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Baby names

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

Original poster

What would your expectations be of someone with the name....

81 replies

Inafastspin · 14/04/2021 09:22

I would really appreciate your thoughts on your impressions and expectations of these names:

girls:

  • Flora
  • Tess
  • Artemis

Boys:

  • Guy
  • Hector
  • Torsten

Thanks! If there are any you think I would like based on these, feel free to suggest them!

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TatianaBis · 14/04/2021 23:39

My favourites by are Artemis and Hector.

MN is very conservative and class conscious - and they will be seen as posh. I immediately know I’d get on with their parents.

Love Thibault too. But the British will mangle the pronunciation so Tybalt (from R+J) would work better.

Also like Guy and Tess.

Flora is much less interesting and Torsten is ok if you’ve Scandi heritage Otherwise a bit random

shittingthreeeyedraven · 14/04/2021 23:30

I love how scathing people are about names on here when they have no idea where they come from Hmm

Artemis is clearly a girls name from the Greek goddess of hunting and virginity.

Hector was a prince of Troy.

Perhaps a classical education is more unusual than I thought.

If it helps, I love both of these!

TempsPerdu · 14/04/2021 23:12

Flora - a kind, ‘capable’ girl (I think of Flora Poste from Cold Comfort Farm) Intelligent and sensible - school prefect material. Musical. Strong principles. Possibly a little bit earnest.

Tess - tomboyish and outdoorsy. Cheerful and down to earth, with a rebellious streak. Very wholesome and healthy looking - wild curly hair, grazed knees and rosy cheeks.

Artemis - parents are academics, but she has her sights set on art college. Sensitive, quirky, a little intense. Siblings are called Cassian and Isolde.

Guy - posh background, privately educated but to his parents’ disappointment now works for a left-wing think tank. Permanently messy hair, distracted air. Means well but has a habit of putting his foot in it.

Hector - either toff rugger bugger with permanently popped collar or angry Scottish landowner.

Torsten - hipster parents live in Clapton or Stoke Newington and have never ventured anywhere near Scandinavia. Good natured but has no boundaries.

Like both Flora and Tess (but prefer the more grown up Tessa). Artemis is too ‘much’ for me, although I’d admire it on a book/TV character etc. Not keen on any of the boys’ names but do love Torin as a possible alternative to Torsten.

Kollamoolitumarellipawkyrollo · 14/04/2021 22:51

I’ve met 3 children called Hector-it’s not a common name but because it is unusual it feels faddish.

I like Ludo and pp’s suggestion of Viggo - I love how this sounds.

I really like Tess.

Thewinterofdiscontent · 14/04/2021 22:43

I know Guys and Hector and they have all been utter knobs. The ones called Guy are all a bit unwholesome too. Make me feel a bit ill. They have all been loaded though if that helps,
I like Torsten - sounds all strong and Germanic/ Scandi. I like Conrad and Karl’s too though so it’s just my own taste.

Flora is “nice”.
Tess is a nickname. I’m seeing her as a bit chunky especially in the boob department.
I thought Artemis was a boys name (I know an Art and I’d assumed it was that, shortened).

EugeniaGrace · 14/04/2021 20:49

I like Ludo but am possibly swayed by knowing a really cheeky and imaginative one already.

EugeniaGrace · 14/04/2021 20:47

Flora - sweet, maybe a shy girl, wears a fair isle jumper
Tess - down to earth, wicked sense of humour
Artemis - My great aunt, a dowdy grey-haired women.

Guy - all brawn, no brain, French
Hector - all brawn, no brain, Greek
Torsten - all brawn, no brain, Scandinavian

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 14/04/2021 20:34
  • Flora - youthful, Victorian, pretty
  • Tess - wild, romantic, beautiful
  • Artemis - upper class, strong, arty
  • Guy - upper class, bright, rebellious
  • Hector - upper class, international, exotic
  • Torsten - cool, arty, wild

Torsten and Artemis would work well as a sibset imo - both uncommon and exotic sounding, although I really like Tess too.

DropDTuning · 14/04/2021 20:34

girls:

  • Flora ok, girly, whatever. A bit precious.
  • Tess it's fine.
  • Artemis quite like it but I'd expect the parents to be hard work.

Boys:

  • Guy bleurghhhhhh
  • Hector bleurghhhhhhhhhhhhhh
  • Torsten bleurghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Thibault and Ludovic even worse.

Sorry!

What is your/your partner's actual heritage? Because you seem to have selected names from a very wide range of national/cultural backgrounds. I would find it strange to meet a Torsten or Thibault with no connection to the relevant countries.

Chilldonaldchill · 14/04/2021 20:28

Flora - I really like this name. I think of it as quite smart and arty if that makes sense. I think of names like Daisy and Elodie having a similar vibe.
Tess - I absolutely love this name. I think of it as being the name of someone classic, elegant and intelligent. Similar names for me would be Eleanor, Camilla or Beatrice.
Artemis - it's ok. It feels like a big name to live up to. I used to know an Artemi which I prefer.

Guy - I like this a lot but I do think of some of the awful middle aged men in red trousers I've met with that name. I think it can fit with the Borises of this world but I also think it fits with a Jude, Max, Fred style
Hector - completely love this. Stylish and cool and classic. For me is like Rufus, Hugo or Benedict.
Torsten - I've not come across this before but it sounds Scandinavian. It sounds nice. Tor is a cool nickname.

Original poster
Inafastspin · 14/04/2021 20:22

Grin It seems I've hit on some divisive ones here!! Thanks for all your comments, I appreciate them. I understand that some try not to make judgements based on names, or try to limit them, but I think making judgements is pretty human and we need to be mindful of our judgements and open to revising them. Also, I have a fondness for some names, like Alexander, Emma and Felix, but also feel that names are to differentiate us from others. So in general, I quite like more unusual names, though really don't want to saddle a child with a name that has glaring issues! I find it hard to stay objective about names when trying to name a child and value alternative thoughts. So, with that in mind, some of the others I like are:

  • Thibault (but it's long enough to need a nickname and, though they do develop organically, I think it's important to try to predict the obvious ones. Tibby?! No worse than Timmy, I suppose, though sounds a bit like a cat!)
  • Ludovic (though do have concerns about shouting "Ludo" across a playground!)

Thanks your suggestions. In spite of some of these names seeming pretty scottish, I have no scottish heritage but I could use a french name (in fact, I would like a name that at least works in french), though upbringing is likely to be english. Names like Callum, Barron and Aaron are not really my cup of tea I'm afraid. I do like Hugo but have a little friend called that. Other ones I like but have been vetoed are Xavier and August.

OP posts:
Movinghouseatlast · 14/04/2021 19:36

If you call him Guy or Hector you might as well go the whole hog and call him Wanker.

Sorry, couldn't resist!!!!

Flora and Tess are lovely names though

VanillaAndOrange · 14/04/2021 19:31

Flora - posh and a bit hippyish
Tess - practical and confident but not boring
Artemis - intellectual parents, possibly wishes she was called Sarah

Guy - posh-ish, but not pretentious, probably quite outdoorsy and cheerful
Hector - Scottish lawyer
Torsten - hunky Scandinavian guy or possibly named after a footballer (I have no idea whether there is a footballer called this, but I did once meet an unfortunate little boy called Solskjaer!)

elenacampana · 14/04/2021 19:07

Tess and Flora are fine.

Artemis and the boys names just sound pretentious to me.

therestissilence · 14/04/2021 19:03

Hector - the champion Trojan fighter, defeated by Achilles. Older brother to Paris. Great name!

Tess will always be (to me) a sublimely beautiful yet desperately heartbreaking name because of Hardy.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 14/04/2021 18:56

They just sound all very middle class to my ears

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 14/04/2021 18:53

@TeaAddict235

I would think that they are more interesting than, say, an Emily, a Sophie, am Emma or a Jack.

Boring parents give boring names and raise boring kids

Wow!
TeaAddict235 · 14/04/2021 16:30

I would think that they are more interesting than, say, an Emily, a Sophie, am Emma or a Jack.

Boring parents give boring names and raise boring kids

ADragonCalledKeith · 14/04/2021 16:05

I knew a little girl Artemis, I thought my DD had made her up!
She had Greek parents though, but great name and I did think it odd at first, I quickly became used to hearing it and loved it.

PattyPan · 14/04/2021 15:54

@Chunkymenrock

I'm not so judgemental. I wouldn't have any expectations based on a name alone.
Hmm what nonsense. Everyone makes judgments and that’s not necessarily a negative thing. If you met someone called Caoimhe you’d expect them to be Irish, if you met someone called Mohammad you’d expect them to be from a Muslim background, if you met someone called Tarquin you’d expect them to be posh. None of those are value judgments but they are expectations conferred by the characteristics of a certain name.
pinkpinecone · 14/04/2021 15:28

Some suggestions for you

Hugo
Otto
Wilfred

Ida
Freya
Iris

pinkpinecone · 14/04/2021 15:19

Of your list I like Tess and Guy the most

pinkpinecone · 14/04/2021 15:18

girls:

  • Flora and Tess (very middle class) - Artemis (pretentious parents)

Boys:

  • Guy (posh kid)
  • Hector (posh farmer's son)
  • Torsten (German kid)
Cindie943811A · 14/04/2021 15:08

I’d go for Tessa rather than Tess. Then the natural nn would be Tess rather than the unfortunate Tessie.
Quite like all the names except for Hector — not nice to hector people. I prefer the similar Horatio.

osbertthesyrianhamster · 14/04/2021 13:09

Flora - nice name
Tess - Theresa
Artemis - trying too hard

Guy - old man name
Hector - Spanish old man name
Torsten - foreign