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Baby names

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

Original poster

Thoughts on Edith?

67 replies

lengoyeko · 26/05/2026 08:52

My dad and my MIL hate it and MIL says she would refuse to call our baby anything other than Edie. We wanted the nickname Edie anyway but is it really that bad!? My husband and I both like it a lot.

Our last name begins with W but having heard from other EW’s we understand it’s rare to actually get picked on for having those initials.

Virginia will almost certainly be the middle name no matter what first name we go with.

The other name we’re considering is Abigail and we’d probably exclusively call her Abby.

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Everlore · 26/05/2026 12:04

I think both Edith and Edie are very sweet. Our daughter also has the first and last initials, not including middle names, of EW and nobody has ever raised it as an issue, it honestly never occured to us as being a potential problem!
Perhaps your mum is a bit out of touch with current baby names, if she weren't she would know that so-called 'old lady' names are all the range. Most of our toddler's peers have these sort of classic names, Mabel is by far the most common but plenty of Lilys, Phoebes, Elsies, Ediths, Ivys, Graces, Noras, etc. too. All beautiful and timeless!
I realise this renders my comment and the existence of this board redundant, but As I always advise on these threads, never consult anybody, even prospective grandparents, about your putative name choices. There is no name on earth that will be universally approved, usually for entirely arbitrary reasons that should carry no weight with you.
My advice is to announce the name as a fait accomplis when your gorgeous baby arrives. At this point, people are usually too polite to make negative comments and will learn to love the name because it belongs to your precious baby. Mention your name choices before it is a done deal and everyone will stick their oar in. This is a decision for you and your husband alone. Please do not let anyone, whether that be family members or strangers on the internet, talk you out of a name you have chosen with love, you will definitely regret that.

Calliopespa · 26/05/2026 11:52

WyrdHag · 26/05/2026 11:46

Oops didn't post!

She looks a handful!💕

yourewrongthenyoureright · 26/05/2026 11:52

Love it.

FoxHedgehogBadger · 26/05/2026 11:51

Don’t base your decision on other people’s views. Your dad and your MIL have named their own children, this one is yours and you choose the name you love the most.

FWIW, I love both Edith and Abigail. Both classic and pretty names.

Virginia I find awkward, being always associated with virginity, being a virgin, which is a sexist concept in itself. But I’m guessing you are using it for a family connection.

ByLilacMember · 26/05/2026 11:49

Gorgeous name

fancypantss · 26/05/2026 11:48

I love Edie but Edith is horrible.

Whataflippincircus · 26/05/2026 11:47

I love it ❤️. Don’t discuss names with anyone other than your baby’s dad. It’s none of their business.

clary · 26/05/2026 11:46

Great great name 🥰

WyrdHag · 26/05/2026 11:46

Oops didn't post!

Thoughts on Edith?
WyrdHag · 26/05/2026 11:44

Gorgeous name.

This is my Edie (I'm a Warhol fan so she's named after Edie Sedgwick)...but she gets called Edith when she's naughty 😁

PeoniesAreMyFavouriteFlowers · 26/05/2026 11:41

I like Edie but not Edith so much.

Calliopespa · 26/05/2026 11:40

It is one of the old "Granny" names that has been revived and your MIL might just not be caught up with that, which is fair enough. Names like Brenda are not going to sound old enough to be quaint for me when they start coming back!

I like Edith, and especially Edie.

I prefer it to Abigail, which to me has been a bit cheapened by the widespread use of Abby, which has done the rounds for quite a while now and there are quite a few grown up Abbys, with various spellings.

But I think these revivals do turn on generational impressions quite a bit. I don't like some - like Mabel and Nancy - which still just sound old-ladyish and not cute to me.

HugoThatway · 26/05/2026 10:15

Abigail is much nicer and Edie sounds like ED.
Edith is ok but a bit too great-grannyish for my taste.

ICantStomachWhelks · 26/05/2026 09:05

Edith or Edie is much nicer than Abigail or Abby.

user1492757084 · 26/05/2026 08:59

Edith is intellectually attractive.

Think Downton Abbey.
Edie is lovely.
Edith Virginia is sweet.

wandererofthekingdom · 26/05/2026 08:55

I know an Edith and she goes by Edith, it's an old lady name but these names are really common now, she's in school with an Audrey and a Margo! I think older people baulk at these older names but they are quite usual now.
If you plan to call her Edie then does it matter what your MIL says? I do prefer Edie.

Allswellthatendswelll · 26/05/2026 08:53

It's cute! I love a classic name.

Don't tell people your baby names before they are born though!