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Baby names

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

Original poster

Bear

144 replies

HenryandJude · 22/04/2017 23:36

Is it ok as a middle name?

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tiba · 08/05/2017 16:43

Why not use Arthur?

The meaning of which is Bear

putthehamsterbackinitscage · 08/05/2017 13:55

Looks like some people misunderstood your sense of humour OP

My teen DD informs me that Bear Payne is even more funny when you put together the two 1D baby names ...

Freddie Rain (bow) Bear - apparently....

BeautyGoesToBenidorm · 08/05/2017 13:18

I'm confused by Bear Payne as a name. 'Bare' has for years been slang for 'lots of' or 'loads' of something. So I hear 'a lot of pain' with that name combination. Or in conventional usage of 'bear', it sounds like 'bear pain', to withstand or suffer pain.

SO glad it's not just me feeling this!

frogsgoladidahdidah · 08/05/2017 12:53

Poor bairn. Imagine him as an adult saying his wedding vows...

TheExuberant1 · 08/05/2017 12:45

No.

GinIsIn · 07/05/2017 07:14

Scrumpernickel - my son is a Theodore/Teddy. It's because it was Jo's pet name for Laurie (Theodore Laurence) in 'Little Women', which was always my favourite book and he was my childhood literary crush. I don't think the trend has much to do with classic 19th century American literature, but that's the reason in our case! Grin

CatCircle · 07/05/2017 07:04

I'm confused by Bear Payne as a name. 'Bare' has for years been slang for 'lots of' or 'loads' of something. So I hear 'a lot of pain' with that name combination. Or in conventional usage of 'bear', it sounds like 'bear pain', to withstand or suffer pain.

Bear with Jones or Grylls etc makes me think of the animal as intended, or other first names with Payne are fine, seemingly cancelling out the 'pain' association. But BP affects both names' usage to my ear.

Anyway this is beyond irrelevant obvs, small BP will be well loved and live in an astronomically wealthy celebrity bubble and good on them all. He'll have mates with a lot more startling names. I strongly doubt that his mum and dad needed to consider what their DC's name would sound like eg when future employers do a CV sift. Grin

Scrumpernickel · 07/05/2017 06:21

And Teddys, I'm tripping over Teddys. What's made that name suddenly so popular? The only famous living Teddy I can think of is Teddy Sheringham, but he's as dull as ditchwater so I can't believe he's the inspiration 😀

Scrumpernickel · 07/05/2017 06:14

It's funny how Bear has become such a zeitgeisty baby name. Minor celebs seem to favour it and many threads on MN also seem to favour it too. Do they all hope their sons will become plummy voiced Christian explorers like Mr Grylls?

Crunchymum · 06/05/2017 23:54

"Bear would be pretty hot on an adult male"

Yeah it would Smile en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_(gay_culture)

User99573864 · 06/05/2017 15:08

There's a clothing company called Tobias and the Bear.

Teddy Bear would be great for puppy.

ShoutOutToMyEx · 06/05/2017 15:07

Maybe this was Cheryl.

EllenJanethickerknickers · 06/05/2017 14:58

I don't personally like Bear as an actual name rather than a nickname, but that's just my taste. To pair it with Theodore isn't a good idea. IIRC teddy bears were called that after Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, so Theodore Bear is just too much.

Floggingmolly · 06/05/2017 14:52

(The name) Bear would be pretty hot on an adult man. Hmm

NavyandWhite · 06/05/2017 14:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NoraFromTheBeeHive · 05/05/2017 21:06

Theodore Wolf is fab!

LykkeStrom · 04/05/2017 22:33

I love it as a middle name!

It's adorable for a little boy, and would be pretty hot on an adult man.

Jooni · 04/05/2017 22:20

These comments are getting pretty bitchy now... Hmm

OP I'm sure you already knew Bear wasn't going to be to everyone's taste and I suspect you'll have decided against it anyway now that Cheryl's just used it, but I think you're getting an unnecessarily hard time here. Everyone has different taste in names, and that's fine. No doubt you wouldn't care for some of the pps' children's names. Wolf and Bear are fine, especially as it's only a middle name, and he'd have a solid, traditional first in either Theodore or Tobias anyway.

Floggingmolly · 04/05/2017 20:40

Were you deprived of soft toys as a child, op? Is that the reason you saw your newborns and thought "at last I have my very own cuddly thing, I'll call him fox/bear/wolf/something usually reserved for a wild animal"?

bibbitybobbityyhat · 04/05/2017 19:58

Just dreadful.

Ham69 · 04/05/2017 19:55

I've heard Bear several times recently. Don't mind it but have a feeling a lot of the male population born this last couple of years to now are called Teddy/ Ted or Bear. Good names but becoming more popular if that bothers you.

CoolCarrie · 04/05/2017 16:53

Poor child!

RuthB4 · 04/05/2017 16:49

Keep it as a nickname!

RuthB4 · 04/05/2017 16:49

Definitely not!! I don't think you can seriously consider using Bear as a middle name, but even more so if his first name is Theodore!! I'm sorry but i really think it's unfair to the child, and his future adult self.

Would your partner be happy if that was his own name?

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