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Baby names

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

Please rank my baby name list!! Don't hold back

121 replies

danascully96 · 19/12/2024 18:44

You don't have to respond to all of these, just general feelings. Also, I'm American, so I've noticed some of these names have a more "dated" connotation in the UK than in the US.

Girls:

Felicity "Flick"

Tessa "Tess"

Juliet "Jules"

Violet

Scarlett

Elizabeth "Eliza"

Sylvia "Sylvie"

Margot

Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie?

Caroline

Susannah

Charlotte

May/Mae

Lily

Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah")

Boys:

Miles

Christopher "Kit"

Fraser

Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM"):

Dean

August

James "Jamie"

William

Rowan

Robin (maybe too girly in the US?)

Jasper

Jack

Griffin

OP posts:
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Sugargliderwombat · 19/12/2024 21:54

Never understood the Robin 'girly' issue. Robin Williams? Noone ever heard his name and went 'Robin?!' suits him just fine :).

RuthW · 19/12/2024 21:53

Girls:

Felicity "Flick" lovely

Tessa "Tess" ok not my taste

Juliet "Jules" lovely

Violet nice

Scarlett ok

Elizabeth "Eliza" lovely

Sylvia "Sylvie" lovely

Margot

Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie? Dated, don't like

Caroline nice

Susannah nice

Charlotte too popular

May/Mae nice

Lily far too popukar

Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah") we say this different here, either Dal-ee-er or Darl-lee-er

Boys:

Miles ok popular at the moment

Christopher "Kit" lovely

Fraser not my taste

Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM"): no especially not the American wY

Dean too 80s

August nice

James "Jamie" lovely

William lovely

Rowan too girly

Robin (maybe too girly in the US?) too girly

Jasper nice

Jack far too popular

Griffin ok

You have some good names there

lottiegarbanzo · 19/12/2024 21:44

Good lists, on the whole.

Best ones:
Tessa
Juliet
Susannah
Elizabeth
Sylvie is a different (much nicer) name than Sylvia.

Miles
William
Kit
James
Jack
Griffin

Worst ones:
Dahlia
Dean
Jasper
Graham

housemaus · 19/12/2024 21:42

Girls:
Love :

Sylvia "Sylvie"
Margot
Violet

Hate the nicknames:

Felicity "Flick"
Tessa "Tess"
Juliet "Jules"

Fine:

Scarlett
Elizabeth "Eliza"
Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie? - VERY
Charlotte
Lily

Don't like:

Caroline - only because it feels very 70s and doesn't yet sound cool and retro to me
Susannah - eh
May/Mae - eh
Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah") - won't get pronounced like that if you're in the UK (which I think you are? Unsure)

Boys:

Love:

Fraser

Fine:

Christopher "Kit" (but love Kit)
William
Rowan (but I know far more girl Rowans)
August
Robin (maybe too girly in the US?) - but yes it feels like a girl's name to me
Jack

Don't like:

Miles
Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM") - old man name and not in a cute way. Also I know it's how it's pronounced in the US but that pronounciation infuriates me haha
Dean
James "Jamie" (James is fine. Jamie is very 90s to me)
Jasper
Griffin

BobbyBiscuits · 19/12/2024 21:41

I like Violet, Scarlett and Margot. I love Margalo which is like Margo.
Tessa, shortened to Tess? Not sure about it tbh.
Really dislike Susannah and Caroline. They sound like middle aged Tory councillors wives.

Boys ones I'm not mad about most of them sadly. I do like Robin.
Jack is ok but prefer Jake.
William is ok shortened to Billy or Liam. Not Will or Willy or Wills. It does remind me of the RF a bit if used in that way.
Griffin would be cute but it's too much associated with Family Guy in my eyes.
August to me sounds fake posh, and a bit effeminate.
Miles sounds like he might be a psychopath or narcissistic. Not sure why?! Lol. Apologies to all nice Miles' out there.

MajorCarolDanvers · 19/12/2024 21:39

Girls:

Felicity "Flick". Felicity is a bit Enid Blyton. Flick is a horse

Tessa "Tess". Tessa beautiful. Tess ok

Juliet "Jules". Juliet ok. Jules awful.

Violet meh

Scarlett O'Hara

Elizabeth "Eliza" Elizabeth beautiful. Eliza ok.

Sylvia "Sylvie" both meh

Margot beautiful

Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie? Both meh

Caroline - rather dated

Susannah ok

Charlotte beautiful

May/Mae meh

Lily meh

Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah") awful

Boys:

Miles very American

Christopher "Kit". Christopher great. Kit meh

Fraser ok

Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM"): don't like your pronunciation

Dean dated

August awful

James "Jamie" brilliant

William ok

Rowan meh

Robin (maybe too girly in the US?)ok

Jasper awful

Jack excellent

Griffin dreadful

Waffle19 · 19/12/2024 21:39

Scarlett is my number one girls name, I love it. Out of all of yours I probably dislike Felicity and Tess the most.

I won’t comment on boys names. I have two boys and they are both names on your list so to say them here would be outing but I just think we clearly both have similar (and great!) taste in names!

RosesAndHellebores · 19/12/2024 21:33

Boys: James or William
Girls: Felicity, Susannah, Elizabeth, Caroline, Charlotte.

Parents do not choose nn's. Ever. But, Caroline for me will always be Cazzie or CazzBag :). Also, if yiu want to call a child Eliza, just call them Eliza.

DoYouReally · 19/12/2024 21:23

Girls name, I like Juliet & Charlotte.

Boys, I like James & Rowan.

None are awful but Jasper reminds me of Casper, the friendly ghost and Griffin is a surname in Ireland, no one here would use it as a first name.

CatherineCawoodsbestie · 19/12/2024 21:23

Felicity is lovely but I don’t like Flick. I quite like Fliss or Fee, and I knew a Felly.

Tessa/Tess is lovely . Nina has a similar vibe.

Going against the grain, I prefer Julia to Juliet. But I don’t dislike it.

Violet I don’t get the love, and Lily is too popular. And with Dahlia, you have pronunciation issues. I do like Delphinium /Delphie and Daisy. I also like Rowan and only know female Rowan’s.

Eliza and Elizabeth I like both but see them as separate names.

Madeleine- prefer this spelling and sadly think Maddie is inevitable.

Margot I like and also Margaret /Maggie/Meg/Peggy

Caroline - I like this, due a comeback.

Susannah - same. I like all the nn too - Susie, Sukie and zannah.

Nothing wrong with Charlotte but a bit dull.

May/mae- used to really like May -‘pretty, simple and underused - I like April and June too. And then it became everyone’s middle name and I went off it. If you do use it, please don’t use Mae, it’s awful.

Miles - prefer this spelling. Just OK

Christopher /Kit - love

Fraser -no. But I do like other Scottish boys names Douglas and Angus.

Graham and Dean - no way.

August I like and also Augustus and Gus.

i like James but not Jamie

William - quite like Will and Billy but not blown away

Rowan and Robin - both for girls IMO

Jasper - golden retriever

Griffin - no. I like Gruff which is a Welsh name short for Gruffydd, which is pronounced Griff, but not Griffin.

To conclude:
Girls favourites- Julia, Caroline and Susannah
Boys favourites- Christopher and August/us

PrincessOfPreschool · 19/12/2024 21:16

Girls:

Felicity 9/10 "Flick" 2/10 (nn is silly)

Tessa 7/10 "Tess" 8/10

Juliet 8/10 "Jules" 5/10

Violet 7/10

Scarlett 5/10

Elizabeth 7/10 "Eliza" 6/10 (I see that as a standalone, different name)

Sylvia 9/10 "Sylvie" 6/10 Again, 2 different names

Margot 6/10

Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie? 4/10 with that pronunciation and Maddie is inevitable

Caroline 9/10. Underused, I like it

Susannah 9/10. Underused

Charlotte 7/10. OK, a bit common when I was growing up in the 80s.

May/Mae 5/10. Don't like it

Lily 4/10. OK, v v common

Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah") 2/10. The worst of them all with that pronunciation.

Boys:

Miles 8/10. Handsome and charming

Christopher "Kit" 9/10. Name and nn are great. Underused, classic.

Fraser 6/10.

Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM") 1/10. No to the name and pronunciation.

Dean 3/10. It's not 1974. Every other boy I grew up with was called Dean. They are now all middle aged men.

August 2/10. Pompous

James "Jamie" 7/10. Nice, little bit common in the UK (we had 2 in our small preschool last year) but always a classic.

William 8/10. Classic and Will is nice too.

Rowan 6/10. Bit girly

Robin (maybe too girly in the US?). 4/10 as above

Jasper 3/10 pretentious

Jack 5/10. Just about every other child is Jack

Griffin 1/10. Noooooooooo

VegTrug · 19/12/2024 21:16

I like Madeleine but not Mad-uh-LINE. That will be made fun of and will be ignored. Everyone will call her Mad-uh-Lynn. Or Maddie

SwedishEdith · 19/12/2024 21:16

danascully96 · 19/12/2024 18:44

You don't have to respond to all of these, just general feelings. Also, I'm American, so I've noticed some of these names have a more "dated" connotation in the UK than in the US.

Girls:

Felicity "Flick"

Tessa "Tess"

Juliet "Jules"

Violet

Scarlett

Elizabeth "Eliza"

Sylvia "Sylvie"

Margot

Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie?

Caroline

Susannah

Charlotte

May/Mae

Lily

Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah")

Boys:

Miles

Christopher "Kit"

Fraser

Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM"):

Dean

August

James "Jamie"

William

Rowan

Robin (maybe too girly in the US?)

Jasper

Jack

Griffin

Felicity "Flick" - Fliss more likely. 5/10

Tessa "Tess" - nice. 8/10

Juliet "Jules" - prefer Julia. Julia 8/10. Juliet 7/10

Violet - no opinion

Scarlett - dated. 4/10

Elizabeth "Eliza" - both good names but just go for Eliza if that's what you want. 10/10.

Sylvia "Sylvie" - like 8/10

Margot - too trendy right now 5/10

Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie? - fine. 6/10

Caroline - like 7/10

Susannah - really like 8/10

Charlotte - feels dated 5/10

May/Mae - dated 4/10

Lily - the world does not need another Lily. 2/10

Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah") - no. 3/10

Boys:

Miles - no, dated. 4/10

Christopher "Kit" - love Kit. 8/10

Fraser - no, dated. 4/10

Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM"): - no. Extremely dated. 1/10

Dean - ha ha. Noooo. 0/10

August - no. 0/10. Augustine though ♥️

James "Jamie" - love Jamie actually.

William - fine 6/10

Rowan - no opinion

Robin (maybe too girly in the US?) - like 6/10

Jasper - 4/10

Jack - like Lily.

Griffin - no 3/10

rebelrun · 19/12/2024 21:15

Love Kit for boy and Sylvie for a girl.

Kizzy192 · 19/12/2024 21:13

Girls:

Felicity "Flick" 1/10
middle aged, posh name to me but probably because i know one. Flick isnt nice either, and dont choose a name based on a nn - it might not go your way.

Tessa "Tess" 1/10
really not a fan

Juliet 2/10 "Jules" 5/10
Cute, but again just go for Jules if that's what you want.

Violet 4/10
Isn't Katherine Ryan's kid called Violet? Might be nn Vi, which I don't like.

Scarlett 2/10
Stripper name

Elizabeth "Eliza" 3/10
Old fashioned and boring

Sylvia 3/10 "Sylvie" 4/10
Old fashioned, but Sylvie pulls it off a bit better. Reminds me of Sylvia Plath.

Margot 6/10
i know one, nn Maggie. Cute but overused. Can look a bit like maggot.

Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie? 7/10
i like Madeline, maddie is inevitable. Old fashioned but feminine / delicate enough to pull it off like Margot.

Caroline 1/10
old, bland, boring. Dont know anyone under 50 called Caroline.

Susannah 5/10
cute, but common. Nn might be susie or Anna which are a bit blah.

Charlotte 1/10
One of my Vito names. Cant stand it, or nn lottie.

May/Mae 2/10
Overused, short, usually a middle name.

Lily 2/10
Boring, short, hard to make a nn for ... other than maybe Lil.

Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah") 3/10
Unusual and in theory i like it but it just reminds me of the black dahlia murder. I'm guessing you mean pronounced like dahl-ee-ah

Boys:

Miles 1/10
Quite a nerdy, meek name. Not a fan.

Christopher 3/10 "Kit" 7/10
Don't like Christopher but Kit is lovely, if a little short.

Fraser 1/10
No. Old fashioned, reminds me of the programme.

Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM"): 1/10
You'd never find anyone called Graham under 40 here. Awful !

Dean 2/10
It's not a very classy name in the UK. I really don't like it.

August 6/10
Lovely. Be prepared for 'oh thats unusual' comments. Cant think of a nice nn though, aug is ugly.

James 2/10 "Jamie" 5/10
im really not a fan of james, jamie is better but just go for that if its what you would call him. It's quite common here.

William 5/10
Biased because my partners name, but it's a classic that's less used now than 30 years ago. Nn will, wills, liam.

Rowan 5/10
Reminds me of Rowan Atkinson. Nice but not amazing.

Robin (maybe too girly in the US?) 5/10
In UK girls would be Robyn and boys would be Robin. It's very sweet and wouldn't be too girly here but I personally prefer it as a girls name.

Jasper 1/10
Posh name, dog name. Really dont like it.

Jack 5/10
classic, common. No nn.

Griffin 6/10
Nice. It's a welsh name, with lots of history. Not sure how common it is elsewhere.

evtheria · 19/12/2024 21:02

Girls:
Felicity "Flick" 6/10
Tessa "Tess" 8/10
Juliet "Jules" 8/10 but no Jules
Violet 7/10
Scarlett 5/10
Elizabeth "Eliza" 8/10
Sylvia "Sylvie" 8/10
Margot 9/10 if 'mar-go'
Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie? 6/10 because though I love it, I know 4 who all go by Maddie
Caroline 4/10
Susannah 4/10
Charlotte 7/10
May/Mae 3/10
Lily 3/10
Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah") 3/10

Boys:
Miles 6/10
Christopher "Kit" 10/10
Fraser 4/10
Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM"): 6/10
Dean 3/10
August 5/10
James "Jamie" 5/10
William 4/10
Rowan 5/10
Robin (maybe too girly in the US?) 3/10, cute but would be v unusual for an adult man
Jasper 5/10
Jack 7/10
Griffin 2/10

Gall10 · 19/12/2024 21:00

Griffin?????? Just no!

Nc546888 · 19/12/2024 20:58

danascully96 · 19/12/2024 20:57

The way I pronounce Dahlia is not the “Day” way if that makes better sense.

Graham is honestly pronounced “GRAM” in most of the US, although I know it’s strange to British ears. Weirdly enough, Graham is considered kind of a preppy name here, but it’s dated in the UK.

Ah that makes sense. So okay if your child is growing up in the US both those names are fine. If you are raising them in the uk please don’t do that to them :)

danascully96 · 19/12/2024 20:57

Nc546888 · 19/12/2024 20:54

Doll Lee ya and gram?? Haha oh dear!!

The way I pronounce Dahlia is not the “Day” way if that makes better sense.

Graham is honestly pronounced “GRAM” in most of the US, although I know it’s strange to British ears. Weirdly enough, Graham is considered kind of a preppy name here, but it’s dated in the UK.

OP posts:
WomanFromTheNorth · 19/12/2024 20:56

Definitely not Lily or Lily Mae/ May. Just been done to death.

Violet is nice but becoming too popular. There will be loads in her class I imagine.

I'd go for one of the more classic names.

Nc546888 · 19/12/2024 20:54

Doll Lee ya and gram?? Haha oh dear!!

danascully96 · 19/12/2024 20:54

StressedQueen · 19/12/2024 18:53

Felicity "Flick" - Flick is an absolutely terrible nickname. Felicity is sweet though, if a bit twee
Tessa "Tess" - I really like it
Juliet "Jules" - Gorgeous imo
Violet - Nice but quite popular
Scarlett - Not my favourite, but nothing bad about it
Elizabeth "Eliza" - I just think calling her just Eliza would be much better
Sylvia "Sylvie" - Just call her Sylvie! But it's pretty
Margot - I do like it but it makes me think Maggot
Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- It's a lovely name but I don't think you could skive getting Maddie to be honest.
Caroline - Seems a bit old
Susannah - Same, seems a little old
Charlotte - Gorgeous actually. Lottie is so sweet
May/Mae - I think it's too short and very well known as a middle name more
Lily - Lovely but popular
Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah") - Horrible imo, that pronunciation would not be said right honestly

Boys:
Miles - I like it
Christopher "Kit" - A lovely name. Kit is good but you'd have to enforce it
Fraser - Terrible
Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM"): - No, I don't understand how it'd be pronounced like that
Dean - It's okay, makes me think of a dean of a school or Gilmore Girls
August - My absolute favourite, it is such a lovely name
James "Jamie" - Also one of my favourites!! Gorgeous
William - It's a bit meh but nothing wrong
Rowan - I LOVE this
Robin (maybe too girly in the US?) - I honestly think of it as a girls name more
Jasper - Love this too!! So much
Jack - Nice but basic
Griffin - Hmm not for me

Fav girls' names: Juliet, Sylvia and Charlotte
Fav boys' names: August, James, Rowan and Jasper

Edited

The reason I love Dean is because of GG (although he does end up being a jerk later on). I also love Dean Martin!

OP posts:
LimeYellow · 19/12/2024 20:54

My favourites are:
Juliet, Tess, Susannah
William, James, Kit

Least favourites:
Dahlia, Violet, Scarlett
Dean, August, Griffin

FriendlyNeighbourhoodAccountant · 19/12/2024 20:52

Girls:
Felicity "Flick" - very 90s
Tessa "Tess" - fine for a 40yo
Juliet "Jules" - Juliet, lovely. Jules.. nickname for someone born in the 60s
Violet - it's ok
Scarlett - I don't like this
Elizabeth "Eliza" - can't stand this
Sylvia "Sylvie" - I don't like Sylvia but love Sylvie
Margot - very very popular
Madeline (pronounced "MAD-uh-LINE") -- how inevitable is the nn Maddie? - Maddie is 100% going to happen
Caroline - very dated
Susannah - also dated
Charlotte - not as popular as it used to be but a classic name
May/Mae - not my cup of tea
Lily - lovely name but dime a dozen (probably because it's a lovely name)
Dahlia ("DOLL-lee=yah") - you might get dar-lea here

Boys:
Miles - love this
Christopher "Kit" - don't like Christopher but love Kit
Fraser - dear Jesus no
Graham (I pronounce it "GRAM") - you'll get "gray-um" in the UK. A name for a middle aged man
Dean - no no no no no. Thought this had died a death with Barry and Nigel
August - bit out there, but ok
James "Jamie" - love Jamie
William - love
Rowan - nice for a kid, not sure I like it for an adult
Robin (maybe too girly in the US?) - too girly
Jasper - love it for a kid, again not sure it suits an adult
Jack - YES x100
Griffin - family guy

danascully96 · 19/12/2024 20:52

EducatingArti · 19/12/2024 18:51

I think that any name where there are different pronunciations can cause problems and can set your child up for a lifetime of having to say " it's not grayam it's gram" etc This is especially true if you choose a less common pronunciation.

From your girls names I like Elizabeth Sylvia Caroline and Susannah.
For boys, I like Christopher, James and William.

Graham would almost always be pronounced “GRAM” in the US. I agree that unheard of pronunciations would be strange, though!

OP posts:
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