Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Is 'Isambard' child cruelty?

105 replies

SnuggleBuggleBoo · 10/10/2023 19:59

Ever come across one in real life?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
zozueme · 11/10/2023 08:16

I like Isambard, and it has various good shortening possibilities. But then I also don't see the problem with names like Tim and Peter - slightly dated but the kids themselves don't know that.

lostraspberry · 11/10/2023 08:14

SoundTheSirens · 11/10/2023 07:34

Peter? Seriously? WTF is “cruel” about that? It’s just an inoffensive, slightly dated but otherwise entirely normal name that everyone knows how to spell and would raise very few eyebrows.

Mumsnet is a whole other universe sometimes.

Show quote history

I thought this too. Nothing wrong with Peter at all, and I wouldn't bat an eyelid at Tim/ Timothy.

Wayne and Kevin would be unusual to hear for a kid these days though.

Bigoldmachine · 11/10/2023 08:14

I know one, goes by Izzy (yes even by his mum @Britinme ). He really suits it but then his whole family are v cool, rock-star-esque.

have also known a Balthazar, he went by Bazzie!

itsmyp4rty · 11/10/2023 08:13

I think it's awful and if, as some people have suggested, you have to shorten it to try to make it acceptable then why would you use it at all. If no one is ever going to use his full name as it's such a mouthful and are all going to call him by a nickname then it seems pointless to name him it to me. Also if you have to ask if using a particular name could be considered child cruelty then it's probably not a good idea to use it.

That said if you mix with the super rich then probably no one would bat an eye lid and it would probably go down very well.

Delpf · 11/10/2023 08:13

I like it. Sam can be a good nickname.

lostraspberry · 11/10/2023 08:13

It's just another slightly unusual name of which there are lots around these days.

It's fine, I wouldn't choose it personally, but there's nothing wrong with it. It can easily be shortened to Sam if they choose (and probably will). I quite like Samba as suggested above.

Temporaryanonymity · 11/10/2023 08:12

I know one! He’s known as Bard. Schools are pretty diverse now, not everyone is called Dave or Susan.

TheaBrandt · 11/10/2023 08:10

I think you are being mean and snobby to snigger at Chardonnay. I know one lovely girl. Everyone just called her Char. Anything that’s not flipping Eve/Isabel/Grace follow the crowd tedium is fine by me.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 11/10/2023 08:10

We know one - he's about 9 and goes by Issy. When he was younger and had long curly hair I thought he was a girl called Izzy, but that could happen with lots of names.

stickygotstuck · 11/10/2023 08:08

It's a great name. I'd use it.

I think people here have lost sight of the actual meaning of 'cruel'.

Cruel is calling a child Stoopid Smith, Ugly Jones, or Looser Thompson. Calling him an unusual name that happens to bring to mind a brilliant engineer is not.

fattytum · 11/10/2023 08:07

Love it!

MrsMoastyToasty · 11/10/2023 08:05

No I don't like it, but then one of our local secondary schools is called IKB Academy (we are near Bristol).

fishfingersandtoes · 11/10/2023 08:02

People on here are weirdly vicious about name choices. Imagine being like that to someone's face! No-one would.
There's nothing wrong with Isambard at all, it's a cool, unusual name associated with engineering. Plus you could have the very normal sounding nickname of Sam if the kid wanted to blend in more.

Saschka · 11/10/2023 08:01

SeulementUneFois · 11/10/2023 07:55

@Saschka
What's wrong with Michael Hunt?
(Sorry, I'm foreign and it just doesn't 'click' with me...)
(I assume the surname is what it is in any case.)

Show quote history

Michael Hunt - shortens to Mike Hunt = my cunt.

GoodOldEmmaNess · 11/10/2023 07:56

It's too much. OK for a middle name. If you are v keen on the Brunel connection, why don't you swap around Brunel's two first names so that your child would be called ... ah, well, perhaps notWink

SeulementUneFois · 11/10/2023 07:55

Saschka · 11/10/2023 00:03

There are some people who name their child Richard Head, or Michael Hunt. Those parents are abusive.

Izzy Jacob Brunel Thompson? Totally fine.

@Saschka
What's wrong with Michael Hunt?
(Sorry, I'm foreign and it just doesn't 'click' with me...)
(I assume the surname is what it is in any case.)

muddyford · 11/10/2023 07:54

No worse than a lot of the stuff touted as possible names on MN.

CurlewKate · 11/10/2023 07:53

How about Isa?

Fiddlerdragon · 11/10/2023 07:49

Poor kid 😂

Is 'Isambard' child cruelty?
IncomingTraffic · 11/10/2023 07:44

It feels extremely attention seeking on the parents’ part.

But, I think that comparable girls names might be lauded on here. So who maybe loads of people will love isambard for a boy.

TwilightSkies · 11/10/2023 07:36

Bloody hell it’s awful! Don’t saddle a child with that!

SoundTheSirens · 11/10/2023 07:34

RogueFemale · 10/10/2023 23:59

Knew someone whose brother was called Isambard. I can think of many far crueller names, such as Wayne, Peter, Tim, Kevin, etc.

Peter? Seriously? WTF is “cruel” about that? It’s just an inoffensive, slightly dated but otherwise entirely normal name that everyone knows how to spell and would raise very few eyebrows.

Mumsnet is a whole other universe sometimes.

gotomomo · 11/10/2023 07:29

@GirlFromTheBackstreetsOfNever

Interesting you also have met a Chardonnay - I knew sisters called Chardonnay and Merlot - mum proudly told the other mums she wanted something classy (was was very young, too young to purchase said wives when they were born) it took a lot of willpower not to laugh.

I personally would not saddle a child with isambard but mine do have traditional bible names

piscofrisco · 11/10/2023 07:16

I really like it

Inyournewdress · 11/10/2023 01:07

No of course not, it’s a great name.

Swipe left for the next trending thread