Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

What happened to normal conventional names?

163 replies

VelvetLace · 17/06/2026 18:41

An acquaintance who is due slightly after me has just announced on Facebook that she will be naming her baby girl Charm. I originally thought it was short for something else but no. It's just the word Charm. I'm not saying that everyone should name their baby something incredibly dull, but why have full-blown dog names become so common for human beings? Has naming babies just become a creativity contest? I see a lot of conventional names being asked about and considered on MN, but I'm seeing the opposite with people that I know offline. DH and I were discussing this last night.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Yellowpapersun · 17/06/2026 23:28

Talltreesbythelake · 17/06/2026 21:13

It leaves plenty of scope for matching siblings, Up, Down and Strange.

Don't forget Bottom and Top!

movingstressfully · 17/06/2026 23:22

I did know a Charmaine that went by Charm.

Giraffehaver · 17/06/2026 23:15

I went to school with a Doris. I bet she wished she'd have been called Charm

climbintheback · 17/06/2026 22:43

What happened to Ethelred and Boudicca?

Pistachiocake · 17/06/2026 22:00

ThaneOfGlamis · 17/06/2026 21:50

What classes as a traditional name? Not many Barbara and Sharon's around any more. Or should we go a bit further back to Boudica and Æthelflæd? Times move on and things change.

Thought Barbara/Margaret/Betty etc were coming around again?

hotchocinsummer · 17/06/2026 22:00

I think it’s quite nice!
im sure hope was unusual at one time, common as anything now! Same with faith, destiny etc etc
why judge?

Phineyj · 17/06/2026 21:56

Maybe she is a physicist.

ThaneOfGlamis · 17/06/2026 21:50

What classes as a traditional name? Not many Barbara and Sharon's around any more. Or should we go a bit further back to Boudica and Æthelflæd? Times move on and things change.

BatshitIsTheOnlyExplanation · 17/06/2026 21:49

Herstruly · 17/06/2026 18:59

Bless that poor child. I'm not sure why every name must be so cutesy and infantile now. This is as bad as that 'influencer' couple that named their son Koazy because he was cosy in the womb. 🙄

Wasn't there a post here about someone who called their child Slithery, naned after their birth? I think it was an influencer not a MNer, but still....

heartsinvisiblefury · 17/06/2026 21:42

Do the parents like it? Yes. That is ALL that matters.

Do they have to worry or bother themselves about whether someone may not like it? NO.

Tonissister · 17/06/2026 21:22

SemperIdem · 17/06/2026 19:42

What did you think Charm might be short for, Charmander?

Charmaine, Charmian.

EstrellaPolar · 17/06/2026 21:17

Herstruly · 17/06/2026 18:59

Bless that poor child. I'm not sure why every name must be so cutesy and infantile now. This is as bad as that 'influencer' couple that named their son Koazy because he was cosy in the womb. 🙄

Their youngest is also Kove!

Fatiguedwithlife · 17/06/2026 21:15

I’d assume they were Nigerian or Filipino with the name Charm.

Talltreesbythelake · 17/06/2026 21:13

It leaves plenty of scope for matching siblings, Up, Down and Strange.

Silverbirchleaf · 17/06/2026 21:07

In certain cultures, virtue names are quite popular so you’ll get Joy, Hope, Mercy, Patience etc, and I once met a Destiny. I guess Charm just added to this list.

AgentPidge · 17/06/2026 20:49

SemperIdem · 17/06/2026 19:42

What did you think Charm might be short for, Charmander?

Charmian? Charmaine?

Tablesandchairs23 · 17/06/2026 20:47

Up to her what she calls her baby. Charm sounds like a stripper name!

oliviaAustin · 17/06/2026 20:43

They got boring and there are millions of people with the same names. I mean there were 3 girls with the same first and surname as me in my area growing up 😂

Charm isn’t that weird when you consider most normal names are also just words. Sophie means wisdom, Hannah means favour, Olivia means olive tree… then you’ve got the virtue names like Grace, Hope, Charity, Faith, Mercy, Prudence.

JaneLupin · 17/06/2026 20:36

I prefer names like Charm to ones that are conventional names spelt creatively.

But regardless, most of the kids in my DCs school etc have conventional names. There’s more kids with unusual names than when I was in school, but the unusual names are still in a minority.

Also re. dog names, most of the dogs I know these days have names more commonly used for humans.

Honeyhonay · 17/06/2026 20:19

LlynTegid · 17/06/2026 20:12

Charm will at least be a name everyone can spell, no lifetime of correcting it.

At one time the French had a list of approved names, I understand this ended because it excluded names from other heritages. Whilst it seems extreme I can understand the sentiment.

Unconventional spelling is not a loving thing to do to your child.

Why is it any more loving to name your child a super common name?

Every child is given a name, none are more loving or superior to the rest.

Your post seems ironic from what seems a Welsh user name.

Honeyhonay · 17/06/2026 20:17

So many people on mumsnet have a real issue with anyone naming their children something out of the norm.

Let’s face it, everything in life is really just made up. There’s nothing particularly admiral about naming a baby the same name as a whole bunch of other people.

Even if baby naming was a creativity contest, so what? Is that less than someone naming a baby after the dad and having two Johns living under the same roof.

Some people need to just lighten up imo.

garlictwist · 17/06/2026 20:14

I'm watching America's Sweethearts on Netflix and there is a definite trend for the use of random nouns as names.

There are all these beautiful women with names like Stick, Painter and Soldier (not quite, but ykwim).

It seems to be crossing the pond.

LlynTegid · 17/06/2026 20:12

Charm will at least be a name everyone can spell, no lifetime of correcting it.

At one time the French had a list of approved names, I understand this ended because it excluded names from other heritages. Whilst it seems extreme I can understand the sentiment.

Unconventional spelling is not a loving thing to do to your child.

hyggetyggedotorg · 17/06/2026 20:12

SemperIdem · 17/06/2026 19:42

What did you think Charm might be short for, Charmander?

Don’t be silly. It’s clearly Charmeleon!

purpleme12 · 17/06/2026 20:10

Ooh I quite like it actually

There are far worse names than Charm