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Baby names

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Original poster

Help please- is Autumn Oates a bad name? I hate my surname!!

95 replies

Sarahoatesy · 09/11/2023 10:15

My surname is Oates. Which I didn't mind until looking for baby names.

My 1st born is called Lyra 🤍

Thinking about name for no2 and love the names Winter or Autumn 🍁!

But have a small feeling these look like porridge brands when paired with Oates. My husband thinks I'm overanalyzing.

Autumn Oates
Winter Oates

Please help and be honest.

TIA

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InTheFutilityRoomEatingBiscuits · 09/11/2023 19:07

Anything with a -eve sound at the end will merge into Oates.

eg Maeve Oates = May Votes
Niamh Oates = Knee Votes

see also, -b which will become boats, -c for coats (Zainab Oates = Zaina Boats) and so on.

InTheFutilityRoomEatingBiscuits · 09/11/2023 19:02

I have heard of Lawrence Oates!

You could give her her fathers name instead perhaps?

I do like the names Autumn and Winter but you really can’t with Oates.

Equally you can’t really have anything edible - Saffron, Hazel, Rosemary. Or colours, Amber, Sienna, Jade. Nouns are tricky too, Melody, Iris, Pearl, because of sounding like brands. I see your problem!

I think the name needs to be longer to compensate for the short surname sound, and with some substance eg not loads of vowel sounds. And ending in a consonant so it doesn’t run into the O.

Jocelyn Oates
Elinor Oates
Tamsin Oates
Harriet Oates

or very established names

Alice Oates
Elizabeth Oates
Lucy Oates
Phoebe Oates

MerryChristmasToYou · 09/11/2023 18:56

Celeste
Maeve
Niamh
Justine
Tempest

Notellinganyone · 09/11/2023 18:42

Wilde!

MerryChristmasToYou · 09/11/2023 18:30

Winter oats

Help please- is Autumn Oates a bad name? I hate my surname!!
maw29 · 09/11/2023 17:30

I'm clearly in the minority, I love it.

TeslaTwat · 09/11/2023 17:12

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Oates

Should be more famous!

TeslaTwat · 09/11/2023 17:10

Yogagrandmum · 09/11/2023 17:09

Captain Lawrence Oates was a very famous man

Goes to Google captain Lawrence Oates. I don't think he's as famous as you think he is 😂😂😂

Yogagrandmum · 09/11/2023 17:09

Captain Lawrence Oates was a very famous man

Jellybean23 · 09/11/2023 17:01

You can't use Winter - winter oats is a crop sown by farmers and autumn oats is a recipe. There must be something better.

GreyGoose1980 · 09/11/2023 17:00

I wouldn’t pair your surname with another word such as Winter, Lily, May etc. Lyra sounds perfect with it so I’d go for something more along those lines.

noooooooo · 09/11/2023 17:00

Winter Oates, yeah, sounds a bit like a tenuous excuse for James Bond to say something feeble about getting heated up on a cold morning.

Autumn doesn’t hit me the same way. Cos Autumn is a pretty well-established girls name, maybe? Pleasing to say, Autumn Oates, very mellifluous.

Think your DH might have a point, tbh, it’s what you think that counts. Also agree with the PP who said about nicknames, Porridge is so obvious if someone wants to be hilarious it’s right there already, so why not choose what you like?

Or

To go with Lyra…

Olwen
Astrid

Congrats!

TeslaTwat · 09/11/2023 16:56

It's not a bad surname at all. It could be worse. If people relate it to porridge and tease, it's the most unoriginal teasing there is. Also, whatever name you have - kids will tease.

Buffysoldersister · 09/11/2023 16:51

Sorry but autumn / winter oates makes me think of either animal feed or porridge. Lots of surnames don't work with different first names for various reasons- we couldn't pick anything with an 'a' or 'y' ending. But unless you are going to go with the bonkers suggestions of changing your surname (?) or just waiting for her to get married (??????) you are going to have to go in a different direction. Oates is a nice simple short name so there will be loads of other names that will work well.

makeitmakesense2 · 09/11/2023 16:44

First name needs to be very plain and unambiguously a first name, ie not Hazel (!)
Something like Jane, Maria, Elizabeth. Have the seasonal nod as a second name.

Twillow · 09/11/2023 16:42

Porridge was my first thought too, sorry.
How about
Wren
Ivy
River
Rowan
Marin
Ianthe
Lumi (means snow)

GoldDuster · 09/11/2023 16:40

It sounds like something healthy you'd put in your fridge overnight, or something Automotive.

I think the more tricky the surname the more solid you go with the first name or you risk upping the weird factor, with Oates I'd be going with a recognised name rather than a season.

Missedmytoe · 09/11/2023 16:37

If you can't do anything about the surname then perhaps nature-inspired names might work?

Aurora
Calla
Juniper
Robin

Similar-ish vein names
Aurelia
Willow
Xanthe

faffadoodledo · 09/11/2023 16:33

Winter oats are an actual crop. The phrase appears on programmes like Farming Today. Which ok, is quite niche. But that may be the kind of thing you're worried about

ErrolTheDragon · 09/11/2023 16:30

Search for 'winter oats' ... ads for porridge and a piece titled 'Sow your winter oats with care' from Farmers Weekly.

MerryChristmasToYou · 09/11/2023 16:24

Are you hoping she'll marry a farmer? Maybe one called Mr Barley.

Probably best not to name her after a cover crop.

EdgeOfACoin · 09/11/2023 14:31

I'm really sorry, I don't think names that are nouns work with your surname. Winter Oates in particular makes me think of going to feed a horse in the snow.

peaceinourtime · 09/11/2023 14:16

Oates is a great last name

BitofaStramash · 09/11/2023 12:54

Porridge brand or flavour

SayingwhatIreallythink · 09/11/2023 12:54

I really like the suggestion Olivia Oates up thread. Cool initials, flows well. and makes Oates sound like a normal surname.