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Baby names

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Original poster

Fanny for a girl?

294 replies

LemonZebras · 21/02/2026 16:59

Hi everyone,

I’m expecting a baby girl. My husband is French and is insistent that he wants to name our daughter after his aunt who raised him - Fanny! It’s a common French name, but the baby will be born and raised in the UK.

Am I unreasonable to say no and to worry that she would be bullied or made fun of? My husband thinks I’m overreacting and that the slang word is barely used nowadays and that not many people know of it.

I will be showing him this thread with the different responses.

Thank you

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TheeNotoriousPIG · 06/03/2026 20:21

Your daughter will thank her lucky stars that you didn't give in when she learns that her name options were Louise or Fanny!

soupbucket · 25/02/2026 17:58

I still use the word fanny and know other people who do so it’s certainly not a hardly used word anymore.

PostcardsFromALedge · 24/02/2026 12:26

Hard NO. Not unless you want her to have a miserable time in school, and outside it. Would you call a boy Dick? Or Ballbag..?

user1492757084 · 24/02/2026 11:42

Louise is perfect.

Louise Francesca
Louise Fotini

Buy her the The Magic Faraway Tree books though.
A positive Fanny adventurer.

scottishgirl69 · 23/02/2026 22:28

They are calling their daughter Louise not Fanny

MabelAnderson · 23/02/2026 22:16

Polled DH and dd (18) . Dd said ‘NO NOOOOOOO’ . DH also ‘no’.
It’s a shame as it is a lovely name.

Specialneedsnightmare · 23/02/2026 21:09

Good God no way

loislovesstewie · 23/02/2026 20:19

MaggieHM · 23/02/2026 19:55

Is there a middle name or another female French relative that he would be OK with. That slang name is still used a lot even if he doesn't hear it. It is also a slang name for bum (Arse) in USA. So either way she will get teased something horrid not just as a teenager even younger than that.

Several pages ago they decided Louise was a better option.

MaggieHM · 23/02/2026 19:55

Is there a middle name or another female French relative that he would be OK with. That slang name is still used a lot even if he doesn't hear it. It is also a slang name for bum (Arse) in USA. So either way she will get teased something horrid not just as a teenager even younger than that.

Squirrelsnut · 23/02/2026 18:20

Sweet Jesus, no.

FussyFancyDragon · 23/02/2026 17:30

Absolutely not. I’m an English teacher and we read A Christmas Carol for GCSE each year, and every year I dread them finding out that Scrooge’s sister is called Fanny. They can never remember quotes or characters, but always remember Fanny who gets about 3 lines in the book.

NameChange30 · 23/02/2026 17:06

Hormonalchaos · 23/02/2026 14:39

Louise is a far better choice.

Slightly off track - what did they change Enid Blyton's Far Away Tree character's name too? My old childhood books still have Fanny in them.

Frannie. And they changed Dick to Rick.

millym102 · 23/02/2026 15:24

I'm a secondary school teacher and all the kids have really diverse names and I've never heard teasing about a name. However, even in that environment, they were all united in thinking that it was funny that Scrooge's sister is called Fanny in Christmas Carol!

So I would say no, I'm afraid.

Hormonalchaos · 23/02/2026 14:39

Louise is a far better choice.

Slightly off track - what did they change Enid Blyton's Far Away Tree character's name too? My old childhood books still have Fanny in them.

feejee · 23/02/2026 13:56

I have always been thankful that my parents gave me the middle name Frances rather than Fanny (after grandma).

FrozenFebruary · 23/02/2026 13:39

This thread will still be ticking over when Louise starts school!

scottishgirl69 · 23/02/2026 11:29

People clearly haven't read the whole thread. They are calling the baby Louise

BuildbyNumbere · 23/02/2026 11:13

100% no

LSADM · 23/02/2026 11:03

Hell no, anything that came out my Fanny wouldn’t be called Fanny 🙈😂 Does he want her to hate him? School would be brutal! I mean my son is Maxwell and they Called him Maxwelly, they don’t even have to get inventive with Fanny 🙈

Mindlesslyscrolling · 23/02/2026 10:30

No. No and again no.

Sparklinggreen · 23/02/2026 10:01

I like the idea a PP mentioned, why not call her Stephanie and he can use nn Fanny with her between them?

MamaBerg · 23/02/2026 08:19

My French cousin is called Tiffany. I think that's nice and could be a good alternative. Your husband could still shorten it to Fanny at home although we call her Tiff

Catsaremylifenow · 23/02/2026 08:10

As a British person who lived in France for a few years, it’s often short for Stephanie. You could call her that.
You might like to point out to your DH that the Dame in the adult Panto we did last year was called Dame Fanny and the audience yelled ‘We love Fanny’ every time she came on. Scriptwriters pick it as it is a name to be mocked.
DH needs a wake up call.

KarenOh4 · 23/02/2026 03:44

Google "irn bru Fanny advert"

Pherian · 23/02/2026 00:20

LemonZebras · 21/02/2026 16:59

Hi everyone,

I’m expecting a baby girl. My husband is French and is insistent that he wants to name our daughter after his aunt who raised him - Fanny! It’s a common French name, but the baby will be born and raised in the UK.

Am I unreasonable to say no and to worry that she would be bullied or made fun of? My husband thinks I’m overreacting and that the slang word is barely used nowadays and that not many people know of it.

I will be showing him this thread with the different responses.

Thank you

Absolutely not. She will be torn to pieces at school with bullying. Your husband must be incredibly daft.