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Baby names

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

Original poster

Carmen

40 replies

FH27 · 18/01/2020 11:18

Hey guys so we don't know yet what we are having but we really like the name Carmen for a girl but I would love some second opinions on it. The other girls name we are considering is Julia.

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Mamabear88 · 20/01/2020 17:54

Julia is lovely, hate Carmen, sorry.

TatianaLarina · 20/01/2020 15:17

I prefer Carmel too. I agree Carmen is old lady and not in a chic vintage way.

timetest · 20/01/2020 10:39

Julia is lovely. Carmen is okay but sounds old ladyish.

Carouselfish · 20/01/2020 10:36

I've got a Carmen who looks like Marilyn, very fair waves, huge blue eyes. Temperament of a fierce tomboy but also very kind and funny. I love her name. It's warm and sophisticated and easy to spell as well as international.

ExohExohGossipgirl · 19/01/2020 22:19

I work with a Carmen and it is lovely. She is in her 50's. I do prefer Julia though but really hate Julie so I am no good to you maybe!

SingingLily · 19/01/2020 22:17

Love Carmen.

SaltedCaramelEverything · 19/01/2020 22:17

Carmen is ok, I like that it’s different. I prefer Carmel though!

lakeswimmer · 19/01/2020 21:52

OP I like Carmen very much and my name's Julia which I love!

I like Julia for the following reasons; it's classy and timeless, not particularly common but not so unusual no-one's heard of it, it's easy to pronounce and spell, it's pretty without being fussy.

I'm a bit surprised some on here think it's dated as in my all girls school of 1200 students in the 1980s there were only 2 of us so I don't think of it as being especially popular in my 40-something age group. Close friends and family sometimes shorten it to Ju or Jules but most people use it in full. I'm really happy my parents chose it Smile

Peccary · 19/01/2020 21:17

One of my favourites, I couldn't use it as I have a last name with the same sounds (like Coleman)

TatianaLarina · 19/01/2020 19:50

Julia is dull.

Carmen is fine with Spanish/S.American links otherwise it’s a bit random.

What about Cara?

Alwayscheerful · 19/01/2020 19:19

Heated rollers.
Opera.
No.

PsuedoSatisfactionBaby · 19/01/2020 13:06

Carmen is a fabulous name...was on our list but we grudgingly agreed that neither DD looked like a Carman when they popped out and suited the other names we had picked out. Also like Julia very much. You have excellent taste in names OP!

Astronica · 19/01/2020 13:00

I don't like Carmen but think Julia is lovely.

REignbow · 19/01/2020 11:21

I knew a girl (she’d be about 8 now) who was called carmen and she had blonde hair and blue eyes. Don’t let hair colour etc put you off!

Original poster
FH27 · 19/01/2020 10:00

Thanks for your responses. The one thing that puts me off Carmen is that myself and my partner are both blonde and fair skinned so it's unlikely we'd have a child with dark colouring and maybe a Spanish/Italian name wouldn't suit a blonde child. Interesting that some people think Julia is dated as where my partner is from Julia is currently a very popular girls name. Tbh I have gone through so many names that by the time the baby is here it'll probably be called something completely different, I don't know how I'll ever decide!

OP posts:
sashh · 19/01/2020 07:50

Personally I wouldn't use it because I'm quite a fan of the opera.

mynameisnotmichaelcaine · 19/01/2020 07:40

I didn't call DD Carmen, because I was worried she'd have colouring like DH, who is pale and blond. As it is, she has olive skin and black hair and eyes, and could have carried it off beautifully. It's a shame you can't see a photo of them as a teen when you name them 😂

BoomZahramay · 19/01/2020 07:33

Julia is lovely.

I don't like Carmen as a girl's name because it has 'men' at the end. I also know two, neither of which help the name's cause.

Topseyt · 19/01/2020 02:24

I like both names but Carmen has the edge for me.

My DD (17) has a friend called Carmen. I like it.

REignbow · 19/01/2020 02:22

Definitely Carmen!

Thymeout · 19/01/2020 02:20

I think it would depend on what the baby looked like. She'd need to have quite dramatic colouring to carry off a name like Carmen.

TheCanterburyWhales · 18/01/2020 21:35

Carmen is short for Carmela here in Italy and is really dated.
Julia seems more timeless to me, though I prefer Julie which is really pretty and due a comeback imo!

MondeoFan · 18/01/2020 21:35

Carmen

Julia awful

misspiggy19 · 18/01/2020 21:29

Carmen.

Julia sounds so dated.

Dyra · 18/01/2020 21:25

Carmen is a wonderful name. Julia seems very out-dated to me now.

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