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Baby names

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

Original poster

Middle name Beryl

66 replies

mealplan · 31/10/2023 22:18

We have just found out we are having a girl!! Due in March.

Now we have the first name sorted. I would really love to have my Grandmothers name as her middle name, however the Name is Beryl. Very old lady and not quite chic.

Any ideas I can get around this as alternative or something that makes it more current like Beryl - rose or grey. Well I dunno, I'm stuck!

Thanks for any input!!

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ThelmaBorden · 01/11/2023 09:45

Princesspollyyy · 01/11/2023 09:03

Saying 'use Bea' for Beryl, is like saying to use Katie for Laura. It's a completely different name as the name Beryl can't be shortened to a different name in any way.

I wouldn't choose Beryl just because a family member was called that.

or Dave, for Rodney

ThelmaBorden · 01/11/2023 09:41

no Dandy readers here today then ?

MessyMyrtle · 01/11/2023 09:41

Beryl means ‘the colour of the sea’ too, so that’s nice.

But perhaps ask the person you are thinking of honouring if she likes her name? She might hate it. I was going to call my son after a relative and I asked him first and he said ‘‘good god, don’t do that. I hate my name.’’ My grandmother hated her name too, but I only found out very late in her life.

BertieBotts · 01/11/2023 09:38

You're slightly ahead of the curve - I bet Beryl will be chic in sbout 10 years.

I'd just use it and pick a first name that is more current. If you really hate it, you could modify it slightly - Bea as someone else said or Berry?

ChocolateCinderToffee · 01/11/2023 09:31

I would agree that Beryl is a lot nicer than Mabel or Elsie. Maybe give her two middle names?

Tulipblank · 01/11/2023 09:28

My DD has my (now deceased) Nan's name as her middle name. It's VERY old fashioned....and I doubt will ever come back into fashion. But I used the name for my Nan, and I love the connection now she's gone.

Just use beryl!

EdgeOfACoin · 01/11/2023 09:24

Beryl is a gemstone and is actually quite nice. It goes with a lot of old-fashioned names these days (Edith, Mabel, Ruby etc.)

Also, your daughter won't have the same associations as you. She won't know any 'old lady' Beryls because there won't be many alive by then. To your daughter's generation 'Beryl' will sound quite fresh and unusual. In your daughter's eyes, 'old lady' names will be names like Linda, Susan, Carol, Debbie etc.

Finally, I agree with PPs who say you can't give your child a name like 'Bea' and say it's in honour of Beryl. They're two different names. I think you either need to go with Beryl or choose something else entirely.

Princesspollyyy · 01/11/2023 09:04

DeedlessIndeed · 01/11/2023 08:42

I had a darling next door neighbour called Beryl growing up. She was a lovely woman to the core, and for that reason I associate the name with a quiet, poised kindness. My vote is to keep it as Beryl.

Our next door neighbour is Beryl too!!

MainlyOnThePlain · 01/11/2023 09:04

Beryl will have a totally different 'feel' by the time she's grown up - and she'll have a signature gemstone!

Princesspollyyy · 01/11/2023 09:03

Saying 'use Bea' for Beryl, is like saying to use Katie for Laura. It's a completely different name as the name Beryl can't be shortened to a different name in any way.

I wouldn't choose Beryl just because a family member was called that.

RoseMartha · 01/11/2023 08:47

If you have a first name sorted. I dont see what is wrong with having Beryl as a middle name. I do agree it is a bit old fashioned, and I wouldn't choose it personally. But you want to honour a person who you loved and treasured and I think that that is the important thing and a beautiful thing to do.

hattie43 · 01/11/2023 08:46

No just no

DeedlessIndeed · 01/11/2023 08:42

I had a darling next door neighbour called Beryl growing up. She was a lovely woman to the core, and for that reason I associate the name with a quiet, poised kindness. My vote is to keep it as Beryl.

Somewhatchallenging · 01/11/2023 08:42

I like Beryl. It’s a gemstone and it has a nice sound. Don’t change it into something else.

AutumnCrow · 01/11/2023 08:40

I loved Beryl on the Magic Roundabout

haribosmarties · 01/11/2023 08:32

I LOVE the name Beryl. I so wanted to name my daughter that but my husband was having none of it sadly

Aydel · 01/11/2023 08:31

Beryl is a lot better than some of the old lady names around now, like Maud, Enid and Ethel. My Mum had a friend called Beryl, who was known as Berry. She was very glamorous and great fun. I’d go for Beryl as a middle name. If you want a role model, how about Beryl the Peril?!

Hohofortherobbers · 01/11/2023 08:26

Bring back Beryl!!

lljkk · 01/11/2023 08:08

Beryl Burton was awesome. Excellent pedigree even it wasn't your Nan's name.

Maireas · 01/11/2023 08:06

I think you'll be ahead of the curve with Beryl! I never thought, a few years ago, that I'd be teaching teenagers called Elsie, Mabel, Wilfred and Stanley. Yet here we are!
Plus, it's a middle name, so less impactful.

Maireas · 01/11/2023 08:04

TheOwlChronicles · 31/10/2023 22:30

There is no point trying to find an alternative if you are wanting to remember a loved family member. Bea (for example) is nothing like Beryl

So either scrap the whole idea or embrace it

This. It's a lovely tribute, but either use it or don't.

HardcoreLadyType · 01/11/2023 08:01

Names go in and out of fashion. Edith was once hopelessly old fashioned and is now in vogue.

Be at the vanguard in Bringing Back Beryl.

As others have said, it’s the name of a gem, and the name of someone precious to you. It’s a very apt name for your little one.

SirSidneyRuffDiamond · 01/11/2023 07:56

Beryl is a rather lovely gemstone and actually quite a pretty name. One person's outdated is another person's modern. Just use it.

scrivette · 31/10/2023 23:49

Go with Beryl, it sounds like all the other 'old' names to me and a Beryl is a jewel.

WetBandits · 31/10/2023 23:45

I love it. I’ve met several Beryls and all of them have been wonderful women so I associate it with absolute loveliness!

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