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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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RattleAndHump · 21/02/2026 17:33

Just seen the update. Louise is lovely.

boxofbuttons · 21/02/2026 17:32

I would say definitely no, but I do know a (French) Fanny who lives in the UK and people seem to quite quickly adjust and stop seeing it as anything other than her name, so, maybe it'd be fine! As a middle name maybe better, though...

ContentedAlpaca · 21/02/2026 17:32

WearyAuldWumman · 21/02/2026 17:26

No.

Show him the Irn Bru advert.

I was waiting for someone to share this!

RattleAndHump · 21/02/2026 17:32

Fine. Fanny is great. You can call her Cunty as a cute nickname. Because that’s what all the other children will do.

AllJoyAndNoFun · 21/02/2026 17:32

I mean, I do know two adult men (40's) who go by "Dick/ Dickie" and one woman (Annabel) who has always been known as Fanny as long as I've known her but you've got to have the sort of personality where you're really able to own it and it's not fair to call a child that - maybe use Annabel instead?

Lighterandbrighter · 21/02/2026 17:31

Hard no if you even vaguely like your unborn child.

dubbie · 21/02/2026 17:31

Tell your husband not to be a fanny. Of course you can't use the name.

zurigo · 21/02/2026 17:31

You can't call your DD a slang name for vagina.

The nickname Willy has gone out of fashion in the UK for the same reason!

IKnowWhatTheAnswerIs · 21/02/2026 17:31

In primary school I told the class during a history lesson (presumably which had mentioned old names) that my nan calls me Fanny-Anne as a sort of term of endearment and I was so laughed at, even the teacher didn’t keep a straight face. It was so embarrassing.

Dollymylove · 21/02/2026 17:31

Omg please dont saddle your child with this.
What about Francine? I know someone called Francine and Ive always liked it x.

Daffodilstime · 21/02/2026 17:30

I live near a Fanny Street and even that gets a laugh if you have to say it for any reason 🤣

loislovesstewie · 21/02/2026 17:30

LemonZebras · 21/02/2026 17:27

Thank you everyone! My husband has read the thread, he’s agreed that Fanny was a no-go, and we are now considering Louise instead, his aunt’s middle name.

Much nicer.

PersephonePomegranate · 21/02/2026 17:30

Only if you're changing your last name to Price. Best character name ever 😂

It's weird that Willies and Dicks fine, but Fanny is seen as such a big issue here.

Err when was the last time you heard of anyone called Dick or Willy? In fact, wasn't Dick in an Enid Blyton book get changed to Rick in more recent years? Might've been The Magic Faraway Tree.

It's a perfectly fine name in Europe, but it doesn't translate well. What about Frances and Fran?

Susan7654 · 21/02/2026 17:29

Click bite :))))

Rhubarbandcustardd · 21/02/2026 17:29

No!

and In USA it’s your bum!

no no no!!!

can you call her Frances - then he can call Fanny as a nickname

Stephybris62 · 21/02/2026 17:29

No.

GrannyAchingsShepherdsHut · 21/02/2026 17:29

Louise is an excellent name. Definitely go with that!

Alpacajigsaw · 21/02/2026 17:29

Absolutely not

scottishgirl69 · 21/02/2026 17:28

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

Particularly not if you are Scottish

WearyAuldWumman · 21/02/2026 17:28

Show your husband the advert. Then explain slowly and carefully that his chosen name will lead to his child being mercilessly bullied for the entirety of her school days.

holycrapballs · 21/02/2026 17:28

dontforgetme · 21/02/2026 17:00

Definitely not!! Kids are mean and teenage girls can be super bitchy. I wouldn’t even use it as a middle name op.

Not just kids. I would totally be quietly taking the piss/staging an intervention if my friend was making their kid Fanny.

NoWinnersOnlyLosers · 21/02/2026 17:28

Stephanie, yes. Fanny no

Original poster
LemonZebras · 21/02/2026 17:28

FrozenFebruary · 21/02/2026 17:27

@LemonZebras

this is worth highlighting to him! THAT's how bad it is!!

Show quote history

He did use the Dick argument funnily enough. He agrees now

OP posts:
FrozenFebruary · 21/02/2026 17:28

fruitsalads · 21/02/2026 17:26

My Welsh friends have a Myfanwy, lovely name but they shorten it to Myf, which everyone pronounces Muff!! I think that’s even worse than Fanny!! 😂

Show quote history

Sometimes you just can't win!! 🤣🤣

Pineappleice43 · 21/02/2026 17:28

Don't do it!

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