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Baby names

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

Mary or Maud?

93 replies

FolkSongSweet · 24/09/2020 16:37

Which do you prefer?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
MercyBodle · 25/09/2020 00:40

I think both are great names. I agree with your summation of them OP, and would find it hard to choose between them. Both are quite cool I think. Mary is safer and Maud is edgier. I would probably lean towards Maud for its feistiness ( and love Maudie as a nn), but really I would love to meet both a little Mary and a little Maud!

bridgetreilly · 25/09/2020 00:33

I really like both OP. I think I slightly give the edge to Maud, but they’re both great choices.

cretelover · 25/09/2020 00:23

Not crazy about either but Maud is dreadful

mocktail · 25/09/2020 00:20

Definitely Maud! Although have you considered Mabel...?

JustanotherTuesday · 25/09/2020 00:17

They are both terrible and my middle name is one of them Sad

Oliversmumsarmy · 25/09/2020 00:14

Not keen on Mary

But Maud is one of those old lady names that remind me of battle axe old women scrubbing their front doorstep

Sciencebabe · 25/09/2020 00:10

Dislike both.

Nannyamc · 24/09/2020 23:44

Mary it runs in our family
My great grandma..my nanny my mam my sister my niece and my granddaughter.
Used also a lot as second name.
Maud is very 19th/early20th century

Emmapeeler2 · 24/09/2020 23:35

I dislike both, sorry. Catholic upbringing and school fetes run by many greying Marys ruined that name for me, and Maud reminds me of a french exchange student.

SirVixofVixHall · 24/09/2020 23:30

Maud is getting trendy and will really date. Mary is a classic, timeless name.

Veggiegirlx · 24/09/2020 23:29

I prefer Mary but what about other forms of Mary like Mara , Maria ect.

Bouncingbelle · 24/09/2020 23:28

My grandmother was called Maud and she hated it even then. It’s ugly and sounds like mud.

BUT....I kinda love it, there’s something so quirky about it. But it’s a huge pressure to put on a kid, to be cool enough to pull off such a name.

Mary is pretty, underused and a classic!

Bingobongo1 · 24/09/2020 23:21

Mary.

Namechangemary · 24/09/2020 23:15

I think both names might be a bit marmite tbh, OP.

When I hear Maud, I think of Maud from the Worst Witch books - wasn’t she terribly slow and “plump” and generally viewed dull and uninteresting poor thing? Maudie does sound sweet. Maud will forever sound lumpish to my ears.

Mary - I will confess a vested interest in this name (And I’ve name changed accordingly!). I am a mid 30 year old of this name and detested it growing up. I still think about shaking it off. It only shortens to Maz/Maza which is deplorable imo. Every job I start I think I’ll change to my middle name but never get round to it. I really don’t think of myself as a Mary, I’ve really struggled with identifying with this name.

On the flip side, everyone I meet does seem to like it and be surprised / intrigued I’m the age I am with this name. I enjoyed meeting a 5 year old Mary the other day.

HathorX · 24/09/2020 23:00

Both awful. Mary is marginally less awful. But still awful

jackstini · 24/09/2020 22:55

I love Mary, it's a classic
I can't think of Maud without thinking maudlin...

RomanyBlood · 24/09/2020 22:50

Maud

Or the French Maude.

Martha is also deeply cool.

mamah2019 · 24/09/2020 22:48

I love Maud!

Tillygetsit · 24/09/2020 22:47

Mary is good. Maude most definitely is not.

QuentinInQuarantino · 24/09/2020 22:43

A little outing but the most popular girls in my school were Mary and Maudie!

Firebird83 · 24/09/2020 22:36

Mary, but both are great!

missmouse101 · 24/09/2020 22:15

Mary's ok on an eighty year old.

elfran · 24/09/2020 21:23

I truly love them both, you can't go wrong. Slight preference for Maud (though I prefer Maude spelling) because it's a bit "cooler" to me, but Mary is 100% due for a comeback.

foxyroxyyy · 24/09/2020 20:42

Flanders?

Brighterthansunflowers · 24/09/2020 20:26

Definitely Mary

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