - fine
Hannah -fine
Hazel - like
Hester - not really, but not terrible
Lorna - dated
Louise - Louisa is prettier
Megan - popular but fine
Penelope -good name
Phoebe - fine
Rachel - also fine
Simone - not keen
Sylvia - lovely

Sophronia · 20/10/2015 12:09

I love Demelza. I know one in her late 20s.

Also like...

Alice
Astrid
Beatrice
Bronwen
Celeste
Demelza
Emily
Hannah
Lorna
Louise - prefer Louisa
Rachel
Sylvia

DeepBlueLake · 20/10/2015 11:49

Alice - boring
Astrid - love
Beatrice - very current
Bronwen - very 80s/70s and not in a good way
Celeste - not keen
Demelza - looks made up, sorry
Emily - dull, has been done to death for the past 20 years
Evelyn - really like
Hannah - lovely but also overused
Hazel - no
Hester - god no
Lorna - not keen
Louise - dated
Megan - love it (on our shortlist)
Penelope -nice
Phoebe - okay
Rachel - decent name but very bland
Simone - god no
Sylvia - nice

Sgoinneal · 20/10/2015 11:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ThomasinaMerry · 20/10/2015 09:35

Hester ????????

MrsCaecilius · 20/10/2015 09:30

Alice - classic, simple, nice
Astrid - like it, bit different (in a good way) not overly popular
Beatrice - pretty, Bea as nn is sweet
Bronwen - not keen, unless you have a Welsh connection, quite frumpy
Celeste - Disney
Demelza - Love it! But the Poldark connection might put me off. If you have a genuine Cornwall connection though, go for it!
Emily - pretty, bit dull
Evelyn - like it a lot, although every other baby is called Evie, Ava at the mo
Hannah - never liked, boring
Hazel - old lady with baggy tights
Hester - bit too biblical for me
Lorna - like it
Louise - boring, the middle name of everyone born in the 70s (inc me)
Megan - works at Asda
Penelope - pretty
Phoebe - love it! pretty and ballsy
Rachel - dull and mousy
Simone - awful, moany Simoney
Sylvia - pretty in an old lady vibe

maybebabybee · 20/10/2015 09:23

Alice - quite nice, bit boring
Astrid - don't like but only because I know 3x old women called Astrid so I think of it as an old person's name
Beatrice - bit twee
Bronwen - quite like
Celeste - too flouncy/posh for me
Demelza - sounds like a witch
Emily - boring
Evelyn - don't like, do like Evie but it's quite popular
Hannah - quite like
Hazel - don't like, also feel like it's an old woman's name
Hester - don't like
Lorna - quite like, think of Lorna Doone
Louise - boring
Megan - quite like
Penelope - quite like though it makes me think of wacky races :)
Phoebe - love, one of my favourite girl's names but DH wasn't having any of it
Rachel - bit boring
Simone - quite like but for some reason can't imagine a baby called simone
Sylvia - don't like as had a rabbit called sylvia so to me it's a pet's name...

Wishfulmakeupping · 20/10/2015 09:15

Alice- classic but tad boring
Astrid - not keen
Beatrice- ok
Bronwen- like it
Celeste- not keen
Demelza- awful sounds like a Disney baddy
Emily- nice maybe tad boring
Evelyn- ok very popular though
Hannah-90's
Hazel-80's
Hester- no
Lorna - not good
Louise- ok
Megan- ok
Penelope- love and love Nell as nn
Phoebe- dislike
Rachel- ok
Simone- love
Sylvia- really like

ENtertainmentAppreciated · 20/10/2015 09:12

No one's mentioned Demelza the character from Poldark?
It's Cornish.

It's also the name of a children's hospice.

celtictoast · 20/10/2015 09:07

Like:

Celeste - pretty, unusual
Emily - classic
Evelyn - quite nice though Eve/Evie/Ava names are very popular
Hannah - classic
Louise - underused classic
Megan - simple, pretty
Penelope - OK, Penny a nice nickname
Phoebe - OK
Rachel - OK, perhaps a little dull
Sylvia - quite like

Dislike:

Alice - dull
Astrid - harsh, reminds me of "get rid"
Beatrice - a bit self-important
Bronwen - OK, prefer Anwen
Demelza - don't like the sound
Hazel - not keen
Hester - a bit over the top. Prefer Esther or Estella
Lorna - prefer Laura or Louisa
Simone - a boys name with an e

mrsschu · 20/10/2015 08:20

Alice - classic, nice, quite popular at the moment
Astrid - sounds a bit like asteroid, not keen
Beatrice - nice, classic
Bronwen - bleuh
Celeste - not keen, no reason why
Demelza - Demelza sounds like the name of a crazy, (probably Irish) Catholic nun. Dreadful.
Emily - classic, nice, dull
Evelyn - lovely
Hannah - fine
Hazel - fine
Hester - this has to be one of the ugliest names I've ever heard. I would feel incredibly sorry for any child called Hester. I can't get past the fact that it rhymes with "molester"
Lorna - very dull and old fashioned
Louise - as per Lorna
Megan - nice
Penelope - bit of a mouthful. Also quite trendy at the moment
Phoebe - dislike, again not sure why, just the way it sounds doesn't appeal to me
Rachel - fine, quite 80s/90s
Simone - again it sounds a bit dated now. I'd would imagine a Simone to be in her 30s or 40s
Sylvia - not keen, too old lady-ish for me, trendy now, I know a few under 2

Alice, Evelyn and Megan are the best from your list.

BreeVDKamp · 20/10/2015 07:40

*Demelza - 'Am ran' = mean old!!

BreeVDKamp · 20/10/2015 07:38

Congratulations! Flowers

Alice - fine, plain
Astrid - lovely
Beatrice - posh and stuffy
Bronwen - love
Celeste - nice, reminds me of babar
Demelza - reminds me of am ran old cat/the name Grizelda
Emily - boring
Evelyn - ok, Evie dull
Hannah - nice
Hazel - nice
Hester - see Beatrice
Lorna - ok, dated
Louise - dated
Megan - fine
Penelope - fine
Phoebe - plain
Rachel - dated
Simone - I've inly known mean ones
Sylvia - ok

ktmummy1 · 20/10/2015 07:16

Alice - lovely, classic
Astrid - yuk
Beatrice - posh but nice
Bronwen - not keen
Celeste - name of oral contraceptive
Demelza- not keen at all
Emily - lovely
Evelyn - lovely
Hannah- pretty
Hazel- not keen
Hester - never heard it and don't like it at all
Lorna - old fashioned
Louise- also old fashioned
Megan - lovely
Penelope- not keen
Phoebe - pretty and popular
Rachel - old fashioned
Simone- awful
Sylvia- v old fashioned