Shay or Chase?

Séaghdha. Meaning "hawk-like, fine, goodly".

Shay might Seaghdha.

@Watchinghurling That's interesting! Thanks for responding! I'm in the states and while I acknowledge it as a neutral name I've only ever met female Shays haha

You’re having a laugh, if you genuinely believe this.

MN is populated by all walks of life. It is a literal window into another world for me on a daily basis.

Nice of you to speak for every articulate, degree educated, middle class woman.

Mumsnet is populated by articulate, degree educated middle class women, they would not use these names.

That's right, OP. If you plan to bring your child up in Mumsnet do the right thing and please call them James or Wilfred. 🙃

I have said multiple times that this is only my experience. Where about are you based ? It is almost certainly geographical.

Thank you for telling a South Asian you know better as a white person.

Sorry long vowels.
In this part of the world professional families tend to use names with more emphasis on hard constants particularly for boys eg:
Alexander, Marcus, Oliver, Felix, Christopher etc.

I am only reporting my own experience and don't doubt it's different elsewhere.

There are some timeless and classless classic names I would suggest James, Jack and John belong here possibly alongside Harry, Henry and Thomas.

Just my observations call your child whatever you like.

Using nicknames as full names is working class eg: Jay, Alfie, Lexi, Rhea, Shelly, Milly, Tilly, Maisie you get the picture. Also the log vowels are typical of a certain way of speaking see also Kai, Tai and Tyler.

Just try saying any of those with a clipped accent (think BBC newsreader circa 1950). I have seen literally thousands of infants named although have always worked in the South East.

I work with a lovely man called Chay. Do you like that name, OP?

I am in Kent, it's very White, although I work with a lot of South Asians, never met a South Asian Shay.

Lucky children, clearly, with a raging snob teaching them.

Thank you for being so upfront about your own ethnic prejudices. Loving the ‘hint’ of Irish Traveller.

Really not keen on either. Both are quite "chavy" I'm so sorry to be so rude and blunt but I'm a tea her and I'll know what I would think if I saw those names on any register

As a South Asian the name Shay is most definitely my demographic. I guess that means South Asians can’t be articulate, degree educated or middle class as Shay is a very popular boys name.

Shay sounds like a nickname. I thought Chase was a girls name but maybe it's unisex.

You sound so ignorant. Shay is from Seamus, so, the same name as James or Hamish. Traditionally, travellers chose names like Margaret, Mary, Patrick, James, so whatever else you criticise them for, it shouldn't be their name choices.

Chase sounds too American for any of us to assess through the correct social lens. Chase might inherit a chain of banks. He might live on the upper East side. It might be their 'Arthur' which gets the mumsnet thumbs-up

Chase reminds me of Falcon Crest

Just no...neither of these. No.

Well, if you’re not into cowboys….?

I see OP hasn't been back. Where I live these would be very working class names, possibly with a hint of Irish Traveller heritage. If that is your demographic then fine, but in the UK they have definite social connotations. Mumsnet is populated by articulate, degree educated middle class women, they would not use these names.

Seamus and Shay and Shannon are fine boys' names.
Chase seems okay for a cartoon.

Also there is Chas which I like and is a nick name for Charles.
I know of a young man called Chance! who has an Uncle called Lance!

In South Asia Shay is exclusively a boys name.

Shay is a girls name