Thaddeus and Balthazar

I can just get over Thaddeus, but not Balthazar. You are just asking for teachers to name him a little demon!

Can't even get a good nickname for that either. Such a heavy name to bear.

@kanga83 Nothing. They are all lovely names and relatively common in the very nice part of the world in which I live. So by calling your child Balthazar (and the siblings names which are equally 'try hard'), it makes you look rather pretentious - and there have been lots of conversations around the tables of the ladies that lunch here, which haven't always been very kind about the choices. If they were going to private school then maybe it wouldn't matter, but they are in state schools. Even at the (public) schools my brother and I went to, Balthazar and Thaddeus would have been sniggered at.

Saint Balthazar; also called Balthasar, Balthassar, and Bithisarea,[1] was according to tradition one of the biblical Magi along with Caspar and Melchior who visited the infant Jesus after he was born. Balthazar is traditionally referred to as the King of Arabia and gave the gift of myrrh to Jesus. In the Roman Catholic Church, he is regarded as a saint.
You can name the other Caspar and if you have a third son Melchior.
I'm not being horrible just pointing out what's on the horizon.

Is it Balthazar one of the 3 kings? Poor kid won't be fun for him.

I like malachi

I knew a malachi when ds1 was little

@Panicmode1 what on earth is pretentious about Monty, Sebastian, Rupert, Jasper etc. Normal, classic names that will take a child into adulthood nicely. Judge away.

There is a Balthazar living near me, who is one of 4, whose siblings also have the most ridiculously pretentious names.

What is 'pretentious' actually supposed to mean?

Have you considered that they may actually like their names? That his parents may not be 'pretending' anything?

There is a Balthazar living near me, who is one of 4, whose siblings also have the most ridiculously pretentious names. And I live in a place where my children have a lot of Montys, Ruperts, Sebastians, Jaspers etc in their classes.... I'm afraid a lot of people judge, and not kindly.

I would not agree with there being less bullying now, if anything there is a lot more and many more platforms for it to take place on.

Love Thaddeus, hadn't come across that name before.

If you love the names then go for it. My mother always said biblical names were the steady and safe choice! And I don't think you need worry about bullying, it's not the 1970s any more, and we can all cope with unusual names.

I prefer Balthazar to Thaddeus.

Love Misha.

Apologies @Grufallosfriends that was aimed at the poster below you who said it would negatively impact. I tagged the wrong person.

With names like the op mentioned there would be all sorts of nicknames applied which are not under her control. It is quite possible that she would even hate what her children were known as

Same with most names eg William (Willy) Isaac (I suck) etc

I know a Thaddeus who's been very happy with his name!

With names like the op mentioned there would be all sorts of nicknames applied which are not under her control. It is quite possible that she would even hate what her children were known as. In a world where bullying is so prevalent why would you add more fuel to the fire? Even as the children age there are many repercussions of having a name like these, for example can you imagine the children being taken seriously? They may well be embarrassed or ashamed of the names when they begin to develop as young adults. I imagine it would be awkward when they are applying for jobs. And on a less serious note if I was to meet a kid named as such personally I'd wonder what drugs her parents were on at the time they named them. It's all well and good these names being "popular" in some parts of the world but do you know anyone named either? There is most likely a reason if you don't.

Lovely names Kanga!

I still don't see how such names would negatively impact you?!

In my experience a memorable name is far better than a boring overused top 10 name.

@Grufallosfriends how will it negatively impact them? Completely outing myself here but between my two children classes and the year above these are some of the names. I would say these are names that are normal for where we are and no one would bat an eyelid at them.
Persephone
Araminta
Octavia
Ophelia
Abraham
Gilbert
bartholomew
Rupert
Phineas
Barnaby
Dashiell
Seraphina
Zebedee
Titus.

@CurlyWurlyTwirly not necessarily. I only joined MN a few months ago and my children were named a few years ago. Old fashioned and very uncommon. Nothing unusual about their names in my children's school and there would be nothing out of the ordinary with a Thaddeus or Balthazar there either. Far better that than a Lilly-Mae, Ella-Rose or other hyphenated combo, Jayden, Hayden, Amelia, or the thousand Harry's we meet.

100% fuck no .

Only on mumsnet would people rave about those names

Thats rubbish as well

We had ds1 name picked out when i was 17 and dh 18

Long long time ago