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

Is it just too poncey...

34 replies

badkitty · 15/08/2008 11:52

To call a boy Henry as official/christening name but then always call him Harry in real life?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
minouminou · 16/08/2008 23:04

ds' middle name is henrik, and my reasoning was that, should he dislike his 1st name, he could be known as either henrik, harry, or hal
don't think it's remotely poncey - quite old-fashioned, really

HonoriaGlossop · 16/08/2008 22:53

I am old I guess...but to me, Harry is not a name of iteself but a shortening/nickname for Henry. So I too think you're doing it 'right'! Henry is a lovely name.

amateurmum · 16/08/2008 22:41

my son is henry and has never been called anything but harry from birth.

DH does not like diminutives as given names.

He is now 7 and quite likes having an 'official' name and everyday name!

3andnomore · 16/08/2008 22:36

hm...no not poncey...but why would you call the Baby Harry...tis not really any shorter and Henry has a lovely sound to it, so, kind of no need to use a differnt calling name...imo....

FeelinBroody · 16/08/2008 12:52

Nope. And if someone did think it was poncey, personally I'd say that was there problem not yours/your sons!

Ashantai · 16/08/2008 12:41

See, I'd assume your Harry was a Harry, i have no imagination

lilacbloom · 16/08/2008 12:33

I would assume that your Harry was really a Henry.

Scrumdiddlyumptious · 16/08/2008 12:25

Tamara Mellon (who founded Jimmy Choo shoes) has a Minty. I wish I didn't have the most amazing capacity to remember such crap but I do ...

alibubbles · 15/08/2008 19:05

I have a Henry and love him to bits, see my profile!

collision · 15/08/2008 18:46

DN is Henry and not Harry. I love Harry but think Henry is a bit poncey and I really doubt that if your ds was known as Harry that he would want to revert to Henry.

Arabella is cool! Have a friend with an Arabella and she is known as Bella. I love it.

CuckooChocolateOrange · 15/08/2008 18:45

Araminta is way off the Ponce-ometre. Go ten miles past the end of the scale and turn right.

Somebody famous has a minty. Pre-minty on Eastenders I wonder? Or, so posh and no-tv-in-the-house-types perhaps? WHO has a baby Minty? Tell me somebody?

pippibluestocking · 15/08/2008 18:43

Arabella is not as bad as Araminta aka Minty - now that does score high on the ponce-ometer!

kerryk · 15/08/2008 18:40

i dont think henry is posh/poncy. we have quite a few of them in dd's school.

we even have a henri

Tortington · 15/08/2008 18:37

no

CuckooChocolateOrange · 15/08/2008 18:36

I used to know a Henry who was anything but posh. He was a game-keeper, and used to march around with a gun, muttering and swearing and stinking of beer and wee. That is my own personal 'image' when I hear Henry!! I still like the name though.

Heifer · 15/08/2008 18:17

I prefer Henry myself, so definately not Poncetastic...

ProfessorGrammaticus · 15/08/2008 18:17

Henry/Harry is not poncey, just correct ("traditional", if you prefer!)

Janni · 15/08/2008 18:15

Henry is posh, there's no doubt about that.
I've never quite understood the Henry/Harry thing. Couldn't Harry also be Harold? Also posh!

dropinthe · 15/08/2008 17:59

Arabella IMO screams Hervey ponce-ville!!! Sorry-you did ask! x

CuckooChocolateOrange · 15/08/2008 17:56

No. THat doesn't strike me as deserving of a ponce award at all. Harrison is not my style. I would rather Henry/Harry than Harrison/Harry.

And to give you a measure of where I fall on the ponce-ometre, I wouldn't use Arabella. I don't know why, but it's got a poker up its arse. Isabella and Annabella are Italian in origin I think, but Arabella is pure Enid Blyton bad girl.

Romy7 · 15/08/2008 15:19

about 50% of them are 'harrison' now aren't they?

prefer henry myself...

Anchovy · 15/08/2008 15:16

I do think Arabella is uber-poncey. I'm not saying its not nice, but I do think it is one of "those" names which shout "poncey".

I know (loosely) 2 Arabella's and neither of them are poncey, but that's not the point IYSWIM.

mrswoolf · 15/08/2008 15:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
badkitty · 15/08/2008 14:14

I think it is quite good to have something longer/more formal to call them by when you are really cross, so they know you mean business!

OP posts:
sannie · 15/08/2008 14:02

we have a henry...started off to call him harry now somehow he looks just like a henry.....we're def not poncy !

Have met lots of folk who are suprised by the whole henry/harry shortening....