The name River...

Think River is a great name for a boy or a girl. Used to go climbing with a young guy called Beech and that was over 10 years ago so no don't think River is too out there.

All those pp saying that you need to think of a names for a High Court judge - don't think Christmas Humphries name held him back at all! If you like it use it.

I love it, very surprised people think it's "out there" 😂 I think it's quite normal. Definitely on my list for boys!

I don't knoW why people bother asking for input on here as so many people are downright nasty. I can understand a 'not for me' comment but some of the comments on here are horrible. Ignore them OP and go with what you want

I think it's a lovely name it's definitely on my list

Call your child whatever you want, but if you want ‘unusual’ then perhaps there needs to be an acceptance that it’ll raise eyebrows/be judged/not be universally approved of.

This

Who decides what constitutes an 'actual name'?

Outside of someone being called it of course, I suppose when it is “popular enough”. I assume people who want to call their child ‘River’ is because it’s not a well established name.

I see lots of threads here along the lines of “Do people like this name or is it really popular now?” as if their two criteria to meet are 1. unusual and 2. generally liked.

I assume names become ‘well established’ because people hear them, like them, and use them for their children. So one would assume that well liked names will become popular and not-well liked names will not. Makes it very hard to fulfil the two criteria.

Perhaps there is an argument to suggest people would happily become trendsetters but I also see a lot of “I picked this name a few years ago and now it’s everywhere, how annoying!” So that argument is out.

Call your child whatever you want, but if you want ‘unusual’ then perhaps there needs to be an acceptance that it’ll raise eyebrows/be judged/not be universally approved of.

Love it. Lots of Bear and nature inspired names, sounds lovely x I know a Bear and a River brothers twins

I think it’s quite nice. There are far, far dafter names out there being used in all seriousness. At least it’s not cutesy like the ubiquitous Teddy, nor over the top like, what was it? Michigan Lyricism...

Who decides what constitutes an 'actual name'?
For instance, there are quite a few traditional names derived from 'virtues' - patience, faith, hope etc. My autocorrect doesn't try to capitalise those so it evidently thinks they're more 'word' than 'name'. Would you disqualify those? How about names of months where a few are commonly used (April, may, June) ... but others would seem weird?

:o at vanity project.

Or a more plausible explanation is that the names mean something to the parents and/or they like the sound of it.

My DS's have two rather traditional names but we didn't choose them for that reason. DH and I just loved them.

That's really how most people name their babies.

There are millions of names to choose from that are actually names, not nouns or products.

Or random collections of letters on a monopoly board in a bid to be yoonique.
I'm mystified as to why people imagine choosing weird names for their offspring makes them seem cool and edgy to others.
Most people just think 🥱 or 🙄

So Olivia originally came from Olive. So it's OK to call your child the name of something that is edible but not River?

Well olive is a name too.... 🤷🏼‍♀️

You're being a little disingenuous. There is clearly a difference. Why stop at river? Why not go for pond, stream, puddle?

Hey, the OP asked for honest opinions. I'm really not a fan of using just any word as a name. It's a vanity project which is unfair in the child.

@SueEllenMishke

So Olivia originally came from Olive. So it's OK to call your child the name of something that is edible but not River?

I know if one and it did make me very interested as to what the parents were like. I think I saw them once and they were distinctly ordinary.
This makes me chuckle. Whenever people think about calling / call their children “unusual” names I always think that they must be / they are compensating for being painfully dull. But that’s me a completely catty bitch.

[quote micc]@SueEllenMishke ok so let all be called Olivia and Oliver then. Assuming every child will be shy. When more common than not most children are not shy.
I get the argument that this post is here to judge the name and this whole forum is. But there is having a personal dislike or a like towards a name and judging someone and their entire family before knowing them. This is also about the name River.. which is so inoffensive. I think people are far to sensitive.[/quote]
At least they're actual names!!

@SueEllenMishke ok so let all be called Olivia and Oliver then. Assuming every child will be shy. When more common than not most children are not shy.
I get the argument that this post is here to judge the name and this whole forum is. But there is having a personal dislike or a like towards a name and judging someone and their entire family before knowing them. This is also about the name River.. which is so inoffensive. I think people are far to sensitive.

I have never met anyone called River.

I do think people will make jokes - call him Stream, Canal, Drainage- Ditch or suggest those are his siblings' names.. but maybe they won't. Names which are common nouns do carry the risk of association with less romantic similies.

I like River, both for a girl and a boy. Reminds me of Firefly.

Generally like the hippie kind of names like: Meadow, Willow, River, and Sunny. Even more names in my native language as well, which is Danish.

Go for it!