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

Which one for Baby Boy (he’s three weeks- it’s desperate times)

109 replies

MegRo · 07/01/2022 22:19

Walter or Hugo?

I love Walter- it’s so classic and lovely. I can see and handsome man being Walter. But is it too much for a baby or little boy? (Husband loves it and is pushing for it). I’ve heard all the ‘connotations’ for Walter and am not bothered by them.

Hugo- again, a lovely, strong handsome name.

Which do we go for? Our boy has white blonde hair , blue eyes and is oh so beautiful!

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Blubells · 08/01/2022 19:36

The natural shortening for Walter is Walt.

Callingallskeletons · 08/01/2022 19:21

Another vote for Hugo here 💙
Congratulations!

TedsaidFred · 08/01/2022 19:11

I have to say I don't get the negative "old man's name" comments, with the popularity of names like Arthur and Stanley... Are they not old man names?!
I think both are wearable and I agree with you OP that Wally is a dated shortening and Walt can absolutely work.
I'm not sure this thread will have helped you decide at all as they seem like two marmite names. I think like a pp said, you should try one out for 3 days and then the other and see which feels better. Good luck it must be tough having a nameless baby and being sleep deprived and hormonal!

workingtheusername · 08/01/2022 19:08

I would go Hugo and d be worried he would get nicknamed Wally at school

Aspergirl77 · 08/01/2022 19:00

Hugo. Walter is so ugly!

whiteworldgettingwhiter · 08/01/2022 18:39

Hugo. Walter is an old man's name.

KurtWilde · 08/01/2022 18:39

Walter is an awful name, sorry!

Hugo is better so I'd go with that.

Dresslover1950s · 08/01/2022 18:38

@toastofthetown

Interesting that people are saying that Hugo is posh, because I don't think it is at all. It's around the 50th name in popularity, just a couple of spots below Jaxon. Maybe it was a bit more of an aspirational name a few years ago, but just a bog standard name now. There's an interesting point in Freakonomics about this: that as working/middle class parents choose names typically chosen by upper class parents, the association of the name starts to change.
Agree on all of this
Bellex · 08/01/2022 18:37

My partner is called Hugo and is blonde hair and blues eyes.

I also work with someone called Wally, who would I say in attractive regards of his name

Kite22 · 08/01/2022 18:37

I can’t imagine anyone calling a child (or adult) Wally- so the nickname doesn’t really worry me.

Really ? I can
I wouldn't give my child a name where people are obviously going to then call him a right Wally. I mean, why would you ?

Joolsin · 08/01/2022 18:36

Hugo, by a million miles.

Trinacham · 08/01/2022 18:33

Walter!

MolkosTeenageAngst · 08/01/2022 18:29

I really dislike Walter, it just makes me think of the boy in Dennis The Menace/ Beano so it always seems like a wet blanket kind of name to me.

Hugo is lovely, I only one boy with the name and he’s lovely too.

newyear1 · 08/01/2022 18:25

Hugo for me.

My dad's friend was Walter and called himself Wally. Kids at school inevitably seem to pick the least flattering nicknames plus I can see a lot of Where's Wally jokes. It's just too old man for me, it's up there with Ronnie and Lennie.

stingofthebutterfly · 08/01/2022 18:20

Neither of them are brilliant imo, but Hugo just marginally pips Walter for me.

I'd think of something else. Kids will definitely call him Wally if you go for Walter, and it's one of those old fashioned names that just doesn't work on a child, for me. Hugo sounds far too posh.

VerbenaGirl · 08/01/2022 18:16

Both are nice, but I think Hugo nudges ahead for me. Walter would get shortened to Walt, which makes you think of Disney. Congratulations!

Ellmau · 08/01/2022 18:15

I much prefer Hugo, but you both love Walter so go with that.

Curveball suggestion: Waldo.

Bimblybomeyelash · 08/01/2022 18:15

I don’t think Wally is an issue. My kids don’t know the word, other than as in ‘where’s Wally’. And no one calls William Willy so why would they call Walter Wally?

Even so, I’m not a fan of the name. It sounds like a Dogs name to me.

I’m not a massive fan of Hugo either, but I think it’s less ‘posh’ than it used to be and wouldn’t stand out at my kids state school.

Similar names to my ears are:

Wilfred
Stanley
Edmund

ethelredonagoodday · 08/01/2022 18:12

Walter. It was (both my) grandads' name, and my DS has it as a middle name. I don't think it's ugly at all.

However hard I try with Hugo, my first thought is always that it's a bit Sloane Ranger... that may not be the case any more, but still my first thought.

toastofthetown · 08/01/2022 18:09

Interesting that people are saying that Hugo is posh, because I don't think it is at all. It's around the 50th name in popularity, just a couple of spots below Jaxon. Maybe it was a bit more of an aspirational name a few years ago, but just a bog standard name now. There's an interesting point in Freakonomics about this: that as working/middle class parents choose names typically chosen by upper class parents, the association of the name starts to change.

fitflopqueen · 08/01/2022 18:08

As long as your surname is not White, Walt is nicer than Hugo.

fairislecable · 08/01/2022 18:07

I love Hugo but you could combine the two names and call him Waldo.

TrashyPanda · 08/01/2022 18:05

Hugo
Walter is awful - Walter the Softy, Wally. And I really dislike Walt as a shortening.

TequilaBlaze · 08/01/2022 18:05

Walter. So much more distinctive. Hugo sounds like you're trying to be posh and aren't. Walter is fab.

LettertoHermoine · 08/01/2022 18:02

Hugo. Walter is dreadful.

Swipe left for the next trending thread