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Baby names

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

Original poster

Is every girls name in popular usage twee?

59 replies

Maximajensen · 28/07/2023 09:55

I feel like 99% of currently popular/ vaguely popular girls names are twee.

  • Top 10: Amelia, Olivia, Ivy, Ava, Evie, Freya
  • Vintage/ retro names: Mabel, Elsie, Edie, Bonnie, Ada
  • Frilly names: Arabella, Aurelia, Liliana, Viviana
  • Even some names adopted from other cultures in an effort perhaps not to be cutesy: Penelope, Sylvie, Clementine
  • Nickname names: Lottie, Mimi, Gracie
  • Anything ending in an “ie”

obviously lots of overlap here

Not twee:

  • Feminisations of male names: Albertine, Thomasina, Edwina, Maxima
  • 4 letter international sounding names: Naia, Mina, Sanne, Anna
  • Most names in popular usage throughout the second half of the 20th century: Karen, Rachel, Claire
  • Most but not all “classic” (royal or literary names)

thoughts?

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TeenDivided · 28/07/2023 10:08

You've pretty much used a circular argument.

twee = Anything currently popular = twee
not twee = Anything not popular = not twee

lavenderlou · 28/07/2023 10:04

My DDs both have top ten names that have been high in the lists for years. Their names have been around for centuries. Amelia and Olivia don't sound twee to me. Both derived from Latin. Olivia is a character in a Shakespeare play. Amelia was very popular in the 18th century.

KnightDown · 28/07/2023 10:02

I think any definition of twee that includes names like Penelope is so broad as to be meaningless. I agree about lots of the top 10 though.

ChildrenOfRuin · 28/07/2023 10:02

It’s just a matter of personal taste 🤷‍♀️
Presumably most parents using those names would disagree.

febbabies2023 · 28/07/2023 10:01

Don't like them don't use them 😴

Brexile · 28/07/2023 10:00

Penelope isn't from another culture. Classical names are part of our common European heritage.

Original poster
Maximajensen · 28/07/2023 10:00

SleepingStandingUp · 28/07/2023 09:57

How are you defining twee if you think it's describes all those names?

Cutesy, a little sickly

OP posts:
MrsSkylerWhite · 28/07/2023 09:58

I couldn’t care less what people choose to name their children.

SleepingStandingUp · 28/07/2023 09:57

How are you defining twee if you think it's describes all those names?