“Try hard”

I dont know it kind of annoys me. I get that some peoples names are very out there but I think it's cool... I feel like only classic (and in my opinion, most of the time boring) names go untouched on here.
It's a matter of opinion though, I personally think a 'try hard' name would be Olivia. It's a pretty name and I dont have anything against it, but its soooooo popular. Why go with the crowd? You only have one name why do you want to be 1 of 10 in your school.. just my opinion though!!! Please dont come for me hahaha

I simply don't see how you can distinguish between an unusual name given for reasons you think are acceptable, and reasons you think are 'attention-seeking'.

I agree. I know lots of lovely interesting, cosmopolitan families whose kids have beautiful names. Names that some of you might describe as 'try hard' . Personally I love their names.

Also, why should we not try hard to find unusual names for our children?

This I would describe as Try Hard. Neither she or her husband seem to like their own children's names,

That's not trying hard, that's stupid. If it's even true

No such thing. Of course we all want the best names (in our opinions) for our children. As always with names it’s down to personal preference.

I love Octavia, don't think it's try hard at all. The baby in Margaret Drabble's The Millstone has this name.

I’m not bothered about a stranger calling me a cunt really and you seem quite dumb anyway (Armani is not even close to a try hard name, it’s the opposite if anything).

I definitely overreacted though, I just feel so sorry for this girl and her mum. I’ve literally seen people make a face when they hear her name.

I would more align 'try hard' names with hipster type parents. Hendrix, to me, is the ultimate try hard name. But I kinda like it so who knows what that says about me...

Perhaps if you were less abusive and foul mouthed then you wouldn't get your own words thrown back at you @CarlottaValdez

Suggest you name change to "Car-LottaFagina" 💐

So I’m a cunt for defending a 3 year old’ name? Ok.

I’ve seen someone recently announce their baby girls name as Soul. I also know someone who called their boy Storie. Things like these for me, trying to be unique and not proper traditional names.

I once taught a Tequila. She was 11, and already went by a different name, was shy and quiet and utterly mortified by her real name. She was in my form and I had to fight for her to have her preferred name on her report. Poor kid. Now that name may have been "a natural expression of who her parents are" but it was fucking cruel to the child herself. Names aren't for the parents, they are for the child.

@MikeUniformMike 👍🏼my thoughts exactly 👍🏼

@CarlottaValdez I take it that's aimed at me? Thanks for taking the time to type those words and wasting precious seconds of your life being foul mouthed about someone you don't know 😘

Individually I don't take issue with the names but naming them like that collectively it's akin to calling your children Triumph, Mercedes and Ford, somewhat less interesting and unusual..

I don't think that people choose those names to stand out or be different, because my social circle is full of children with the sort of names that MN would call "try-hard" (and also, for some reason, Alice) and it doesn't make them unusual, because it's absolutely normal and usual to have that sort of name. Mumsnet has some very odd rules on what is deemed acceptable, where it's only really OK to be named after royals, although Savannah, Eugenie and Louis still fail the Mumsnet test, and Beatrice is cutting it close.

@CarlottaValdez, whereas some actual adult women are just cunts.

A mum at DC's primary school had DSS called Armani and Gucci 🤢

A friend of mine has an Armani, adopted when she was 3. Great to know that in addition to all her other problems that little girl will get actual adult women being cunts about her name. Delightful.

Do you think we should all be clones?
Bingo!

StuntPond
Because as I've said, it's about the parents and their attitudes, and why I've said that social group etc would probably cause more variation on what ends up on someone's try hard list.

I don't see why going for try hard 'look at me' names should be viewed any differently to people choosing to signify their specialness through 'unique' spellings. Both are the parents using their child to signal something about themselves and to make themselves look oh so different.

“I think it's when people select names to try and show how special and unique they think they are, but rather than going down the route of made up youneeek spellings, they select a name that they think will either make them sound oh so 'look at me' quirky, or it's a bit Hyacinth Bucket 'lady of the house'.“

Why shouldn’t people want to stand out? Do you think we should all be clones?

I can’t stand the painfully English snobbery around names.

@bedjolly completely and utterly true, I promise you! Those poor children would be mid to late 20's now... I wonder what they have called their own children???

Sorry, that was to @LolaSmiles.

Well, I am with you on the harmonising 'Happy Birthday' issue (and commented on that thread under a previous username), but I simply don't see how you can distinguish between an unusual name given for reasons you think are acceptable, and reasons you think are 'attention-seeking'.

You seem to be coming at it from the point of view of knowing the parents of the child with the name in question so you can figure out their motivation, which is why I asked about an interview. But what about when your child brings home little Octavia from school, along with little George, and you don't know their parents? Are you already making assumptions? Might not Octavia's parents be classicists, or devotees of US science fiction, rather than simply determined to stand out?

CaptainCorellisPangolin
I think some of the names on here have to be a wind up as I've taught in a range of schools, seen loads of different names and haven't come across half of some of the names that are on the baby boards.

Some names on here do sound like their very purpose is to have people comment "Ooh, how unusual!"

I only know one person in real life whose done something like this. All three sons have very unusual, Shakespearean names, which she refuses to shorten. She always looks a bit pissed off when the boys introduced to someone and she doesn't receive a comment about how special the names are. This I would describe as Try Hard. Neither she or her husband seem to like their own children's names, they just seem to like the IDEA of the names.

It's not tall poppy syndrome at all, though I'm sure that's what the 'look at me I'm so much more unique and special' people will think.
A bit like on the thread about people who insist on harmonising happy birthday at casual events think everyone is in awe of their musical talents when in reality most people aren't thinking anything of the sort, a 'look at me' person will often think any criticism of their attitude/behaviour is a sign that everyone must be jealous of them / want to bring their awesomeness down, or that everyone else is a sheep with no personality and wants their children to be wallflowers.

No interviews required on naming because 'I'm speshul look at me' types tend to reveal themselves.

I don't hang around with 'look at me' types because I find their endless need for admiration and their need to turn everything into the 'I'm so special' show to be draining and annoying.

That leaves me with people in my life who have a range of interests, range of talents and range of baby names.