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Baby names

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

Original poster

Do you see these names as middle class, working class, or posh?

194 replies

OneRareSquid · 14/05/2025 01:02

we've plenty of time to decide..just wondering what images they conjure and honest opinions on each.

Lydia
Abigail
Natalie
Naomi
Cady
Ramona
Nancy
Melody

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wehavea2319 · 14/05/2025 16:12

I looked at the darkgreener website and Cady is very rare.. 0 babies registered with the name in the past 5 years.

HugoYorway · 14/05/2025 16:06

@Nominative , Rooth. I know a few Ruths who aren't English, and I've heard Rewth many times, and variations of Root (short oo).

The Rewth one has the u sounding like the u in cute.

SapporoBaby · 14/05/2025 15:58

Mostly middle class but Melody could be any class and Cady is American or at least Mean Girls so automatically becomes working class

Calliopespa · 14/05/2025 15:56

Nominative · 14/05/2025 15:52

Are you saying that "Rewth" is the old pronunciation for Ruth? How on earth else would you pronounce it?

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Silent h?!

ChocolateBiscuitsandaCuppa · 14/05/2025 15:56

Cady and Melody - American-inspired (not what you asked about class, I know), but all those names themselves, classless. The majority of people I've known with those names have been WC.

Nominative · 14/05/2025 15:52

HugoYorway · 14/05/2025 13:18

@lifeisgoodrightnow , that's the old pronunciation in some parts of the UK.

Are you saying that "Rewth" is the old pronunciation for Ruth? How on earth else would you pronounce it?

Nominative · 14/05/2025 15:48

All except Cady, Ramona and Melody are middle class.

Doitrightnow · 14/05/2025 15:43

I don't imagine any of them as a particular class, but I might expect Cady to be American.

lifeisgoodrightnow · 14/05/2025 15:39

HugoYorway · 14/05/2025 15:38

I thought you meant they said it as Rewth. They spell it as Rewth?

Yes on their name badge.

HugoYorway · 14/05/2025 15:38

I thought you meant they said it as Rewth. They spell it as Rewth?

lifeisgoodrightnow · 14/05/2025 15:34

HugoYorway · 14/05/2025 13:18

@lifeisgoodrightnow , that's the old pronunciation in some parts of the UK.

I’m fine with the pronunciation. It’s the spelling that’s perhaps a little questionable.

Redhairandhottubs · 14/05/2025 15:22

These are just my views and based mainly on people I’ve met with these names!
Lydia - spoilt, dramatic!
Abigail - will be called Abi or Abs - not keen (WC)
Natalie - ‘Nat’, all the Natalie’s I know are in their 40’s,
Naomi - a bit quirky (the ones I knew was a drama student and known as ‘Nobs’!)
Cady - I know one Cady who is lovely, def WC
Ramona - never met a Ramona
Nancy - nice, not posh
Melody - nice, WC

Calliopespa · 14/05/2025 15:22

PestoPasto · 14/05/2025 15:15

I grew up very working class in a town well known for its poverty and I know multiple Lydia, Natalie and Abigail’s.

I know one Cady.

I think Cady is a fabric isn’t it?

It strikes me as being a bit like calling your daughter Viscose. Or Chenille.

Mind you I can see someone going for Chenille. Probably someone with a dad named Neil and they could spell it Cheneil.

suah · 14/05/2025 15:21

I’m very surprised to hear anyone say Abigail is MC, maybe it was 50 years ago but I certainly don’t think it has been since it got so popular in the 90s - like Amy, Jessica, Chloe, Emma, Rebecca etc.

PestoPasto · 14/05/2025 15:15

I grew up very working class in a town well known for its poverty and I know multiple Lydia, Natalie and Abigail’s.

I know one Cady.

NoBiscuitsLeftInMyTin · 14/05/2025 15:12

mathanxiety · 14/05/2025 02:14

All but Cady are middle class.

Exactly what Mathanxiety said.

Housewife2010 · 14/05/2025 15:00

Melody to me is very Judy annual/comic from the 1970's.

HugoYorway · 14/05/2025 14:56

Ramona is Spanish in origin.

Todayisaday · 14/05/2025 14:51

I don't think of any class about any of these names actually.
they are all pretty inoffensive, standard names.
Ramona sounds american to me.
Abigail reminds me of abigails tea party.
All the others, sound pretty much like the register in my london suburb all girls classroom in the 90s, you just need 2 Sarah's and three Jenny's to top it off!
All lovely names though :)

Stepfordian · 14/05/2025 14:47

Someone2025 · 14/05/2025 14:12

What about Melody, think that’s more WC

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My opinion - and that’s all it is - is that a Cady is more likely to be from a family where the parents have a very low level of education and don’t work, Meldody I would assume there was some French connection for the family, I don’t think it’s any more WC than say Natalie or Naomi.

Ultimately it depends on what class they actually are, a privately educated doctor living in Richmond could name their child Cady and it wouldn’t make them working class.

Reddelilah · 14/05/2025 14:44

HugoYorway · 14/05/2025 13:25

I do hope this was meant in jest.

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Why? The op asked a question and people are answering.

eqpi4t2hbsnktd · 14/05/2025 14:34

HugoYorway · 14/05/2025 13:25

I do hope this was meant in jest.

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Nope!

ScouserInExile · 14/05/2025 14:23

ItGhoul · 14/05/2025 14:01

Depends how old the person is. 'Melody' would have been an upper middle-class name when I was a child, so if a Melody was in her 50s I'd probably assume that. But if I was introduced to a baby Melody today, I'd think the other way around.

Other than that, I don't think I'd really assign a class to any of them. They're pretty universal, I'd say.

'Cady' just makes me think of Max Cady from Cape Fear, who is possibly one of most repellent film characters of all time.

Exactly this. I'm in my 60's, my name was middle class or a bit posh when I was young. It is now very working class, so I tend to only use the diminutive.

HoopyGirl · 14/05/2025 14:22

Someone2025 · 14/05/2025 14:15

Abigail - lower than lower class -Nonsense, I don’t think you really know what you are talking about, you sound like a want to be Hyacinth Bucket !

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Or maybe different areas of country have different social normals and customs. I don’t think it’s a ridiculous notion that Aberdeen would have slightly different class traits to Southampton, is it?

The only Abigail’s I know come from lower class families; parents who don’t work, smoke, have poor hygiene, speak poorly.

Someone2025 · 14/05/2025 14:15

HoopyGirl · 14/05/2025 13:28

Honestly most of these names would be working class or lower where I live.

Lydia - MC
Abigail - lower than lower class
Natalie - lower than lower class
Naomi - lower
Cady - WC
Ramona -WC trying to be MC
Nancy - unsure, maybe mc
Melody - WC

Abigail - lower than lower class -Nonsense, I don’t think you really know what you are talking about, you sound like a want to be Hyacinth Bucket !