When choosing a name did you ever consider the 'future prospects' of your child going by that name?

Currently working at news agency. The board directors are called Cindy, Shep, AJ, Eugene, Sebastian, Franklyn, Kathi and Jackson.
Everyone needs to get a grip with regards to these opinions on 'sociological-economic back grounds' (dear god) and 'chav names'. It's slightly frightening coming from the parents of the next generation and, in all seriousness, not the way the world works any more. If you foresee any kind of future as Board Chairman for your child then they can't be brought up with these views.

Cottonfrock and PerkinsRents both have it right - ("a casual glance at the baby names board throws up all manner of prejudice dressed up as "good taste") - so alarmingly true.
There's nothing wrong with thinking about your child's future as an adult when naming them. I just wish people here would allow themselves to like or dislike names based on criteria other than a real fear that others might think they don't shop at Waitrose.

we live in a class ridden and racist society (a casual glance at the baby names board throws up all manner of prejudice dressed up as "good taste") and in this context sadly names do matter.

I agree with you Perkins. Unusual names seem to be more tolerated on MN if they're middle class unusual rather than working class unusual.

And there are often a few 'is that even a real name' when opinions are asked on foreign names.

I work with a "Honey". It is just awkward as, to my mind, it feels as though I am using an affectionate/patronising generic term. A couple of times I have had to say "Honey" quite loudly across a busy room to get her attention and you do get a couple of people who look up with faces ranging from bemused to WTF to "who, me?" and a bit of me itches to then explain it is her name but that would just be more embarrassing. I have yet to hear our male boss address her by her name. Honey's siblings have normal names!

Yes, I tend to like names that sound decidedly stripperish so had to give myself a talking to. We went with Vivienne in the end.

I would assume Robin was a boy...

CarbonEmittingPenguin She's Bob to me

'You don't think that Chardonnay-Mae with her Oxford First and packed CV might suggest to potential employers someone who has triumphantly transcended a background in which no parent was aspirational enough to subject her names to the high court judge test?'

That is putting a lot of faith in the employer being scrupulously egalitarian and right-on, not to mention the clients with whom the employee will be expected to interact. Better to choose a name that will suit a business environment made up of people who read the Telegraph as well as the Guardian.

No, I didn't mean the employer would be scrupulously egalitarian or right-on by any means, only that Chardonnay-Mae might emerge as a potentially more unusual, hungrier, more hard-working candidate from a pool of two hundred equally well-qualified Charlottes and Jonathans with professional parents and public-school backgrounds, for whom Oxbridge was always an obvious destination. I think she might get past the first cut, anyway.

I would also imagine that Chardonnay-Mae would, in her time at Oxford, be likely to have taken on a certain amount of protective colouring from her environment, and would be perfectly capable of relating to potential clients. I did it myself. I can perform unimpeachably middle-class, and my background is from the more deprived reaches of the WC.

'You don't think that Chardonnay-Mae with her Oxford First and packed CV might suggest to potential employers someone who has triumphantly transcended a background in which no parent was aspirational enough to subject her names to the high court judge test?'

I think Chardonnay-Mae will have been savvy enough to become Charlotte May.

Robin

I had a few criteria for DD's name. I wanted it to be easy to pronounce across several languages, quick to write on forms and unisex. I wanted future employers to not know if she was male or female on applications.

And obviously I had to love it :-D

I have come across a solicitor with a very "unsolicitory" name.

And I did think "she did well, considering that name". Names do indicate background, or appear to, a lot of the time.

'You don't think that Chardonnay-Mae with her Oxford First and packed CV might suggest to potential employers someone who has triumphantly transcended a background in which no parent was aspirational enough to subject her names to the high court judge test?'

That is putting a lot of faith in the employer being scrupulously egalitarian and right-on, not to mention the clients with whom the employee will be expected to interact. Better to choose a name that will suit a business environment made up of people who read the Telegraph as well as the Guardian.

Could well be different in 20 years time, plenty of MC kids give their kids 'different' names. My nephews for example have completely whacko names. Fwiw we gave ds a biblical name and combined it with both Df and Fil names. It was only after we realised he sounded like a corporate lawyer

But those lists in other countries with naming laws aren't about social class, which is what is at the crux of the 'high court judge/business card/ CEO test'.

I do think the naming laws in different countries are interesting - as you say, many places require a name not to be gender neutral, and some won't allow names that are, or are like, surnames, as well as more common laws about not using obscene terms or brand names - but I can't think of anywhere else with as finely-calibrated a nose for the social class of names, which in this country, the population seems to do a fine job of self-policing on...?

Ilove

I don't think it is a British viewpoint considering how many countries have state sanctioned lists to choose names from. And the ones which don't have lists per se but do insist that the child's name denotes sex (Germany).

Yes, there is a name similar to Tilly Mae at one of my baby groups. It's quite cute now but I can't imagine being introduced to a 40 year old called that. I guess they might pick Tilly or Mae on their own when they get older...

I always think if you like Tilly (for example) then use Matilda and Tilly as a nn. That was the child has the option of a more grown-up version as they get older.

I didn't think of their future roles but I did think about whether it was a name that wouldn't sound silly as they grew older so wouldn't have chosen something like Tilly Mae or Sammie Jo as I can't envisage them as mature, successful adults.

The boys name I had picked out sounded like a doctors name to me when it was coupled with our surname.
I haven't used the name yet as we have a DD, but it's still top of the list of boys names for #2

This seems a very British viewpoint.

Look at Barack Obama or Condoleezza Rice - their names haven't held them back.

Both my children's names were chosen carefully to be suitable (either as they are or a shortening) for

Baby
Child
Teenager in a comprehensive
Chairperson of ICI

There are so many lovely names out there that it seemed daft not to.

I did. Completely agree withCottonFrock we live in a class ridden and racist society (a casual glance at the baby names board throws up all manner of prejudice dressed up as "good taste") and in this context sadly names do matter.