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Baby names

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

Original poster

if you met someone with a baby named Bernard, what would you honestly think?

138 replies

misdee · 20/05/2008 17:44

go on!

i can take it

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kama · 20/05/2008 21:36

This reply has been deleted

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Thomcat · 20/05/2008 21:35

Bernard / Barry / Nigel

All the same thing going on there.
No.
They need to disappear. No-one must ever use these names again, ev er, anywhere in the world and it'll all be ok.

notnowbernard · 20/05/2008 21:35

I love it

Thomcat · 20/05/2008 21:33

Bernard - for a boy or a girl??????

!!!!!!!!

Seriously - I'd think one of the parents had a Dad named Bernanrd and he had sadly recently passed so they named the baby after him.

That could be the only reason that i can think of that anyone would call their son Bernard.

WestCountryLass · 20/05/2008 21:29

i quite like it, Bernie is cute!

purpleduck · 20/05/2008 20:48

I would think big slobbery dog too.

Sorry, I really think its mean.

I mean that in a nice way of course

PuppyMonkey · 20/05/2008 20:46

Don't call yer baby Bernard. Tis horrid.

Boco · 20/05/2008 20:45

I was on the train and there were a family of four, and the smallest was called Bernard, and I was struck by the fact that they were ALL wearing green. Matching shade. And I thought it was strange and a little bit sinister.

DD2 calls dp Bernard.

These are my thoughts.

smartiejake · 20/05/2008 20:44

WHen I was pg with dd1 we used to call my bump "Bernard" not that we ever seriously considered it for a name (especially not for a girl!)
Reminds me of that Story "Not Now Bernard"

LemonTart · 20/05/2008 20:42

bernard manning
bernard matthews

now trying to think of great "bernards" out there..

ummm.

Ok, new angle. Googled "hero" and "Bernard"..
nothing worth reporting

nope. Doesn?t float my boat. sorry

chunkychips · 20/05/2008 20:38

bernard breslaw

LaDiDaDi · 20/05/2008 20:35

died

LaDiDaDi · 20/05/2008 20:35

I would feel very sad as I once was involved in the care of a little boy called Bernie who dies . I wouldn't be able to happily associate it with anyone else at first.

BettySpaghetti · 20/05/2008 19:44

lol, clive is just not a baby name is it?

Other names that are not baby names are:

Alan
Derrick
Geoff
Gordon
Basil

2point4kids · 20/05/2008 19:42

WT I wanted to call DS2 Stan, but DS1 is Ollie and I thought having my own comedy duo might be a bit much

Quattrocento · 20/05/2008 19:42

the associations are a bit off-putting

  1. bootiful
  2. fat racist northerners
  3. a bernard I know who is lovely but well into his seventies
  4. big slobbery dogs
Original poster
misdee · 20/05/2008 19:38

noooooooooo not clive. i knowa clive.

my cousin called her girl Sidney. we call her Sid.

OP posts:
moopymoo · 20/05/2008 19:38

we call ds2 herbert. all the time. his name is george. i have no idea why we do this.

BettySpaghetti · 20/05/2008 19:36

Bernard makes me think of:

  1. not now....
  2. turkey twizzlers
  3. fat, northern comedians

re:Stanley -I know of 2 ( a baby and a 7 yo)

WanderingTrolley · 20/05/2008 19:35

Next on my list is Clive.

Misdee, call him Clive. Even if it's a girl.

silverfrog · 20/05/2008 19:30

WT, I know a Stanley too, so obviously your campaign is working somewhere...

Rowlers · 20/05/2008 19:29

I would think
Bernard Matthews
Bernard Manning
Bernard Cribbins
Bernie Winters
so 50 / 50 I suppose
Mainly think of old men tbh
Bernie better than Bernard

MinkyBorage · 20/05/2008 19:28

WanderingTrolley, if I have a boy next he will be called Stanley!!

Original poster
misdee · 20/05/2008 19:28

i am loving ALL of the different repsonses.

when i fell pregnant with dd1 over 8years ago now, we were going through names as you do. dh came out with bernard in a deep voice adn we all laughed. then with dd2+3 when i said 'but what about boys names' the reply was always 'bernard' as a joke.

but now i am pregnant with dc#4 the name bernard has really grown on me, as its always been suggested even in a jokey way.

but dh really wants Isaac.

But i may, if baby is a boy, call him Bernard as a nickname, and see what happens lol.

OP posts:
moopymoo · 20/05/2008 19:26

like it. cool but trad. bernard from black books.