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Original poster

Your babyname 'rules'

54 replies

FireEngine25 · 12/11/2026 16:20

I'm done naming kids but just for fun, what were/are your rules/guidelines?

Mine:

  • did not want anyone to have the same first-name initial (including their father and I)
  • no name that has alternative spellings (obviously any name can be 'creatively adapted' but the fair assumption on my kids' names is that they are spelled as you'd expect. e.g. Claire/Clare or Annabelle/Annabel - I didn't want a name they've have to clarify in that way every time).
  • not top 100 in the last five years
  • I really wanted my kids to have the same number of syllables as each other, and ideally same number of letters. Didn't quite manage this - got same syllables which was more important than number of letters when all else was considered
  • Didn't want them to start with an A or an I or an X - these feel like letters that are words (well, the x as a kiss sign off).
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Summerlovingtheraspberries · Yesterday 20:35

Dh wanted traditional names that would not lend themselves to bullying.
I like long names.
I was up for more unusual names.
We both wanted names with longevity.

faerylune · Yesterday 18:43

StationJack · Yesterday 17:20

The current number 7 names are George and Poppy.

Show quote history

maybe she meant Isabella and Elijah, USA no7?

StationJack · Yesterday 17:20

Daffodilsinthespring · Yesterday 17:12

My rule was must be able to be shortened and not in top 100

30 years later it’s number 7 and I rarely shorten it.

The current number 7 names are George and Poppy.

Daffodilsinthespring · Yesterday 17:12

My rule was must be able to be shortened and not in top 100

30 years later it’s number 7 and I rarely shorten it.

VioletAlexandra · Yesterday 13:54
  1. Initials could not spell a word.
  2. A name with a standard spelling. We have a fairly common surname with two standard spellings, so we have to spell it out every time. Having to spell out both first and second names would be too much.
  3. Fairly classic name which won't date - in 60 years time they won't have dated, or sound old fashioned or frumpy. Anyone hearing my own name can guess my age, as it went from being very unusual, to top five, and back to rarely used in the space of a decade. My parents honestly thought they'd picked something a bit different, but I was born in the year it entered the top ten.
NescafeAndIce · Yesterday 12:11

'Low' popularity can be a red herring. One of my DC is a classic, longtime top 50. Have only ever had one other in school over the years, and not in the same year. Whereas there are countless with the same 'unusual' name like Jude, Arthur, Wilf (maybe not unusual now but would have been when born).

NescafeAndIce · Yesterday 12:06

mathanxiety · Yesterday 04:27

Family names greatly preferred.

Synasthesia meant the first and middle names had to produce a colour that went with what I perceived as the personality of each baby.

Same re synaesthesia. Although mine is more 'nice colours that aren't beige' rather than aligning with personalities. Lots of letters are beigey browny which didn't appeal!

Siblings can't have the same first initial, mainly due to this.

watermybegonias · Yesterday 11:55

No names that are surnames (Harrison, Taylor)
No unisex names, even if they are then spelt differently
No difficult to spell names

mathanxiety · Yesterday 04:27

Family names greatly preferred.

Synasthesia meant the first and middle names had to produce a colour that went with what I perceived as the personality of each baby.

Firebird83 · 13/11/2026 17:26

Classic names that wouldn’t date badly
Long with nickname options

We ended up going with two Biblical names that can be shortened

RoseWylie · 13/11/2026 11:15

My only rule was the Duke or Dustman test.

StationJack · 13/11/2026 10:59

TheBirdintheCave · 12/11/2026 23:35

Wow that is fantastically unlikely! :O

My daughter is one of 14 in her birth year in England and Wales but the diminutive of her name is a bit more popular (46 in her birth year) and we’ve heard of two in our town already 😆

Edited
Show quote history

At primary school there was a girl with a 'yoonique' name. At high school, there was another one. Never heard of any others.

itstoolateforsnacks · 12/11/2026 23:52

Nothing popular or the ones that people call ‘classic’.
No hyphens or double barrelling.
pronunciation shouldn’t need explaining.

TheBirdintheCave · 12/11/2026 23:35

Feejoah · 12/11/2026 19:04

Before I had my first child: I wanted uncommon names.

After the first two kids (with uncommon names): further children also had to have two syllable names.

My second child was one of 6 given that name in England and Wales that year. We moved to another country and there is another child with that name in his school.

Wow that is fantastically unlikely! :O

My daughter is one of 14 in her birth year in England and Wales but the diminutive of her name is a bit more popular (46 in her birth year) and we’ve heard of two in our town already 😆

yonem · 12/11/2026 23:07

No shortened versions as a full name
DH and I have the same first initial, so nothing starting with that letter
Not in the top 20
No negative meanings
No family names
Easy to spell and pronounce
No surnames as first names
Nothing too modern/American sounding

AFigureWalks · 12/11/2026 23:02

No Archies, Alfies, Berties, Teddys or anything twee like that.

Lunaloud · 12/11/2026 22:54

Other than not wanting my DCs to be one of a dozen Ellie’s, Olivia’s, Sophia’s, Noah’s in the playground I didn’t have any rules.

I have a very simple basic name, this Jane Smith, I’ve spent my life correcting spelling and pronouncing my name to people. I’ve been called, Joan, Jan, Janet, Jill and similar with plain old Smith. People fuck up the most basic names so I don’t care about people getting names wrong, myself and DCs just correct them until they get it right.

DH and I both love traditional family names and luckily never disagreed on any names. It took us less than a min to name our first 2 children before we even got pregnant with the first.

StationJack · 12/11/2026 22:47

Sesame2011 · 12/11/2026 22:33

I dont want names that end in an S because apostrophes confuse me 😂

Poor Chris Evan's got a mention
Page 22 | A Viscous Attack #4 | Mumsnet

Hohofortherobbers · 12/11/2026 22:45

My dh and I have same initials, I vetoed any names with same initials as us, claire. Clive, chloe and clarence. Can you imagine?
it would be like the village with 3 corners, Jennifer and Jonathan yellow hat etc

autumnskyes · 12/11/2026 22:40

Nothing ending in Y because our surname ends in Y, don't like the "Namey Namey" sound. And nothing "popular" like Oliver, Olivia, etc. That's about all.

Sesame2011 · 12/11/2026 22:33

I dont want names that end in an S because apostrophes confuse me 😂

GintyMcGinty · 12/11/2026 22:32

Just went for names we both liked and agreed on.

We both have similar taste so no issues.

Greenspaceskeepmecalm · 12/11/2026 22:31

No rules really, but the DC all have biblical names and family middle names.

dancehysterical22 · 12/11/2026 22:28

Baby and name are two different words.

sharpstick · 12/11/2026 22:27

Known but uncommon. Didn’t want my child to be one of multiple in the class. Worked a charm first time round, their name wasn’t and still isn’t in the top 100. Second time blew all that out of the window, I’d never heard another baby (IRL) be called the name. It’s now been in the top 10 and rising for a few years 😂 still love it though.

I don’t understand the Mumsnet hatred for shortened versions of names, I think there are some lovely diminutives that stand up well as full names.

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