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Baby names

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Original poster

Jennifer or Peggy?

36 replies

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 22/11/2025 13:18

Not for a real baby! A character in The Archers (Phoebe) has just had a baby and named her Margaret, but they plan to call her Peggy for everyday. This was Phoebe's great-grandmother's name. Peggy died earlier this year. Some listeners think Jennifer would have been better. That was Peggy's daughter's name, i.e Phoebe's Granny, who died two or three years ago. I think Jennifer is currently considered very dated, but Peggy is having a resurgence. Am I right?

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RuthW · 25/11/2025 05:45

Jennifer is awful and dated.

Margaret (Peggy) is lovely and modern.

user1492757084 · 23/11/2025 08:57

Peggy is my fave fo the two.
Margaret is better than Jennifer.
Jen and Jenni are sweet.

There are also .. Maggie, Meggie, Greta, Daisy, Margo.

Peggy can easily be Peggy Meg or Peg.

Ketzele · 22/11/2025 19:04

Jenny is a pretty name.

ThreshAcre · 22/11/2025 19:02

JRT. I think you've incurred the pet tax. @DappledThings

DappledThings · 22/11/2025 18:41

ThreshAcre · 22/11/2025 18:38

I had a dog called Peggy, and I remember Phoebe being born. @DappledThings

Nice! What kind of dog? My Peggy is a cocker spaniel

ThreshAcre · 22/11/2025 18:38

I had a dog called Peggy, and I remember Phoebe being born. @DappledThings

Ambridgefan · 22/11/2025 18:34

GoldenRosebee · 22/11/2025 13:29

if character named her baby Margaret but plan to call her Peggy, baby's name is Margaret. I like Margaret better than Jennifer or Peggy.

She is going to call her Margaret and call.her Peggy day to day
I think Peggy is nice and Margaret has a lot of other nick names she can use instead of she chooses.
I like it more than Jenny and I also think it is more fashionable

Firebird83 · 22/11/2025 18:31

I know a toddler Peggy. Both are nice. Jenny is very sweet.

TeenToTwenties · 22/11/2025 18:30

DappledThings · 22/11/2025 18:27

Peggy is great but it's my dog's name.

Mostly this has just made me feel old because I haven't listened to The Archers in years and I remember Phoebe being a baby

Phoebe being memorably born at Glastonbury of course (as listeners were recently reminded.)

DappledThings · 22/11/2025 18:27

Peggy is great but it's my dog's name.

Mostly this has just made me feel old because I haven't listened to The Archers in years and I remember Phoebe being a baby

ThreshAcre · 22/11/2025 18:23

Begw has grown on me, but Peggy is probably better known.

ninjahamster · 22/11/2025 16:13

I absolutely love Peggy. It was my grandmother’s name and I wanted it for dd number 2 but DH vetoed it.

Original poster
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 22/11/2025 16:12

Also, Kate ran away from home and Brian had to go and identify a body (not Kate), Debbie made a disastrous marriage, went to pieces when she then found out about Brian's affair with Siobhan and emigrated to Hungary, Adam spent half his life in Africa and then had a difficult relationship with Brian, Kate tried to abduct Phoebe and take her travelling round North Africa and after that failed left Phoebe in Ambridge and hightailed it to South Africa where she had two further children she effectively abandoned when she came back to Ambridge. Jennifer had many torrid times!

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TeenToTwenties · 22/11/2025 16:02

Cynic17 · 22/11/2025 15:58

Peggy. Because they were all supposed to be on a holiday paid for with Peggy's money.
And they were both great characters but I think you'd want your child to be more like Peggy than Jennifer...... she was tougher.

Jenny was pretty tough too but without the cold streak of her Mum.

After all Jenny had to cope with Brian's various daliencies (s?) including bringing up his love child. Then she was a single Mum back when it was very much not the done thing, had to cope with Alice and alcoholism etc.

Cynic17 · 22/11/2025 15:58

Peggy. Because they were all supposed to be on a holiday paid for with Peggy's money.
And they were both great characters but I think you'd want your child to be more like Peggy than Jennifer...... she was tougher.

Original poster
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 22/11/2025 15:58

Bryonie would have been splendid, but they've already pulled that trick once by calling Pip Philippa after her grandfather Phil(ip).

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louderthan · 22/11/2025 15:56

Peggy is an awful name and Peggy was an unpleasant person.

Original poster
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 22/11/2025 15:56

Treylime · 22/11/2025 15:34

I know an 8 year old Peggy. I'm not keen personally it's very harsh sounding.

Is it the g sound? I don't find that a problem, personally. My strongest association with the name Peggy is from Swallows and Amazons, my favourite children's books. She was Margaret on her birth certificate. Her sister was Ruth, but known as Nancy because they were Amazon pirates and had to be ruthless. Always liked that bit of wordplay.

(Odd that 40+ years of listening to Peggy Archer/Woolley has not made that the primary association.)

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Original poster
Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 22/11/2025 15:52

If the name has to be abbreviated, my preference would be for Margo or Margot, followed by Daisy. I feel Margaret is generally better than any of its innumerable short/pet names, though. It's a name with an extremely long past, in use in these isles for centuries, like Mary, Katherine, Jane and Elizabeth, so I expect a revival in decades to come.

I like Jennie better than Jenny and Jennifer. Winston Churchill's mother was Jennie on her birth certificate, I believe.

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OttersMayHaveShifted · 22/11/2025 15:50

I can imagine Peggy becoming one of those newly cool, retro old-lady names. I've never liked the name Jennifer - not sure why.

ThreshAcre · 22/11/2025 15:48

It did. Grin Was corrected on another thread myself.

CurlewKate · 22/11/2025 15:45

I like Margaret-it’s got loads of lovely shortenings, although I don’t much like Peggy. I do think Jennifer would have been a better choice, though.

Anotherdayanotherdollar · 22/11/2025 15:44

ThreshAcre · 22/11/2025 15:20

Baby Jenny's what?

Autocorrect
Apologies for any confusion caused. I'm sure it really upset your day...

MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack · 22/11/2025 15:37

Margaret is a perfectly acceptable name. There are also lots of good diminutives.

I'm afraid I think Peggy is one of the worst options!

Treylime · 22/11/2025 15:34

I know an 8 year old Peggy. I'm not keen personally it's very harsh sounding.