Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Fern or Willow?

53 replies

FernaFrey · 25/06/2026 20:39

Hi all,

Just wanted opinions on the names Fern and Willow. These are both our favourites :) 💗💗

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
snoopydoopydo · 28/06/2026 18:18

Both lovely names, I slightly lean towards Fern as a preference.

MirandaBlu · 28/06/2026 18:12

I have a soft spot for Willow as I knew one as a child - before it was anything like as popular as it is now - who was named after her father William who'd died before she was born. Eight year old me found this terribly romantic for some reason - but as Willow herself pointed out, it was probably lucky that she was tall and slim!

Apart from that, I mostly associate Willow with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Fern with Charlotte's Web.

Cocktailsandcheese · 28/06/2026 17:17

Fern is lovely and you don't hear it that often

NamingNoNames · 27/06/2026 15:02

I only know one human Willow and she's definitely not 'crunchy' or 'spearmint rhino'. She's pleasant, pretty, intelligent, etc.

Roastiesarethebestbit · 27/06/2026 14:32

The only Willows that I have known have been from ‘crunchy’ weave your own yoghurt kind of families! Not remotely spearmint Rhino! They have siblings called things like Laurel, Rowen, Kit, Marigold, Arlo.

Whettlettuce · 26/06/2026 17:55

I have an adult daughter called Willow . I still really love the name but it has increased massively in popularity over the last 20 years when she was named

abracabarbara · 26/06/2026 16:57

Fern is lovely. :)

ThisIsMyFirstNameChange · 26/06/2026 16:52

I have a 2yo Fern. It’s a fab name and she gets compliments on it all the time. Strong but pretty

mamamamamamamamarmalade · 26/06/2026 13:57

I love willow as a name but didn’t use it because I associated it with Willowy and thought my daughter might inherit my muscular build 😂. Maybe I was overthinking it.

I like Fern too.

Wdutua · 26/06/2026 13:56

Is this for a child? Sounds like something I would call a cat!

Runsaway · 26/06/2026 13:51

Fern.
Willow is already dated.

NamingNoNames · 26/06/2026 13:46

Not keen on either of them but neither are bad. They sound a bit like tableware designs.
Fern - Fern/Ferne/Fearne. Fern is the better spelling but I don't love the sound. Furn.
Willow - might not suit a chubby person

I don't like Willa at all.

LittleGreenShoots · 26/06/2026 01:02

Fern is beautiful and unusual.

I didn't think of Fern Britton. It's lovely.

LivingTheDreamish · 26/06/2026 00:58

Fern! So pretty.

Enko · 25/06/2026 23:50

Neither are my taste but of the two I prefer Willow for a 2 syllable surname.

WaryOchreZebra · 25/06/2026 23:49

I do like Willow but it is a very common name for a pet so I would vote Fern. Other names we considered, if your open to even more ideas
Meadow
Blossom
Fawn
Autumn-Louise
Corallie
Clementine/Clemmie etc

Best of luck deciding!

ButtercupYellow26 · 25/06/2026 23:45

Sorry, I don't like either. Although Williw is slightly better because I know a couple of dogs called it.
Meadow?

IdaGlossop · 25/06/2026 23:44

I like both and know a Fern, who is absolutely lovely.

saraclara · 25/06/2026 23:41

Almost every little girl and th her dog (literally) seems to be called Willow right now.

DominoLover51 · 25/06/2026 23:40

I prefer Fern. Fern was the name of the girl in Charlotte’s Web

Whataflippincircus · 25/06/2026 23:37

Fern 🩷

My friend’s dog is called Willow.

Waitingfordoggo · 25/06/2026 23:33

I like both very much but prefer Fern and as PPs say, Willow has become more popular in recent years; not many Ferns about.

Think it’s probably safe to discard @Diamond7272’s opinion 🤔

7238SM · 25/06/2026 23:21

I also love nature names and if we could have had children, would have chosen similar names. I prefer Willow to Fern, but also have no idea how popular each name is. Some others I liked:
-Wren
-Brooke
-Jasmine
-Fleur
-Corallie/Coral

Iocanepowder · 25/06/2026 22:58

Sorry op i don’t like either. I know several people with cats and dogs called Willow. And just don’t like Fern but it’s the best out of the 2.

DramaAlpaca · 25/06/2026 22:53

Fern is lovely, as long as it's spelled that way.

I'm not keen on Willow.

Swipe left for the next trending thread