Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Girl and boy shortlist help

32 replies

BMag · 04/06/2021 22:08

Hi all,

Feel like I’ve been staring at this list of names for so long I’ve gone blind to them and would appreciate some honest opinions!

I already have a 2 year-old DD called Anwen, ideally the new baby’s name will complement her name but I’m not overly fussed if none of them do...

Girls:
Audrey
Odette
Cleo
Iona (pronounced yo-na)
Imelda
Yvette
Octavia

Boys:
Vince
Ioan (yo-an)
Griff
Tristan
Gideon
Bruce

OH is Welsh hence the couple of welshies in there.

Thanks in advance!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Posieandpip · 07/06/2021 05:34

Girls:
Audrey - LPVE
Odette - okay, quite cool
Cleo - cool and pretty
Iona (pronounced yo-na) - don't like this pronuncy
Imelda - dislike.
Yvette - dislike
Octavia - LOVE

I dont like any of rhe boy's names, sorry OP. If I HAD to choose it would be Tristan. Obviously Audrey or Octavia for a girl! Amazing names.

KirstenBlest · 06/06/2021 17:49

Girls:
Audrey - Audrey Roberts off Corrie
Odette - not keen
Cleo - fine
Iona (pronounced yo-na) - Welsh version is pronounced Yonna not Yo-na
Imelda - ok
Yvette - ok
Octavia - not keen

Boys:
Vince - no, awful
Ioan (yo-an) - ok
Griff - like. Know lots of Griffs and Gruffs, Short for Gruffydd/Griffith
Tristan - Trist is Welsh for sad so no
Gideon - no
Bruce - ok

Frazzledd · 06/06/2021 13:46

Another vote for Octavia here!
Also Bruce, I love this- some made this suggestion a couple of weeks ago and I immediately thought no, then had a think and its such a lovely name for a boy (it'd be a wee Brucie for a few years, sweet!)

Chilldonaldchill · 06/06/2021 13:39

Audrey - nice
Odette - ok
Cleo - lovely
Iona (pronounced yo-na) - the other pronunciation is so popular that I think this would be very annoying
Imelda - no. Still Marcos in my head.
Yvette - not keen
Octavia - love this one

Vince - not keen
Ioan (yo-an) - love this
Griff - ok. Prefer Griffin or Griffith as still name
Tristan - don't like
Gideon - like a lot
Bruce - like a lot

VikingsFan · 05/06/2021 21:00

Cleo and Tristan

IamnotwhouthinkIam · 05/06/2021 18:31

Interesting choices - some seem very different in style to each other! (love Octavia, Ioan, Tristan, Cleo and Audrey, whereas Imelda, Bruce and Griff seem a bit comedic to me and I dislike or find dated Vince, Yvette, Iona, Gideon and Odette.

Of the boys Ioan is gorgeous and works really well with Anwen imo. Tristan would also be nice and perhaps easier too (if you wanted something more straightforward/well known for non Welsh speakers).

But I feel like Anwen is so Welsh (and pretty sounding) that as much as I love some of your other choices, another Welsh girls name might fit better - Nia would be lovely or perhaps Alys, Gwen, Bethan, Catrin, Elin, Mari, Eirlys, Eira, Rhiannon or Tesni?

Hufflepuffsunite · 05/06/2021 18:07

I vote for Cleo and Ioan.

AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken · 05/06/2021 18:06

I like all your names except Bruce and Tristan.

Una for a girl?

HuntingoftheSnark · 05/06/2021 18:00

Octavia and Gideon. I love Audrey too but would avoid the same initial as Anwen.

TatianaBis · 05/06/2021 17:44

Love Ioan and Griff.

Def not Gideon or Bruce.

Don’t like any of the girls’ names.

Violetlavenders · 05/06/2021 16:00

Octavia and Tristan or Gideon

sarah13xx · 05/06/2021 15:28

Love Vince or Vinnie as a nickname

partyatthepalace · 05/06/2021 13:19

Yoni - ha! - it’s probably Sanskrit - but I guess as part of the rise of Yoga it’s being used fairly widely as a polite word for lady parts (Yoni eggs, Yoni steaming, there is a eco sanitary ware brand called Yoni etc) - don’t think it’s a total no no or anything but would want to think c it.

Audrey - it’s getting v popular amongst my young london hipster colleagues along with names like Jean and Ernest - so deffo part of the next wave of vintage names to come up Again not a reason not to use it.

Ellmau · 05/06/2021 12:26

I like Octavia and Tristan the best.

Munchkin08 · 05/06/2021 12:25

Cleo and Griff

Theoldwoman · 05/06/2021 12:25

Cleo and Tristan are my picks!

unicornpower · 05/06/2021 12:24

I love Audrey! It is on our maybe list for a girl and for boys I quite like Tristan!

Synchrony · 05/06/2021 12:20

I like Griff and Bruce for boys.
My first thought was that Audrey would sound nice with Anwen before I even saw your list, so I'd vote for that! Imelda is nice too.

bonfireheart · 05/06/2021 12:17

Audrey - nope
Odette - nope
Cleo - ok
Iona - meh
Imelda - nope
Yvette - nope
Octavia - meh

Vince - no
Ioan - ok
Griff - ok
Tristan - ok
Gideon - meh
Bruce - no

Whatsyourflava · 05/06/2021 11:53

Octavia is ridiculous sorry. Proper posh parody name

Loads of your other names are gorgeous though. Audrey is number 294 in the charts- i I would not call that overly popular! Just depends what you class as "popular" @BMag

The last two years that we have official statists for, the name Audrey rose 4 places in the chart between 2018 and 2019. At that rate it'll still be outside the top 200 names for the next 10 years @partyatthepalace

i love Tristan and Griff

user1493494961 · 05/06/2021 10:32

Octavia and Griff. I know several Griff's (live in Wales), all of them are Gruffydd.

Violetlavenders · 05/06/2021 10:18

I like Iona and Octavia for a girl and Gideon and Tristan for a boy.

I dislike Yvette and Griff

Theforest · 05/06/2021 09:36

Griff is very cool. I like that with your Welsh connection.

StyleAndLasers · 05/06/2021 09:27

I love Audrey, that’s my favourite of your list. It doesn’t seem to have been in the top 100 since the 50s, so if it is becoming popular it will come out of nowhere. I have seen more people mentioning it and asking about it on here but that doesn’t mean it’s going to suddenly become the next Olivia or Isabella. Although it might of course.
Like all your boys names, probably Griff best.

Dominica21 · 05/06/2021 09:22

Love the Welsh names. I would personally stick to another Welsh name

Swipe left for the next trending thread