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Baby names

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

Original poster

Pick your favourite and least favourite, please - name for our daughter

143 replies

jasminesunflower · 15/05/2023 14:23

This is our list. We've worked on it quite a bit over the past couple of days and we'd like to know what you think.

Ava
Susan
May
Luanna
Beverly
Jane
Shirley
June
Chloe
Luana
Mary
Hope

We like retro-names, but you can be honest if you think they are not ready for a comeback. To us they already sound nice again.

Comment on all names are appreciated, but if you don't have much time just let us know your favourite and least favourite and tell us a bit about why you dislike or like the names.

OP posts:
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Whatisityoucantface · 16/05/2023 07:25

I like:
Ava - but this is really popular, it already ‘came back’
Susan - I don’t like but I like Susie or Sukie for short
May - but already popular esp spelt Mae
June- cute if they’re born that month
Mary - I love Mary!!
Hope - lovely

I don’t like any of the others and don’t think they’ll be making a comeback. And Luanna/ Luana definitely sound a bit hillbilly, as others mentioned, I’m afraid

Howtohideasausage · 16/05/2023 07:18

I really like Shirley, so much nicer than all the Ella/Eve/Ada/Ettie/Olivia repetition that you hear at the moment.

I also like Susan. Susie is cute.

Gooseysgirl · 16/05/2023 07:14

Fav: Ava
Least fav: Luanna/Luana

BlanketsCot · 16/05/2023 07:09

I don't like any sorry. Ava and Chloe are sort of OK.

user1492757084 · 16/05/2023 03:54

My faves from your list are ..
Jane
Mary
Chloe

Names I would never use, personally..
Ava
Luanna
Shirley

salamithumbs · 15/05/2023 23:30

I like Hope the best, followed by Jane, think they're both timeless and unusual at the moment without being in any way strange. Ava and Chloe sound nice enough but there have been so many Avas/Evas/Evies etc that Ava seems tired now, and Chloe seems a bit nineties imo (but neither are bad).
I think Mary, June and Susan are a bit grannyish for a baby... not old enough to be vintage but just old-fashioned sounding (much prefer Susannah if that's an option). Beverley and Shirley, the same only way more so, just sound so dated to my ears and not ready for a comeback imo.
Not really a fan of Luana, sorry! So I think, go for Hope 😁

RandomUsernameHere · 15/05/2023 22:19

Best - Ava
Worst - Susan and Shirley. I just can't imagine a baby (or any young person) called either of those, sorry.

User6761 · 15/05/2023 22:01

Favourites - Ava, May, Mary, Hope

Dislike the most - Luanna, Luanna, Beverly

I'd say Adah fits your retro theme better than Ava. I prefer April (or Avril) to May or June. Chloe is a 90s name to me.

moomoolander · 15/05/2023 21:56

Shirley from Eastenders.
Beverly Macca from The Royle Family

😂

DustyLee123 · 15/05/2023 21:41

Best Ava, worst Shirley.

mathanxiety · 15/05/2023 21:40

I like Chloe best from your list.

Jane, June, Mary, and Hope are also nice.

The rest - meh.

Luana and Luanna are especially meh.

Mostar · 15/05/2023 21:34

Shirley sounds very 50s America. Almost, but not quite, as bad as Betsy and Peggy Sue. I mean, there's retro and there's retro.

MarjorieMoss · 15/05/2023 21:27

What about Susanna / Susie?

KnickerlessParsons · 15/05/2023 21:22

•Ava - very common round here (in both senses of the word)
•Susan - nice, sue a come back. Susie is a lovely nn
•May - overused
•Luanna - sounds like a Disney princess
•Beverly - didn't like it in the 60s and still don't like it. Hate Bev nn
•Jane - nice, but "plain Jane"
•Shirley - no
•June - nice. Like Junie as nn
•Chloe - also nice, prefer Chloë
Luana
Mary
Hope

Zola1 · 15/05/2023 21:11

Chloe, Hope Ava or May. The others would be giving her a curse. Susan is my absolute least favourite closely followed by Jane

Scirocco · 15/05/2023 21:09

Favourites:

Susan - I knew a fantastic girl called Susan back at uni, she was so funny and confident and bubbly. I always think of her when I hear the name.

Jane - A nice change from the frilly and fancy names that have seemed so popular in the past few years.

Least favourites:

Luanna - Strong Simpsons vibes, sorry.

Shirley - The "Shirley you can't be serious?" jokes ruin it for me.

Beverly - Instant 'Beverley Crusher' association in my head, which isn't necessarily a deal-breaker in itself, but I don't like the nicknames for it at all.

In the middle:

Chloe, Mary and Hope all sound fine to me. I don't love them but they're fine.

May and June - I'm not a fan of months as names, personally, and May just makes me think of Theresa May at the moment.

Ava - Too many already - although there are some lovely names out there where Ava or Eva could be nice nicknames.

Neverknowinglysensible · 15/05/2023 21:07

I think Susan, Mary and Hope are all lovely and well overdue a comeback.
There are thousands of Chloes and Avas out there currently, although they are also nice names.
For me, Shirley is just too 1950’s (and not in a good way), and my MIL is a June - enough said!

BriocheBums · 15/05/2023 21:06

None sorry

Eva
Edie
Elsie
Layla
April
Tuesday
Sidney
Hattie
Hettie
Sorrell
Fern
Faye
Lana
Belinda
Tara
Lucie

Derrymum123 · 15/05/2023 21:00

Favourite -Mary
Least- Beverly.

Peachypips78 · 15/05/2023 20:47

Fav: Mary and Hope
Least fav: Ava - because there are A MILLION!

LadyMonicaBaddingham · 15/05/2023 20:37

Mary, by a country mile. Beautiful, timeless name

Luredbyapomegranate · 15/05/2023 20:30

Favourite - June or Jane
Least favourite - Beverly (OP!!!)

Ava - lovely but done to death -
Susan - OK. Susannah is much nicer.
May - Maya/Mia is way overdone and May as a middle name so no.
Luanna. Never heard it. Luella is much nicer, or Louisa.
Beverly - this is, literally, the ugliest name on earth. She’ll be called Bev.
Jane - a classic in need of revival
Shirley - it’s pretty bad
June - great, though only if it’s her birth month
Chloe - meh. And being overdone right now
Luana - still weird
Mary - I quite like it
Hope - I like it, quite popular right now

PurpleCat88 · 15/05/2023 20:17

Favourite for me is Hope.

LuAnna is the name of a podcast with Luisa Zissman and Anna Williamson, so I definitely wouldn't pick that one Smile

faffadoodledo · 15/05/2023 20:16

Gosh, many of these are names from my school years (started in 1971, left in 1984). And my name is among them and 'due a comeback' according to some of you. Never thought I'd see the day!

custardbear · 15/05/2023 20:12

I like Hope and Luana
Not too keen on the rest as not keen on older type names