Teddy James

I find Teddy very cutesy and babyish.

Of course I wouldn't say that to a Teddy (unless it's a🧸 ) but the op is asking for (honest) opinions.

I do not like the name Teddy. I think it sounds ridiculous even on a young boy. James is a great name.

I have an 18 year old Teddy who we sometimes call Ted. He’s never been teased and likes it. Can’t be Edward or Theodore and I think they’d actually be far less common in 15 years when your child is at secondary school than Teddy will be! Plenty of men in times gone by were known only as Ted or Teddy so I don’t get why people don’t think it doesn’t suit an adult 🤷🏼‍♀️

Edward James has my vote.

My DGF was a 'Ted or Teddy' born 1914..nicknamed when he started working at 14. He was Edmund.

And yes I think I was pretty ahead of the Teddy name game - no one was called Teddy 15 years ago.

Not as a stand alone name anyway

My Teddy likes his name - he's honestly never questioned it

I have a 15 year old Teddy. And that's his 'real' name - not Edward etc etc

I can honestly say he has never once been referred to as Teddy Bear. Nobody comments it's cute or silly or fluffy and none of his many friends have ever teased him. He is just Teddy

I disagree it can’t be suitable for a man. My grandad was known as Teddy his entire life. It’s long been a standard nickname for Edward. I would put Edward on the BC though, because it gives him options.

So common now.

I wouldn't use Teddy as a first name. It's ridiculously twee and cutesy. I met a three year old Teddy and it still seemed too babyish on him. It's ok as a nickname but awful as a first name.

Would a 13 year old really want to introduce himself as Teddy 🧸?

No probs with my Teddy. I have one at home. 😁 He's a bit older than that now. All cool.

Would a 13 year old really want to introduce himself as Teddy 🧸?

Safe normal pretty dull in my opinion

On the other hand not offensive and everyone will know how to spell it.

There'll be a ton of adult Teddies in approximately 15-20 years' time. So, it won't be odd at all. It'll just be another name.

Agree with most posters to use Edward or Theodore.
Then you can use Teddy as. NN.

When he is older he can choose Teddy or Ted or Ed or Theo or full name.

James is nice but it's unfair imo to use Teddy as a given name as it's such a young and informal sounding name. Difficult to imagine a judge or prime minister called Teddy (Ted short for Edward on the other hand is tried and tested as a PM name!). I'd call him Edward or another Ed- name over Theodore in combination with James, as it makes me think of the actor Theo James otherwise.

It's too twee for my taste and there are sooo many of them around here. Knee deep in Teddys and Theos.

Awful, but that's my opinion.

Edward James or Edwin James is lovely.

All the above Teds and Teddys have more formal given names. Teddy was/is a pet name. I think people are just cautioning the OP against Teddy as a given registered name.

Changed my name for this. We were ahead of the curve with our Ted who was born in 1998, so 23 now, and was always the only one in his school year. He is Edward on his birth certificate, but has always been known as Ted. He was often called Teddy in his babyhood and preschool years, and is sometimes still called Teddy by us in a 'family allowed' way. He really likes his name and isn't that keen on Edward at all. He's found it particularly annoying that he has a different initial for his registered name and his actual name. We would never have given him Teddy as his full name as that was a cute nickname, but we always intended him to be Ted not Edward, and he's cool with that.

Those saying that Ted or Teddy are not names for adult men must not know of the very many famous Teds, like Teddy Kennedy (Edward), Teddy Roosevelt (Theodore), Ted Hughes (Edward), Ted Danson (Edward), and the not so famous Teds like my great-uncle (who was baptised Edmund).

The great Teddy Pendergrass was a Theodore.

I do find Teddy really babyish (the soft toy connection as well as the ee sound) but agree there will be a heap of adult Teddies in a few decades' time same as with Alfie, Archie etc.

I'm not a stickler for a 'formal name in case he's a high court judge' but I do like Edward. Always thought it really strong and manly.

Do children still call a Teddy Bear 🧸 teddy?

Yes, famous Teddys might have Edward as their given name but the fact they are OK with being called Teddy or Ted seems to suggest it is not as horrific a name for an adult male as people are suggesting. As well as Sheringham there's Teddy Thompson the singer. Dunno if he is realy an Edward but I have never seen him play and thought "what a ridiculous name"

Personally I too would use Edward or Theodore and have Teddy as nickname, because that's my thing, I like choices. But I don't get all this horror about Teddy as a name for an adult.