Teddy for a girl, is it really that controversial??

Do kids still call a teddy bear a 🧸 teddy?

@daisypond you’re wrong here

Billie Faiers is her real name- it’s her sister that’s called Samantha!! 😂

Billie Piper has been called Billie since she was 3 weeks old so definitely not a stage name! Her parents officially registered the name Billie when she was 3 weeks old. She was called Leian for 3 weeks

Billie Faiers and Billie Piper are stage names. Their real names are Samantha and Leian that they’ve taken on. Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift are not in the UK, and names have a different feel. All are celebrities in popular culture.

Just call her Theodora and have Teddy as the nickname. Everyone happy.

Wonder if everyone hates Teddy or Ted on boys...?

She might get really fed up of people asking her what it’s short for as she gets older. Also when she’s a teen will have to navigate sharing a name with a piece of lacy underwear

we live in an urban, diverse area. The schools are large and populated with children from many different backgrounds and cultures. The thought of a child being bullied solely on their name has never been a major concern.

Your daughter will not always be a child. She many not always live in such an area. A name that is "cute" in a child may be a burden on an adult. Just because you've given little thought to the corporate world doesn't mean it will never be relevant to your child. Your DD is far more likely to work in a conservative business environment than be a pop star

It is sexy lingerie to me as well, so not quite the same as Charlie, Bobby etc a bit more like calling your child Panty but, ugh, more lacy.

I would like to think I have the maturity to get used to it if I met a female a Teddy face-to-face without mentioning this. I know a few toddler boy Teddies and don’t think of underwear when I see them.

Taylor is from the US thought. Taylor is a popualar girls name there. Not so much in the UK but I still wouldn't put it in the same category as Teddy.

Billie Eilish, Billie Fairs, Billie Piper, hardly a name that is so embarrassing you can't get on in life, is it?

Mind you, I don't know how Taylor Swift has the cheek to appear on stage, what with her parents' surname/boyish name choice. Clearly held her back.

It is the same as Charlie, Billy and Bobby. The same issue exists with those names - fine for a child or a chosen nickname. Teddy has an extra problem because it is a children’s toy, as well as an item of underwear.

It’s horrid, don’t subject your DD to that.

When I hear the name Ted/Teddy it makes me think of Ted Bundy 😮

But maybe that's down to what I've been reading recently 🤷‍♀️

OP imagine a 45 year old introducing herself as Teddy.

It’s a sweet nickname but it’s not a proper name.

I really like Edwina. It’s much nicer than Teddy.

Are people seriously suggesting that Edwina is a more pleasant name than Teddy?

I don’t know, I don’t mind it.. I knew an Edwina. She was Eddie to most people which obviously seemed incredibly cool. Then on getting a really serious job she was Edwina in the workplace, so she’s known professionally as Edwina Smith and it sounds very lofty but then even colleagues who know her well enough call her Eddie to her face. I feel like an Edwina Smith will be far less forgettable than say a Sarah Smith.

Theodora could be equally cool. I don’t like the full name really but it’s almost an Elizabeth in terms of names it could be shortened to- Teddy whilst a cute baby or toddler.. later perhaps Dora or Thea, and Thea is lovely. I’d have the full Theodora Surname on the name plate on my office though.

I think Teddy is delightful as a nickname but a bit odd for the full name. Consider Theodora, Edwina, or even Edith. If one of these is the formal name I think it would work fine to use Teddy in most situations if you want to.

Agree if you love it, I'd choose Theodora and call her Teddy when she's small. My test is always whether I can picture someone in a very responsible job (like a judge!) with the name and with Teddy I just can't! It is cute though :)

I quite like the name Teddy for a girl but I'd possibly want to pick a name that can be shortened as such to Teddy. Maybe Theodora or something like that? Our daughter uses a shortened version of her name (although she (at 3) picks and chooses what she prefers day by day)

Don't call the child Edwina. I don't like Teddy as a name for either a boy or girl, but Edwina? Are people seriously suggesting that Edwina is a more pleasant name than Teddy? Seriously? Or is this just the MN aversion to name abbreviations as a given name?

Robbie Williams has a daughter called Teddy Rose doesn't he?

Her full name is Theodora.

It also isn’t a good idea to see the names of offspring of celebrities as names you should be copying. It is unlikely that Theodora Williams will ever go to a comprehensive school or need to get an ordinary job. Therefore celebrities can call their kids “Banana” or whatever.

Sorry I only skim read must have missed it! I quite like it as NN for Theodora but then I would always use a full name and NN even if they ended up not having the NN as a result. I just don't like names that should be NN as their full name but that's just my option, most people I know just use the NN if they like that name.

Why don’t you use the name Teddy yourself op? Hesitating? There’s your answer.

I really like Theadora with the nickname of Teddy. Teddy as a standalone name, just makes me think of Edward or toy bear. Although I did go to school with a boy whose full name was Teddy, not short for anything, and as far as I remember it was never laughed at or commented on. I much prefer it used as a nickname for a related name though.