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Baby names

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Original poster

Thoughts on Arvo?

114 replies

GinnyBee · 03/04/2022 16:37

I'm due to have a baby boy in May, first baby for both of us. I'm originally Finnish and my husband is English and when we started listing names we liked, we were trying to find one that would hint at his Nordic heritage but wouldn't be too out of place or impossible to spell or pronounce in England since that's where we live.

We couldn't find many options that we both liked and settled on Arlo - nice name, but there's really nothing Finnish about it. Its origins are Anglo-Saxon or Old English.

I've just been out for a walk with my dog and remembered the name Arvo, which is completely Finnish, and thought maybe that could work? But before I suggest it to hubby I wanted some opinions as I don't always hear it if it sounds odd in English, since to me it's just a normal name, but native English speakers may find it sounds like another word that would be confusing.

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cupcakedestroyer · 05/04/2022 12:08

Very on trend with all the Milo Arlo Archie Arvo Alfie Teddy Freddy Eddy Theo Leo sweet boyish names that are oh so popular today.

LadyLazarus40 · 04/04/2022 15:38

I think Arvo is great - much better then Arlo (which is v common at the moment).

LittleGwyneth · 04/04/2022 15:36

I would say 'this arvo' for 'this afternoon'.

AliceW89 · 04/04/2022 14:26

Where I’m from, ‘arvo’ is slang for ‘afternoon’. I wouldn’t chose it for this reason, but in other parts of the UK I doubt it would matter at all. My inlaws wouldn’t have a clue what arvo means, for example!

Original poster
GinnyBee · 04/04/2022 14:18

@MyHusbandTheIdiot

I think Arvo is nice, perfectly easy for people to pick up on.

Arlo is SO common, so very very common - literally every baby or toddler group I’ve been to has one. Depends if this bothers you or not..

I know 🙈 We wanted a name that WASN'T uber common and we haven't heard of many Arlos (we don't have many small kids in our group of friends), it was when Arlo Parks was on the radio on our way to an early scan that I thought that's a nice name - that was to be my first of two miscarriages so over two years ago. Then right after we chose it when this pregnancy seemed to be going the distance I noticed it's been steadily rising on the popularity charts about to break into the top 20.
OP posts:
MyHusbandTheIdiot · 04/04/2022 12:16

I think Arvo is nice, perfectly easy for people to pick up on.

Arlo is SO common, so very very common - literally every baby or toddler group I’ve been to has one. Depends if this bothers you or not..

FolornLawn · 04/04/2022 11:32

Oh, Arlo would be such a boring choice after this thread! Aaro is lovely! And you could buy him an aardvark as his first teddy.

I think it would be a shame to not include your Finnish heritage OP. Apparently (although who knows with t'interweb) it means 'of the mountains'.

Synchrony · 04/04/2022 08:31

I misread it as Avro and immediately thought Avro Lancaster, the WwII bomber.

I didn't think Afternoon.

I actually quite it. I like it more than Arlo.

user1497787065 · 04/04/2022 05:26

It sounds like medication for worms.

noodlezoodle · 04/04/2022 00:43

I'd think 'afternoon' as well. Go with Arlo, it's lovely!

AHungryCaterpillar · 04/04/2022 00:32

I live in London and have never heard anyone say this for afternoon. Must depend where you live.

peaceinourtime · 04/04/2022 00:01

I thought of afternoon at first as well, but the more I think of it the more like it. It would work well as a name for sure.

Aspidistra1 · 03/04/2022 22:39

It made me think of afternoon too, but it’s not exactly the worst association is it? Afternoons are often nice and I don’t think of them as offensive! With the Finnish history I think Arvo is nice. Arlo is nice too but surprisingly popular.

WeasilyPleased · 03/04/2022 22:34

Well I like it. Good tie up with saints day, easy to say and spell. Its a shame dp isn't keen though.

Kite22 · 03/04/2022 21:57

Do people struggle with pronouncing Aaron?

Biblical pronunciation of Aaron is air-on but all the Aarons I know pronounce it ar-ron

This ^ is what I was going to reply, but then OP has said that Aaro would be pronounced Ah-ro , which introduces a 3rd way into the mix.

As others have pointed out, apart from the fact that many of us never hear anyone saying Arvo to mean afternoon, Even if^ it were a thing where OP were to live, it isn't a bad connection or anything - nothing rude or funny or 'tease-able' about it.

Original poster
GinnyBee · 03/04/2022 21:29

@mathanxiety

Not sure Arvo works well in English.

How about
Jussi
Paavo
Nilo
Esa
Alvar
Anton

Oh, nooo 🙈 haha! Alvar and Anton I could consider, but the rest are a hard nope.
OP posts:
TheAbbotOfUnreason · 03/04/2022 21:17

I associate “arvo” as Australian shorthand for afternoon. I’ve lived all round the UK and it’s not something that I ever came across - maybe it’s been picked up from Aussie soaps.

TatianaBis · 03/04/2022 21:16

@Haffdonga

As Arvo is a real name, it's from your heritage, sounds nice. is easily pronounced in English and you like it, why does it matter if it can be a shortening of afternoon in English?

Afternoon is not a bad word in itself. Time/date names are very popular now in English (Summer, April, Tuesday etc) and having a name that could sound like an abbreviation of innocuous word like this really doesn't seem a good reason not to use it.

I agree.
mathanxiety · 03/04/2022 21:15

Not sure Arvo works well in English.

How about
Jussi
Paavo
Nilo
Esa
Alvar
Anton

TatianaBis · 03/04/2022 21:15

I don’t love it but I dont know that afternoon matters.

I mean Nick is steal or a chip, Matt is tangled hair, Max is maximum but you don’t think of that when using the name.

gogohm · 03/04/2022 21:15

I've never heard it used for afternoon in the U.K. the only person I've heard of with that name is Avro Part the composer

Original poster
GinnyBee · 03/04/2022 21:13

@Haffdonga Thanks, yeah I didn't think it was an issue. As was pointed out, other names have other meanings too, like John means toilet (is that is the US mostly though?) but I don't think anyone would discourage such a classic name for a baby just because of that.

I really don't know what to do now! Arlo was my suggestion originally and I do like it a lot. If we lived in Finland it would definitely be my choice, as over there it would point to his Englishness, but as we live here I feel like it would be nice to have a more Finnish name.

Welp, got another 6 weeks to decide! 🙈

OP posts:
surreygirl1987 · 03/04/2022 21:09

I say 'this arvo' to mean 'this afternoon' (I'm in the UK but did live in Australia for a year).

Haffdonga · 03/04/2022 21:06

As Arvo is a real name, it's from your heritage, sounds nice. is easily pronounced in English and you like it, why does it matter if it can be a shortening of afternoon in English?

Afternoon is not a bad word in itself. Time/date names are very popular now in English (Summer, April, Tuesday etc) and having a name that could sound like an abbreviation of innocuous word like this really doesn't seem a good reason not to use it.

babynothappening · 03/04/2022 21:06

I like Aaro. Id pronounce it like bow and arrow tho, not sure if thats right?

aaron to me is Ahh-ron, not aeron.

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