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

What were you nearly called?

237 replies

Abigail47 · 08/08/2024 19:13

I was nearly called Deborah or Scarlett.

They were in my parents top three names.

Then they finally chose my name.

I feel a bit of a connection to those other two names.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Name300 · 08/08/2024 21:27

Natasha no idea why

greglet · 08/08/2024 21:25

And Robert if I'd been a boy. My younger brother is not called Robert, though!

Alltheyearround · 08/08/2024 21:25

Lee (if I had been a boy).

greglet · 08/08/2024 21:25

Grace or Octavia. I'd love to be Octavia tbf.

JustaCrabcake · 08/08/2024 21:24

Gage, truly awful name. I'm very lucky I wasn't a boy.

romdowa · 08/08/2024 21:23

My mother wanted to call me Rebecca but my dad insisted I was named after his grandmother. I'm glad because I don't think Rebecca would have suited me.

RuthW · 08/08/2024 21:21

Mum wanted Rachel, dad wanted Fiona.

I absolutely love Fiona.

Would have been Colin if I was a boy

Firsttimebabymummy · 08/08/2024 21:08

If I were a boy I would have been Liam

Then I was supposed to be Rebecca until my mum went off the name just before I came.

Meredith was on my list for DD and recently found out at just one week old my name was almost changed to that.

BiggieLittle · 08/08/2024 21:06

I’m a 90’s baby.
i was going to be either Sky or Morgan (if not the name I was given)
or if I was a boy I was going to be Kye or William

Xyz1234567 · 08/08/2024 21:05

I like the name Chloe!
Isn't Rafaella a chocolate now?
I was almost a Caroline, which would have been far preferable to what I ended up with!

Lifeinlists · 08/08/2024 21:02

muffledvoice · 08/08/2024 20:16

I was meant to be a quadruplet, we would've been called Eleanor, Jude, Lucy and Sadie... yeah my parents were Beatles fans...
If we were boys no doubt we would've been George, John, Paul and Richard BlushGrin

I've got cousins ( brothers) John, Paul and Michael. My mum always referred to them as John, Paul and Ringo!

LovelyDaaling · 08/08/2024 21:00

Jeremy if I'd been a boy. Thank God I wasn't.

Guiltypleasures001 · 08/08/2024 20:58

James if I was a boy

Sharontheodopolodous · 08/08/2024 20:57

Arthur igneous Ramsbottom claude

Thank god my mother failed to see the funny side and put her foot down

Albert was another-again,she put her foot down-I think they wanted 'robert'

I was meant to be called first name,second name but my mother 'accidentally' called me second name,first name (thank god,because my middle name,which should have been my first,is dreadful)

They wanted a name that hadn't been in the family before,but my grandad waited until I was registered and said 'oh,my aunt was a xxx'

My mother just told him never to tell her mother or she'd never have heard the last of it

If my brothers had been girls,they would have been victoria,Sophie and Elizabeth

Littlebitpsycho · 08/08/2024 20:57

BanditofBrisbane · 08/08/2024 20:49

Chloe 🤢. My actual name isn't much better and was a very popular name in the 80s. Combined with the almost universal 80s middle name of Louise.

If I'd been a boy I would have been Andrew, which is MUCH nicer

@BanditofBrisbane why the 🤢 emoji for chloe?

My daughter is chloe and I think it's a lovely name which really suits her 🤷‍♀️

imnotthatkindofmum · 08/08/2024 20:57

ANiceBigCupOfTea · 08/08/2024 20:56

I was almost Esther

That's my daughter's name.

ANiceBigCupOfTea · 08/08/2024 20:56

I was almost Esther

BebbanburgIsMine · 08/08/2024 20:52

Rafaella!

My dad said No thankfully, so I ended up named after the local football team he was a goalie for.

I gave my daughters the names I always wanted if I had girls.

Ineedaholidayagain · 08/08/2024 20:51

As second born it was my Dad's turn to name me. I was going to be Luke (big star wars fan) but popped out female. Luckily I'm not leia, but got a solid tradition name instead.

BanditofBrisbane · 08/08/2024 20:49

Chloe 🤢. My actual name isn't much better and was a very popular name in the 80s. Combined with the almost universal 80s middle name of Louise.

If I'd been a boy I would have been Andrew, which is MUCH nicer

MarisCapri · 08/08/2024 20:48

David or Alice.

Alice was dropped when my dad remembered that a rather ‘lively’ ex female friend if his was nicknamed ‘slack’ Alice!

Thevelvelletes · 08/08/2024 20:44

Ian ..nope I was never an ian

ToBeOrNotToBee · 08/08/2024 20:43

Tessa.

Whilst mum was pregnant, my aunt got a dog called Tessa and that was that name ruled out. Years later we rescued a dog also called Tessa and I was very grateful to not have the same name as our dog.

Turns out my name has now become a pretty popular dog name anyway 😂

And Tessa has grown on me, not sure why.

HannahinHampshire · 08/08/2024 20:41

My dad wanted Bernadette (good Catholic name). Luckily my Mum got her own way!

Justwantosay · 08/08/2024 20:38

Llinos

My scouser dad couldn't pronounce it.
Thank you Dad 🙏 life saver

Swipe left for the next trending thread