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Baby names

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

Original poster

Do you worry about baby's initials?

41 replies

LTK73 · 13/11/2019 18:33

I was wondering how much you pay attention to any possibly words your childrens' initials spell out.
We have a double barrelled surname T-K. We are thinking possibly of calling our DC3 Florence or Freya, middle name Annette (family name). The problem is it spells FAT-K. Is that an issue? Will she be called fatty? or am I reading too much into it?! At work we use initials and I just use LTK so my middle name isn't ever used.

Any thoughts welcome!

ps these aren't our only names, just wondering if we need to nix them now!

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Lobsterquadrille2 · 13/11/2019 19:45

Memories of Frederick Algernon Trotteville. Florence and Freya are so lovely - is the "A" negotiable at all?

Greaterthanthesumoftheparts · 13/11/2019 19:45

Honestly, with a double barrelled surname i’d Drop a middle name altogether. They’re really unnecessary and in many countries are actually not recognised. I’m not really sure why we bother with them.

Slomi · 13/11/2019 19:44

I know someone who got relentless bullied for having the initials DOG. Kids would bark at her. I would avoid at all costs. Initials can be a big deal in school!

happytoday73 · 13/11/2019 19:43

Having worked with a p brain who said he was persecuted at school and never called Phil always pbrain ..... I always consider initials

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 13/11/2019 19:41

I’d avoid RAT FAT. I’d hate those initials.

Put another name in.

MollyHuaCha · 13/11/2019 19:39

They're no longer at school (but it wasn't that long ago) and don't have double-barrelled names, so I don't know whether some children had four.

Personally I would avoid FAT, though I do like your choice of names.

Original poster
LTK73 · 13/11/2019 19:33

@MollyHuaCha so kids with double barrelled surnames get 4?? As in LJTK instead of LTK?
@campion i was thinking that initially but then whole name would be 8 syllables and I suspect they wouldn’t use the second middle name doing initials anyway. They would skip to the surname. It’s tough! Another name we like spells RAT-K but it’s better than fat!

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OrangeZog · 13/11/2019 19:33

Yes, often middle initials are used for letters so friends will see it even if they are unaware from the school register/clock room labels (all schools seem to have a slightly different way of doing things).

All it takes is for the child to tell someone what their middle name is and for somebody else to make the connection, then it’s open for bullies to take advantage. Why not add another name in so it isn’t FAT?

Muddlingalongalone · 13/11/2019 19:32

I actively avoided M middle names due to first name B last name W.
I wouldn't use it personally.

campion · 13/11/2019 19:31

I think I'd avoid those myself.Just add another name. We did this for DS2 as he'd have had my initials. That might not sound like a problem but I had my DM's initials and she was always opening my post! So just to avoid that sort of thing we added another short name.
DS1 has 2 names to DS2's 3. It's never been a problem.

MollyHuaCha · 13/11/2019 19:27

At my children's school initials including middle letters were used on the outside of PE Kit.

Original poster
LTK73 · 13/11/2019 19:24

@Freeshavocado same at work but because we have a double barrelled surname that gets used instead of middle initial. It’s interesting.

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Freeshavocado · 13/11/2019 18:48

Yes it's more work I'd be concerned about as like you we use initials for everything I used to be just First initial last initial but then someone with the same initials joined so we are first middle and last initial now.

Loopytiles · 13/11/2019 18:42

Yes, initials are an issue and would avoid those ones!

Original poster
LTK73 · 13/11/2019 18:41

Thank you! I think you're probably right - I'm just SUPER conscious about it since I was really badly bullied at school! :)

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sleepismysuperpower1 · 13/11/2019 18:36

I don't think that her middle name would often get used (at school, which is where the teasing would happen, she wouldn't need to tell anyone her middle name if she didn't want to) so I don't think its a concern