Can someone explain the term ‘try hard’ in the context of baby names.

It means trying very hard to get noticed or stand out.

I think Georgiana is a bit try hard because it is so long. I also find long frilly names like Liliana a bit try hard because they'll probably get called Lily day-to-day.
I don't understand the MN obsession with having a 'nn'.

To me it's long classical Greek names or unusual ones from Shakespeare.

It's the idea of the parents trying to demonstrate their cultural knowledge through their children's names and has nothing at all to do with class.

But people on here like to try to make everything into a class issue, it's very bizarre to me as class lines are so ridiculously blurred anyway.

Yes, the names you thought would be "awesome" in the late 90's/early 2000's when you were off your tits on green. Anything with an X in it.

Well yes, different countries have different cultures.

When I nannied in Australia there were so many different names that wouldn’t fly in the UK. Sisters Indiana, Aubrey and Dolce. In the UK there probably wouldn’t be an Indiana but if there was it would be boy (the only Indiana I know is a girl - with a sister Arabella weirdly, very different vibes! And it’s ‘odd’ that the Indiana is a girl not a boy), Aubrey would be a boy (according to MN, although I find it feminine for a boy) and Dolce would be Dulcie probably. I really loved that family and their name choices, worked so well! Wish I could remember more of the families’ names!

I'd have thought it was Kwazi (like the Octonaut!)

Depends on the name/context but I'd take it to mean the parent got too hung up on finding as super special unique name, with complex meaning or links, but in doing so lost sight of the idea of the kid having a nice name that they can easily live with.

I love living in Australia (uk born and brought up), where there’s just not the same amount of snobbiness and sneering around names as there seems to be in the UK. I know of children named, amongst others, Rocco (boy), Bowie (boy), Chilli and Scout (13yr old twin girls), Calliope (girl), Ashley (boy), Kimberly (boy), Diesel (boy), Ari (boy), Buddy (boy), Elijah (girl), Bear (boy), I could go on. They are from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. I can imagine that in the UK, a lot of these names would be classed as try hard or, chavvy (🤢), but here they are just normal kids with normal (if slightly different) names who are friends and classmates of our children. And I can guarantee that none of them will have their resumes immediately binned by prospective employers, as I work (in healthcare, emergency services), with lots of adults with slightly out there, or different names, and they certainly haven’t found it difficult to become gainfully employed! (As one of my trainees, Spirit (woman), has found out!

Max-i-miiiiii-liii-an!!! is a classic eg of this!

Jett
Jagger
Jaxxon
Hendrix
Lennox
Phoenix
Nyx
Maverick
Ryker
Atlas/Atticus/Ajax

Names that adults think would be cool but they would cringe having to introduce themselves...

You’re correct

Yeah to be fair it would be pretty wise to use an alias online.

I do wonder if they are their real names!

Oh sorry I thought it was. I meant if you Google it nobody else ever comes up with that name.

Also. I’m not sure it’s a bad thing to try hard when naming a child. There just comes a tipping point where you try a bit too hard and I couldn’t be arsed with people questioning, too much uniqueness, the raised eyebrows etc. There’s a sweet spot to be found! My kids love meeting kids with the same name as them!

Only ver ver posh people can get away with names like Hubert or Lettuce - if you live in council flat in Barking you're likely to get your kids alienated pretty fast.

Sorry it's actually Bligh. Autocorrect 😂

Honestly it really depends what side MN get out of bed in the morning. They will slag off ‘unusual’ names one day and then the next it will be how unoriginal/boring/awful/dull/chavvy Olivia is.

Also Imogen Horton (another influencer) has given her kids made up names - Oriavella and Renaelia. She admits they’re made up, something about wanting something stunning and unique for her stunning and unique babies. IMO that’s try-hard. But she seems very lovely. Someone thinking you’re try hard doesn’t also mean they think you’re a bad person! It’s not a moral judgement imo.

No idea as only ever seen it written down - I actually asked once if it was his full name and didn’t get a reply, I get the impression they might cringe whenever they have to say it sadly 😬

It’s not “unique”, extremely or otherwise if it’s been in your family for generations.

Unique is not a synonym for unusual.

BLIGHT?!

Jagger is the perfect example of try-hard. Brother to sister Phoenix - children of Dorit Kemsley from real housewives of Beverly Hills 😁

I think it's Cosy and Cove 😂

Are we pronouncing that like “cosy” or is the start of it more like “koala”?

I think the try hard names are those where the parent insists on using the full version of their child's name every time they yell across a playground or a supermarket. Most people whose child is called Artemis, for example, would yell 'Artie, come here!' or even shorten it to 'Missy!'

But when they insist on using the full version just so that everyone there present can hear that they have an original/classical name for their child - those are the 'try hards'.