Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Email from friend about my baby's name

259 replies

toolonglurking · 27/03/2018 18:53

I've just had DD, she is a whole 5 days old and we thought we'd picked a good name, but I've just received an email from a family friend saying that it's a terrible name.
Please tell me straight, is Ophelia Elizabeth Cole a horrible name?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Kangar00 · 27/03/2018 20:32

Beautiful name but.... Ophelia does commit suicide so that may be why they thought they should tell you

Wishfulmakeupping · 27/03/2018 20:31

Posted too quick!
I’d look at options to double barrel it - Rose, May (although I dislike both those options) sure Mumsnetter can suggest lots of lovely names you could pair it with

Wishfulmakeupping · 27/03/2018 20:29

I can think of lots of accents it would sound like feel your hole :(
If you want to keep it because you love the name as another poster suggested

FML2017 · 27/03/2018 20:29

Yes but it’s Cole not hole so that’s irrelevant.

eurochick · 27/03/2018 20:27

Your friend is rude. Ophelia and Elizabeth are lovely names. But a feel o your hole? Really? It's up there with Mike Hunt....

lifechangesforever · 27/03/2018 20:25

What the hell did she actually write in this email?! She's no friend of yours.

Ophelia and Elizabeth were both on my list and they're beautiful.

herethereandeverywhere · 27/03/2018 20:22

Perhaps it depends on accents.

It reads fine (though long) with the middle name but without, to me, it sounds like

"A-feel-of-your-(C)-ole"

with a Northern accent (north west).

TheFirstMrsOsmond · 27/03/2018 20:19

Your friend sounds rude & nasty but perhaps she is trying to alert you to the point I think DairyisClosed is referring to in the 4th reply to your post - ie the name is famous for the fictional character who goes mad with grief and drowns?

stellarfox · 27/03/2018 20:19

Lovely name, rude friend unless she sees this rude phrase and is trying to warn you, but I think it's quite a stretch and nothing to worry about

IWouldLikeToKnow · 27/03/2018 20:19

It's a beautiful name. Studied Hamlet in school and always liked the name. Maybe it's different accents and pronunciations but I can't see anything rude/funny about Ophelia Cole. Even when it's spelled out in PPs, I still don't see it

ifIwasinvisiblewaitIalreadyam · 27/03/2018 20:18

It's a beautiful name. Tell her to mind her business. My side of the family hated my eldests name (Lincoln) when I said what it was. Right up until I had him I still had "so you still stuck on that name then?" and I said I love the name and it's mine and my partners choice. And now all of them that hated it say they can't see him as any other name and love it. Stick with it and tell her to get lost. X

VeronicaLodge · 27/03/2018 20:16

What a weird email to receive! Was there anything beyond 'the name is awful? Any reasoning as to why they think it's awful? If your surname was Cox, for example, I could see the need for a gentle intervention bit not with Cole.

PuppyMonkey · 27/03/2018 20:16

Baffled about exactly which accents would pronounce Cole as “hole” Confused

Springsnake · 27/03/2018 20:15

What a beautiful name,nasty friend

pileoflaundry · 27/03/2018 20:13

After DD was born, FIL and MIL sent pages and pages of A4 hand-written letters complaining about DD's name. DD was ill at the time, and DH and I were beside ourselves with worry and lack of sleep, without them adding to the stress. It still hurts, years later.

It would be an ex-friend for me.

Blit · 27/03/2018 20:12

AnnieAnoniMouser You are obviously unaware that Harris is slang for arse.

It's a minefield.

Ohyesiam · 27/03/2018 20:12

A friend? Not for long i hope.
Beautiful name, congratulations.

diddl · 27/03/2018 20:12

Showing my age here, but I always think of

(The Band, Ophelia.)

sparklefarts · 27/03/2018 20:09

I really like it.

Previous posters are really stretching it to say it sounds rude.

And your friend is a dickhead.

EleanorXx · 27/03/2018 20:08

Your ‘friend’ was very rude to email you. But honestly, Ophelia Cole sounds a little messy out loud and a bit like I feel ya hole in some accents.

RidingWindhorses · 27/03/2018 20:08

Ophelia Cole runs really well.

Unktious · 27/03/2018 20:08

Nice name, awful friend.

If I really tried I might come up with Awfully Cold but I could get the other suggestions made by other posters. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Eveforever · 27/03/2018 20:06

Ophelia is a beautiful name. I know the character from the play had a tragic end, but I don't think that should bother you, it's not like your calling her Hitler or something. Do you think the friend is joking? How old is she?

I'd email back saying you think it's a beautiful name, hence why you picked it. I'd consider telling her she sent you a terrible email, but that would depend on the dynamics, how close you are and all that. Some people have boundary issues.

PuppyMonkey · 27/03/2018 20:03

It doesn’t work at all as a comedy name unless “coal” or “cold” can somehow be deemed rude words. And they aren’t. Cole and hole is stretching the wordplay too far.

NWQM · 27/03/2018 20:03

Ignore here - even rise above her rudeness. If you like it nothing else matters it's lot - it's not like anyone has pointed out that you've made bad choices in terms of how the initials spell out or anything. Enjoy this lovely time with baby.

Swipe left for the next trending thread