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Baby names

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Original poster

Megan Lesley?

32 replies

LittlestG · 26/10/2023 09:12

Thoughts please. We have Welsh heritage and a common single syllable Welsh last name (think along the lines of Jones).

Lesley is a family name and won't be changed.

I think we've finally settled on Megan after a very long time!

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LeonBlack · 28/10/2023 21:40

Megan is a lovely name.

Family name or not, I would not be using Lesley. It’s awful!

fluffypotatoes · 28/10/2023 21:37

Cute!

Original poster
LittlestG · 28/10/2023 12:03

KirstenBlest · 28/10/2023 11:47

prefer to change the spelling so it's her own name, but also honoring his DF.
Did Natalie Christine get a name of her own as a middle name?

She didn't, Christine is a direct family name from my side of the family, but that was my choice, it's DH choice this time as Leslie/ey is his Dad's name so it only seems right. I don't think the girls will mind too much?

OP posts:
KirstenBlest · 28/10/2023 11:47

prefer to change the spelling so it's her own name, but also honoring his DF.
Did Natalie Christine get a name of her own as a middle name?

KirstenBlest · 28/10/2023 11:28

@LittlestG , it usually doesn't come up much IRL conversations other than when the baby is little. Some of my schoolfriends would use the full name.

The welsh probably use the two given names more. Some actors and tv presenters go by the two first names e.g. Angharad Mair, Carys Eleri, Iwan Rheon, Ioan Gruffudd, Owain Arthur, Gillian Elisa, Huw Ceredig etc

Original poster
LittlestG · 28/10/2023 09:27

Thank you for the suggestions regarding Lesley/Leslie. I do remember the famous Leslie ladies, so I was open to the idea of spelling it the same. Asked DH about it and he said he's prefer to change the spelling so it's her own name, but also honoring his DF. I'm not going to argue or labour the point with him, it's his father and his name, and as pointed out by PP, not many people know or care about your middle names anyway.

OP posts:
KirstenBlest · 27/10/2023 07:53

@IncomingTraffic , most of them. And they are almost all Ann(e), Jane, Louise, Margaret or Elizabeth. Male friends tend to have John, James or David as a middle name.

The filler middle name when I was at a Welsh-medium school was Wyn for both boys and girls, and a family surname was popular (e.g. Lloyd Jones).

The reason for suggesting keeping the Leslie spelling was that it is the spelling of the person being honoured, is an acceptable unisex name and the surname spelling, and gives more flexibility for using the full name.

Ms Zeta-Jones probably would not have used Anne-Jones or Jane-Jones as a professional had she had a filler middle name.

Megan Leslie Jones looks more punchy than Megan Lesley Jones (which as wrongly guessed upthread looks like she was named after her grandmother)

Viviennemary · 27/10/2023 07:41

Not keen on Megan. It's a perfectly acceptable name but it's very mey.

IncomingTraffic · 27/10/2023 07:36

Lesley is traditionally the feminised spelling. I’m not convinced the ie spelling improves it much.

But it’s a middle name and presumably means a lot to your DH. Most people don’t use their middle names anyway so the emotional value is likely much more important than whether it’s a nice name. How many of your friends’ or colleagues’ middle names do you know?

KirstenBlest · 27/10/2023 07:33

Meggan is awful, Meghan too markle

PumpkinsAndCoconuts · 27/10/2023 07:30

I like Megan! Middle names after family is lovely imo.
I also prefer the Leslie spelling.

mathanxiety · 27/10/2023 01:46

I think Megan is fine and the two names go well together.

The Duchess of Sussex is Meghan so slightly different.

I'd spell the MN Leslie. I think Lesley isn't as nice - maybe because it looks like Wesley, a man's name. I actually know two female Leslies, spelled like that.

user1492757084 · 27/10/2023 01:27

Megan Leslie is lovely.
I also love ..
Meghan Leslie
Meggan Leslie
I love the nick name Meg.

BoleynMemories13 · 26/10/2023 20:51

Megan is nice and very underused these days compared to it's popularity in the 90s/early 00s. If you've decided I wouldn't worry about scouting for opinions from others though. People can be cruel sometimes and you wouldn't want unkind responses to put you off.

I agree with the advice re the spelling of Leslie though. I would definitely stick with the spelling of the person you are honouring.

KirstenBlest · 26/10/2023 20:10

Not sure if you remember Leslie Caron but she was the lead role in the film Gigi.
Leslie Ash was a popular model and actress, and was in Men Behaving Badly, and she or her sister Debbie were usually on a cover of a teen weekly in the late 1970s.

I think Leslie is also a scottish surname so there's a bit more flexibility than the rather dated Lesley

Don't you wish you had that free disco dating charm? Smile

Megan Lesley?
Original poster
LittlestG · 26/10/2023 20:01

KirstenBlest · 26/10/2023 19:16

Leslie is acceptable for a woman (Leslie Caron, Leslie Ash). I'd use that spelling as you are honouring Leslie not Lesley.

It also looks less dated.

Edited

Very fair point, I'll ask the DH as he's the one who suggested changing the spelling and it's his dad 🙂

OP posts:
KirstenBlest · 26/10/2023 19:16

Leslie is acceptable for a woman (Leslie Caron, Leslie Ash). I'd use that spelling as you are honouring Leslie not Lesley.

It also looks less dated.

Original poster
LittlestG · 26/10/2023 19:00

KirstenBlest · 26/10/2023 18:57

Babies called Megan in England & Wales since 1996 (darkgreener.com)
It was a top 10 name around the turn of the millennium.

Lesley is fine, I'd have guessed it to be a grandmother's name. It's not horrible. Leslie for a man is rather nice.

Lesley Manville - Wikipedia etc

Yes, we figured that because it was relatively popular but isn't now she'd be one of the only ones around her age but most people would know how to spell it etc. so it's common enough not to cause her any problems.

Leslie was FIL, he spelled it lie as I think that's more common for men so we have changed the spelling to the more feminine of the two options?

OP posts:
Original poster
LittlestG · 26/10/2023 18:57

ThickSkinnedSoWhat · 26/10/2023 15:00

I liked Megan once upon a time. Markle ruined it for me though 🙈

This is one of my only drawbacks 😂

OP posts:
KirstenBlest · 26/10/2023 18:57

Babies called Megan in England & Wales since 1996 (darkgreener.com)
It was a top 10 name around the turn of the millennium.

Lesley is fine, I'd have guessed it to be a grandmother's name. It's not horrible. Leslie for a man is rather nice.

Lesley Manville - Wikipedia etc

Original poster
LittlestG · 26/10/2023 18:51

theduchessofspork · 26/10/2023 14:53

Megan is fine, although I think Merryn or Manon is nicer and more interesting.

Lesley is really horrible - did the person you are honouring not have a middle name?? But as a middle name it doesn’t matter much.

Lesley is my recently deceased FIL, his middle name is absolutely a man's name so we can't use that.

OP posts:
PickledScrump · 26/10/2023 18:11

megan is nice, I don’t think it was ever popular enough to feel dated so that’s not an issue. It’s well known enough to not have any issues but not overly popular so not likely to encounter a lot. Go for it.

KirstenBlest · 26/10/2023 15:02

Not keen on Merryn and know dozens of Manons so it seems very ordinary

Not Welsh, but how about Morgane or Morgana

ThickSkinnedSoWhat · 26/10/2023 15:00

I liked Megan once upon a time. Markle ruined it for me though 🙈

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