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Baby names

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

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Original poster

To anyone thinking of picking something pretentious...

80 replies

LethalWhite · 09/10/2018 14:27

Don’t know if anyone else was listening to radio 6 just now?

A woman rang up with a request, mentioned her 6 week old daughter
Presenter: what’s she called?
Woman: Isolde Fleur
Presenter:.... what? sounds confused
Woman Isolde Fleur
Presenter: why? Where’s that come from?
Woman: it’s an old Arthurian legend.
Presenter: right. Why...why did you pick it?
Woman: well we were researching baby names and it just seemed to fit.
Presenter: well, ok.

The poor woman

OP posts:

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Harveyrabbit76 · 10/10/2018 16:18

I think Isolde is a lovely name. Its an old celtic name, what's the problem with it? I am all for bringing back similar names from legends and myths! I have a print of a roman fresco where the female figure is called Fleur, so I also have a soft spot for that.

I think pretentious names are things like Sixtus, Isambard etc

DGRossetti · 10/10/2018 16:11

Fleur is practically common now.

I worked with a lady - must be about 45 now - called Fleur over 10 years ago.

daisypond · 10/10/2018 15:18

Isolde isn't particularly pretentious. And Fleur is more than fine. I agree with the pp who said the woman probably ran the names together like Isoldaflur, and the presenter didn't understand. Or maybe he only knows the Iss-ult pronunciation and the woman pronounces it as Iz-old-a, etc.

Tawdrylocalbrouhaha · 10/10/2018 15:15

Isolde isn't that pretentious, and Fleur is practically common now. I've seen much more try-hard names than that on MN.

Wherearemycarkeys · 10/10/2018 15:12

Double barrelled names, whether chavvy or pretentious, are all awful in my opinion. No name sounds good with another name stuck on the end for no good reason

FaithInfinity · 10/10/2018 07:54

Okay maybe not pretentious but it definitely sounds posh...

Sunflower321 · 10/10/2018 06:58

My most pretentious name - once hired something from a Tarquin McFarqhar. I did joke with DH that he probably went to private school.

His name isn't necessarily pretentious. His parents may just like the name and aren't trying to 'pretend' anything. Maybe he did go to private school!

Pieceofpurplesky · 10/10/2018 00:32

I would imagine the presenter heard it as isoldafluer all in one so was confused.

I heard of an Ignatious (sp?) the other day

Slappinthebass · 10/10/2018 00:11

I love a lot of names classed as pretentious to be perfectly honest. But Fleur is vile. Sounds like something someone sneezed up. I've come across a few, and the parents have been twats every time.

IVflytrap · 10/10/2018 00:08

Isolde is fine. Not so keen on Fleur (it's the sound). The presenter was unkind. Presumably if she'd said Charlotte or Amelia it would have been fine. Many people in this country really do seem to have issues with Celtic names.

Tatiana is correct about the actual meaning of pretentious, btw, OP. People tend to use pretentious to mean "aspiring to be upper class" but it actually just means having any kind of pretensions. It's contextual based on who you're talking about, so people who name their kids after Kardashians aren't "aiming down" - to them, aiming to be like the Kardashians is aiming high.

FaithInfinity · 09/10/2018 22:58

I quite like Isolde. Fleur always makes me think of the baby from that comedy ‘May to December’.

My most pretentious name - once hired something from a Tarquin McFarqhar. I did joke with DH that he probably went to private school.

Cosmoa · 09/10/2018 22:51

Nobody knows the person... so nobody knows if it was pretentious!

That's beside the point anyway!!

Just say the name in a scouse or manchunian accent and you will truly understand that it's just an awful name 😂

susurration · 09/10/2018 22:47

Are you sure Npeter not actually Nepeta, as in the flower? Its the flower family that catnip comes from.

Sunflower321 · 09/10/2018 20:36

Chavvy and pretentious are opposites. Chavvy is lower class and pretentious is wannabe posh.

No they can be the same thing: a lower class person can most certainly be wannabe posh!

TatianaLarina · 09/10/2018 20:36

That was a piss-take wrt ‘being bullied senseless’ over a name.

I don’t buy it.

Original poster

LethalWhite · 09/10/2018 20:19

Alpine - we’ll have to try and figure it out....
Do you live in a ‘Thick and Violent Area’?

OP posts:

AlpineButterfly · 09/10/2018 20:10

My two are surname names. I'd love to know if they're pretentious and/or chavvy I suspect one is chavvy and one is pretentious

NotUmbongoUnchained · 09/10/2018 20:09

I’m a fan of pretentious names
Isolde Fleur is awful though.

PinguDance · 09/10/2018 20:03

Although Fluer does get kind of murdered in an English accent and putting on a French accent just to say it if you’re not in any way French does is pretty cringe so although I like it it’s a tricky one to pull off.

PinguDance · 09/10/2018 19:59

I think Isolde or Fluer by themselves are nice names - but if you say them in a way that runs them together then it probably would sound a bit strange.

TatianaLarina · 09/10/2018 19:58

^ to *LethalWhite @ 19.38

TatianaLarina · 09/10/2018 19:47

Exactly.

So your thread went tits up now you’re having a go at me.

JeanPagett · 09/10/2018 19:47

To be honest I think this sort of thing is possible with any unusual name, not just pretentious ones.

Some of the Younique names you hear about would probably confuse me, even if I wasn't tying to be a dick about it.

Original poster

LethalWhite · 09/10/2018 19:42

GreenDinosaur - to be fair, it’s pronounced ‘Peter’, so probably wouldn’t have the same effect in conversation, only when written down...

adds Npeter to baby name list

OP posts:

GreenDinosaur · 09/10/2018 19:39

Wow, that's really rude! Nothing wrong with the name at all, I met a young Isolde in the library a couple of months ago, it's a perfectly nice name, as is Fleur.

Npeter on the other hand...!

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