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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Would you be a good registrar?

58 replies

Thighofrelief · 01/10/2018 02:50

I find names and trends really interesting but think I would get sacked pretty quickly.

I'd say "oooh no dear, don't spell it with a y" and "are you sure? She really looks like a Caroline to me" and "for the love of God pick a spelling! Think of the statistics"

Went I went to register both my DCs I was really interested in the registrars reaction but didn't get one either way.

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NicoAndTheNiners · 02/10/2018 17:34

Well I’m a midwife so legally I can’t be a registrar.

I have a total poker face when it comes to baby names though so I would make an excellent one.

Only time I’ve ever offered an opinion was when a couple said they were going to call their baby a name which had numbers in it rather than letters. I genuinely can’t remember what the name was or how it was pronounced but I pointed out legally you can’t have numbers in a name (think I’m right, that’s what I told them anyway).

Original poster

Thighofrelief · 02/10/2018 17:29

Surely it's Swastika not Swasticka. Tsk, these racists should at least be accurate.

I also feel a little obsessive about middle names, i mean it's not that hard to shove Louise, Jane, Marie or Anne down is it?

OP posts:

Cbeebiesrehab · 02/10/2018 15:48

MewithaC two children called swasticka?!?!?

L0kiWh0 · 02/10/2018 14:10

Hah I’d suck at being a registrar. My mouth would be saying ‘that’s lovely’ but my expression would be saying ‘are you sure’?

SemperIdem · 01/10/2018 21:25

It is my dream job but I suspect I would be quite bad at it, in reality.

Original poster

Thighofrelief · 01/10/2018 18:03

When i was registering my 2 i was so excited and blinkered about the names i had chosen. I may have tried to solicit a positive response from the registrar but just got neutral and pleasant which is actually what the names are, so there you go. I had no perspective at the time though

OP posts:

Original poster

Thighofrelief · 01/10/2018 17:58

I have a friend whose mother wanted to be called Michaela. But she sent her husband, unaccompanied, to register the birth. He couldn't remember how to spell it so she is Michelle. I couldn't possibly trust anyone enough to register my DCs.

OP posts:

MewithaC · 01/10/2018 17:35

As a teacher I'm quite used to an eclectic mix of spellings, although have recently come across not 1,but 2 little Swastikas which made my eyebrows raise.

Flashingbeacon · 01/10/2018 15:09

I couldn’t do because I’d get twitchy about people that didn’t have at least one middle name. They have a space for it, fill it! The form the vet gave me for the cats had 2 lines for name. I assume it was for pedigrees but not my cats have 4 middle names because I like to fill the place.
I’d just add middle names for everyone. “I’ll just put in felicity penthaligan because that’ll fill the lines”.

TakeAChanseyOnMe · 01/10/2018 15:04

My friends dad was born in the 50s in Northern Ireland, when there was active discrimination against catholics. His parents want to name him an Irish name (like Sean). The register said “no that’s too Irish” and put down John instead. He’s been called the Irish name his whole life, just his birth certificate is different.

GU24Mum · 01/10/2018 15:02

Back in the midst of time when my father was sent to register my name, he had a choice of two and ask the registrar which one she preferred..... then chose the other one!

theredjellybean · 01/10/2018 14:59

I'd be hopeless as very judgy about names ☺
I'd be 'no sorry you cannot call them cupcake-daisy-blubell, but Emily is nice I'll put that down'

Polkasq · 01/10/2018 14:53

I think I'd have a good enough neutral expression but would be too silently opinionated to last long in the job!

Original poster

Thighofrelief · 01/10/2018 13:56

There was a case, in Australia I think, where the parents wanted to call the baby 4real but couldn't as 4 is a number rather than a letter. So they called him Superman.

OP posts:

PiperPublickOccurrences · 01/10/2018 13:50

I'd be rubbish.

I'd be fine with people calling their babies Jane, William, Sophie, Thomas or even the more unusual things like Araminta, Peregrine, Hamish or Petunia.

But I would SO much judge someone wanting to lumber their child with a name like Sopheee-Bloo or Switzerland or Wastepaper-Basquette.

owabno · 01/10/2018 13:49

just meant mean to dislike names with more than one spelling

In that case I apologise. I didn't read it that way at all.

Thebeautifullisette · 01/10/2018 13:46

I’m completely missing the point, sorry, but Isobel is British isn’t it? I always thought it was Scottish.

Kewqueue · 01/10/2018 13:42

I just meant mean to dislike names with more than one spelling - because I have one! It was meant to be light hearted!

owabno · 01/10/2018 11:47

No! I was just pointing out that my name is British and has lots of different spellings - as does Isobel (why on earth would Isobel be racist??) I think you are looking for an argument where there is none.

I wasn't looking for an argument, I was just a bit baffled that after someone gave Isobel and Mohamed as examples you said it was mean. What on Earth was mean about it?

You then went on to say that you had a brutish name which also had variants, which, in addition to suggesting the non traditional British examples were mean, suggested to me that you had an issue with 'foreign' names.

SodTheBloodyLotOfThem · 01/10/2018 11:27

Re Mohamed: the Arabic language has no vowels, so in Arabic it's spelled the equivalent of 'mhmd'. The vowels (And doubling of the m) are fairly random and for users of the Roman alphabet's convenience.

Dunno what Isobel/Isabelle/Isabel/Izabel/Isobelle's excuse is

Original poster

Thighofrelief · 01/10/2018 11:20

Dych that's dreadful. It's so normal to be married or not now why would she even comment. Stupid woman.

OP posts:

Dychmygol · 01/10/2018 11:08

I'm sure I'd do better than registrar for DD1. As DH and I were still unmarried at that point she asked me in front of him if I was sure I wanted the baby to have his name because I'd need his permission to change it if we broke up.

If DH was the abusive sort I can just imagine how I would have been the recipient of his ire. Thankfully he's not abusive, but laughed about it and gave me a cuddle when we left the room because I was upset.

Clearly we looked like we had no chance of surviving as a couple and I needed to be told that whilst vulnerable with PND by a complete stranger.

Original poster

Thighofrelief · 01/10/2018 10:48

Re Mohamed / Isobel - I am literally (lightheartedly) thinking about the statistics. There are many ordinary names that have spellings that have equal weight. For instance I personally prefer Catherine but i think for the purist Katharine is probably "correct". With the variants on Mohamed is it like Steven / Stephen ie free choice?

OP posts:

Kewqueue · 01/10/2018 10:26

owabno · 01/10/2018 09:25

racist

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