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Baby names

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

Original poster

Hermione and Lysander for twins?

192 replies

spritethecat · 28/04/2018 13:57

I'm expecting boy/girl twins and these are our current favourites. What do you think of them? Any other suggestions are gladly welcomed Smile

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Sunshinedaze · 29/04/2018 08:59

I love Lysander ( Xander) not crazy about Hermione - ugly and nothing feminine about it. I just hope for their sake you are well to do and sending them to a private school and not living on a council estate. Or those kids are going to get teased big time!

BlancheM · 29/04/2018 08:49

I'm surprised by some of the reactions aswell. They are just names- not wacky or made up or anything. I've never known a kid in real life to be teased over a name, either. I just read about it on here.

pipilangstrumpf · 29/04/2018 08:35

I know a lot of children in my circle with similar sounding names and my own DCs are too. We are normal, my friends are normal and none if the children are teased because of their names

I agree! I wonder why some posters make assumptions and aren't more open minded about different names and tastes.

OddS0ck · 29/04/2018 08:31

Lot of unpleasant sneering and inverted snobbery on this thread.

Name your babies the names you love. I like all your suggestions OP.

My children all have the names "true posh people" choose. Ffs. How bloody ridiculous. I've known stately home owners name their children everything from George and James to Fen and Skylark.

stellinaa · 29/04/2018 08:30

I think Lysander (nn. Xander as it is more modern/strong for a boy than Sasha or Sandy) and Harriet would be lovely. Alternatives to Lysander could be Romeo, Julius, Elias, Claudio, Lorenzo or Matteo.

Other suggestions for girls names:
Angelina
Nathalie
Tatiana
Celia
Katerina
Imogen
Marina
Adriana
Audrey
Cassandra

gingergenius · 29/04/2018 00:02

@ErrolTheDragon yes it has now, so pronunciation is better known. Bit if you haven't watched/read Harry Potter then the name still throws up a pronunciation conundrum! Yes

ErrolTheDragon · 29/04/2018 00:00

people will ALWAYS pronounce it Her-me-own

Surely Harry Potter has knocked that one on the head?

applesandpears56 · 28/04/2018 23:59

Pia?

gingergenius · 28/04/2018 23:58

The problem eith hermione is people will ALWAYS pronounce it Her-me-own. I did for years!!! It was only discussing a jilly cooper book years ago, that I realised my faux pas.

What about Portia? She was a fantastic shakesperian character.

ErrolTheDragon · 28/04/2018 23:35

Lysander was originally a Spartan general - (and also a WW2 plane) couldn’t be much less mimsy than that.

Yes... I saw the name and immediately 'The British Grenadiers' sprang to mind
'Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules
Of Hector and Lysander, and such great names as these.
But of all the world's brave heroes, there's none that can compare.
With a tow, row, row, row, row, row, to the British Grenadiers.'

Goodness knows why I learned that song as a child!

IVflytrap · 28/04/2018 23:26

Exactly, let's all just pick from the top 3! No one should ever choose anything controversial or different! Fill the classrooms with Jameses and Olivias, comformity is the thing.

fragrancedirect · 28/04/2018 23:23

Amelia and George are far nicer than the other pretentious suggestions on here though.

fragrancedirect · 28/04/2018 23:22

Give me Sarah any day. My twins go to private school and the children are all called Edward, John, James etc, honestly not one of them has a ridiculous name. That said I am very taken with Pinky and Perky for twins! Grin

IVflytrap · 28/04/2018 23:21

Honestly, if someone thinks you're trying to impress with your children's names... who cares?

Some of the names I love have been labelled "chavvy" on here, others "hipster", others laughably dated. People will always have all sorts of tiring judgements about all sorts of things in your life. If you let the potential for people to make assumptions about you affect your choices you may as well give in and just call them Amelia and George and be done with it - but I bet you'd regret giving in in the long run.

Original poster
spritethecat · 28/04/2018 23:19

I'm not a 'true posh person' and I don't want people to think I'm trying to be. Names like Sarah, Sophie, Edward, Elizabeth, James, Samuel etc. just aren't my style, I prefer names which are a bit quirky, but I take everyone's point on board. I don't want my children to judged as pretentious and try hard. There has to be a middle ground between Sarah and Hermione.

OP posts:
fragrancedirect · 28/04/2018 23:15

My first reaction was to giggle - they do sound so totally pretentious as does Tabitha. Sorry but you did ask..

Ohyesiam · 28/04/2018 23:14

Unless you hang out in a very bohemian set op, I think your children will get judged for it. But that’s no reason to change your choices. If you have a genuine love for the names then use them.

Cyberworrier · 28/04/2018 23:12

Lysander and Aurelia sounds lovely

RedDwarves · 28/04/2018 23:06

True posh people name their children things like Sarah, Sophie, Edward, Elizabeth, James, Samuel etc. not Persephone, Balthazar etc. which is why people are saying it seems like you're trying too hard. They are the sorts of names people choose when they want to convey the impression of being posh, but without realising that those names aren't remotely posh, they're simply pretentious.

flumpybear · 28/04/2018 23:04

Defo jilly cooper for me ... which is ok but a bit telling of what you're in to literature wise

Freyanna · 28/04/2018 23:02

I like Aurelia, very pretty.

Theworldisfullofgs · 28/04/2018 23:02

Both are Jilly Cooper characters....

VanGoghsLeftEar · 28/04/2018 22:58

Lysander: Riders by Jilly Cooper (I think)
Hermione: Harry Potter.

Pretentious, in any case.

Original poster
spritethecat · 28/04/2018 22:55

I'm a bit surprised by the strength of some of the reactions. I know children with names like Lysander, Persephone, Balthazar, Ariadne, Seraphina, and I'm not posh, just normal.

I was wanting something a little offbeat, but I don't want people to hear my children's names and think trying to create some impression of myself that I'm not and I definitely don't want them to be judged for it.

OP posts:
TatianaLarina · 28/04/2018 22:31

People do though.

In the U.K. it was mega popular at one time and is now very dated, but not so in the US.

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