Muriel or Beryl?

Nah sorry Beryl will never be cute! I picture Beryl as wearing. 1950’s smock dress fag in corner of mouth with a dish mop in hand !

There are plenty of Mabels around, the odd Ethel and Sibyl. And quite a few boys called Errol.

To me Beryl sounds pretty. It has a much nicer sound than Maud, Agnes, Ursula, Joan - and I've met little ones of all of those!

But it will be considered cute after a while because it will belong to a cute toddler. Thats what happens and has done for generations. It just takes a few parents to use it.

I did say there would be surprised looks!

It's interesting, isn't it? I think if you has posted this 20 years ago and asked for opinions on Betty or Ava or Elsie, you would have had a similar response. Now, of course, you will probably be told the latter three are 'gorgeous'.
I think our ears become tuned to certain names the more we hear them, plus there's the generations thing, when names come back when the original owners have died off.
Come back in 10 years time and you will be told they are both 'cute' and 'gorgeous'.
You're ahead of the curve.

Yes but can you seriously picture a cute tiny baby with the god awful name of Beryl ?? When she goes to school she will be surrounded by cutesy girls names
and she is saddled with that monstrosity!

But come on all of us have met a child with an unusual name and done a double take, at least I have done.

I wonder why Muriel and Beryl were originally popular in times gone by? I mean they must’ve been because children have been named these names. But obvs now judging from the comments on this thread these names are now in no way on trend, eg like Nora is.

Beryl is one of the ugliest names ever. Like Gertrude.

We do! Even the most unusual or surprising name means nothing a few days in. Plus the kids are very accepting..

But once the name belongs to a small baby there will be surprised looks and then within a few weeks it will be her name and there will be total acceptance.
I think its obvious those of us who are teachers on here. We hear the strangest names but the strangeness only lasts for a few hours until we know them as the person they are and we dont bat an eyelid!

Now that image to me is associated with the name Ada, Ivy, Maud or Amy as when I was a teenager in the 80s those names were associated with older people.

I went to school with Julie, Tracy, Debbie, Elaine, Janet, Susan, Sharon etc. I imagine those names will come back into fashion at some point.

I agree with @twosmallaxolotls and speaking as a former classroom teacher, my experience is that YP are not phased by the most unusual names. I could tell you a few that surprised me (obvs I never said anything) but to the students, that was just their classmate and that was their name. I have come across everything from Ace to Houston to LillyMilly.*

*not the actual names of YP I taught – but the kind of thing.

They are both absolutely revolting names, I’m sorry. They are so awful I’m sure this must be a joke post.

Well I think we can all agree Hilda has those vibes: it's basically Hilda Ogden!

They all make me think of a big pair of knickers and post menopausal ankles clad in that dreadful dark tan coloured stretchy tights that are slightly bagging round the calf, plodding along to the church fete in hope of a, well, heavy scone I guess and a cup of milky tea

It makes me think of a fat older woman standing in the doorway of her terraced house with her hair in rollers, a fag and one of those old cleaning pinnies on.

she's asked which one do we think sounds nicer.
Yes, that is a fair point.

I do also sometimes think when people say they "hate" a name without trying to explain why, that comment isn't much use either. for example some people might think a name sounds too prim, which might be exactly what the parent wants, or they may want an all-American kind of vibe or not etc. So I do think comments like "I dislike it, but then I'm not a fan of names that sound very American" are quite helpful comments.

Names convey a lot of impressions about ourselves, often before we even open our mouths, which is why I always think it is worth considering other views, especially when you are never (or not often) naming yourself, but another person.

All I think of with Beryl is those Berol handwriting pens we used at primary school.

I don't agree on this occasion. The OP has not asked what do you think of these names, she's not asked for an unfiltered opinion, she's asked which one do we think sounds nicer. If anyone doesn't like either then there is no need for them to post. If someone loves Muriel but hates Beryl for some reason then fine, comment, but if you think both are awful you are no use to the OP and can't help her with her quandary. And there is no need for some posters to just be utterly rude and make fun, if someone really must comment if they feel that strongly they can say they don't personally like them without being horrible.

I have/had relatives with these names. Neither were keen on them, even when they were young and the names were in regular use.

Muriel gets shortened to Mu which was the hated aspect.

Beryl, well it just sounds awful.

No, that's understandable! I used to hear it, and it was very unpleasant.
It's all about diversity in every sense - it's just not acceptable to mock others' names because you'd be mocking someone African or Irish or Polish or Bangladeshi, or children whose parents are a bit alternative. It's a real no-no in schools now. The students are very used to less than usual names

Thanks for the commiserations and I’m glad to hear that things have changed. I felt it was important to share my experience as someone who had been made miserable by their given name. I sometimes think that parents forget that they are naming a real human being who has to go into the world and introduce themselves and make friends and get a job etc. Not all children enjoy standing out with an unusual name that draws attention and questions and even puzzled looks. Perhaps I need to start a support group!

This, exactly. If you've got Stormz, Autumn, Roxy, Phyllis, Peggy and Cherish in a group, as well as many Islamic, Chinese, African and Hindu names, believe me, Muriel won't stand out!

Teachers I know say it's just not the case any more. There's too much name diversity - kids just aren't fazed anymore. They choose different things to tease about I guess.

I'm sorry to hear that. However, the culture of school has really changed; with so much diversity and inclusion it's less of a problem. It used to be an issue when I started out, less so now. If a little girl is called Muriel she won't be mocked because there will be far more zany/old fashioned/ unusual names in her classroom.