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Baby names

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

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Original poster

Emma-James?

91 replies

SeaPorpoises · 17/07/2023 14:17

Expecting my first daughter, DH loves Emma and I like it too, but since Blake Lively named her daughter James I have adored that for a girl too.

So thoughts on Emma-James? or suggestions of similar if you're not a fan?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Krawnprackers · 17/07/2023 19:47

I hear the name of a tacky clothes boutique for some reason…

WashableVelvet · 17/07/2023 19:43

I like it as a middle name without the hyphen or it sounds like you’re telling the kid off with both forename and surname 😂

How about Jemima nn James?

Guineapigwoes · 17/07/2023 19:40

If you like the name so much op you should change your name to it, see how you get on

Epicstorm · 17/07/2023 19:18

Emma-Jamie doesn’t roll off the tongue whether you like it or not. I don’t but that’s just personal preference. I really dislike hyphenated names. When I was a teacher I would always ask ‘ Do your mum and daddy call you Emma or do they always call you Emma -Jamie? Thankfully the answer was always the former and I could breathe a sigh of relief.

viques · 17/07/2023 19:00

Everyone would ‘hear’ Emma Jane.

WilkinsonM · 17/07/2023 18:59

Absolutely not!!

NecklessMumster · 17/07/2023 18:58

It reminds me of Etta James the singer

warblingwater · 17/07/2023 18:55

Ridiculous

SheldontheWonderSchlong · 17/07/2023 18:46

EdgeOfACoin · 17/07/2023 16:53

I wish someone would name their son Emma.

So depressing to see all these daughters given boys' names.

Quite! Bet OP wouldn't be contemplating James-Emma for a boy!

DappledThings · 17/07/2023 18:36

James is a ridiculous name for a girl. And it was vetoed by Ross when Rachel suggested it. Then they went with Emma. So Emma-James sounds like a Friends mega fan fantasising about Ross and Rachel compromising 😀

TheBirdintheCave · 17/07/2023 18:32

Emma-Jane or Emma-Jamie would be better

James is not a gender neutral name 🙄

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 17/07/2023 18:07

SoupDragon · 17/07/2023 16:28

Emma-James is just daft. It's awful.

Every single person I know with a double barrelled first name goes by the first of the two names.

I don't! 😂 I'm Dragon not Soup. Neither name is a male name though.

What?!
I'm shooketh

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 17/07/2023 18:05

TeenagersAngst · 17/07/2023 16:22

Well, no, but I didn't write a post citing it as an example where you said "Every single person I know with a double barrelled first name goes by the first of the two names.
Sarah-louise is Sarah
Harvey-joe is Harvey
Kevin-lee is Kevin
Etc"

Fair to assume those were examples of all the people you knew with a double-barrelled first name.

Show quote history

Okay... Sorry you didn't like my made up examples.
Felt safer than listing real names of people I know.

VeryQuaintIrene · 17/07/2023 18:02

"So no boy there will be called James, they’ll be too busy being called things like Madrid."

For one glorious second I read that as Mildred.

BettyRoodBoy · 17/07/2023 18:02

Vintagecreamandcottagepie · 17/07/2023 14:18

I'm so sorry, I like both names but put together it sounds like an estate agent's

That was literally my first impression too! Is there actually an estate agent called this?!

margegunderson · 17/07/2023 17:56

EdgeOfACoin · 17/07/2023 16:53

I wish someone would name their son Emma.

So depressing to see all these daughters given boys' names.

This.

SharonEllis · 17/07/2023 17:55

I'd never saddle a kid with a complicated name that they will constantly be correcting or explaining.

Daringbear · 17/07/2023 17:55

toomuchlaundry · 17/07/2023 17:30

@Daringbear if you had a boy would you name them after your mum, nanny etc?

No, but none of the female names is our family are "family names", if it had been a different male name we maybe wouldn't have to, but James is a surname too so we used it in that way (I'm sure people just think it is my maiden name or similar), I think for Matthew or similar we'd have used it but not Ian.

RegainingTheWill2023 · 17/07/2023 17:53

I'm not keen on hyphenated names nor James for a girl, so not my cup of tea. Being introduced as Emma-James I'd hear first name surname. If introduced as Emma-James Surname, I would hear Emma double barrelled surname.

UsingChangeofName · 17/07/2023 17:51

I'm not a fan of double barrelled names.

James is a boys' name or a surname. Just because someone else has used it for a girl, doesn't make it a girls' name.

Wherever she has to give her name, EVERYONE will assume Emma is her first name and James her surname if she says 'Emma-James' .
Don't do it to the poor girl.

JanesBlond · 17/07/2023 17:50

Hard no. As others have said, because James is also a common surname it will sound like she is being called by her first and last name. Why not Emma-Jane? Jane is a great name (no bias here 😅), lots of cool famous Janes and hardly used nowadays.

CurlewKate · 17/07/2023 17:48

@FayCarew "
but do you love Emma, Sarah and Rebecca as boys' names"

I ask this all the time. I even started a dedicated thread. Nobody will ever say, because they know it's pure misogyny and don't want to admit it.

Yonderway · 17/07/2023 17:44

Sorry James is a boys name or a surname .
If said their child's name was Emma James I would assume it was her full name not just her first name

kittensinthekitchen · 17/07/2023 17:34