the current shortlist - describe these people!

Aaron - 17YO and a total nob manipulative and full of himself, also looks like a bulldog chewing a wasp He is my male cousins boyfriend if that makes any difference LOL.

Arthur - One of my childhood friend's dad, very kind man but a bit hot tempered.7

Lucas - Very snooty child I used to look after, horribble judgey parents though very self obsessed at 7

Malachy - Don't know anyone butn I looooove the name Malachy

Cara - Wild child 21YO and sleeps with anything man/woman/animal possibly haha nice enough but is the clown of the village and is usually found passed out on someone's sofa after consuming several ecstasy tablets and alcohol

Lucy - Don't know anyone don't like

Marian - Nice woman I used to work with is mostly described as mutton dressed as lamb by people.

Zoe - My friend's niece lovely name and nice enough child.

IamLeticiaDean - me neither, maybe we can prove 'em wrong!

Boys:

Aaron- always think big athletic man
Arthur- classic posh name, may be too posh unless you are posh iyswim
Lucas-curly hair dark skin very italian, spanish, unless you have that origin
Malachy- not sure, geeky to me

Girls:

Cara- loud, chavvy
Lucy- very common name, any cats called lucy
Marian- like marian or marianne etc...
Zoe - cute, girly

Aaron Kevin the teenager
Arthur rotund old man as in Lowe
Lucas overlooked
Malachy Trouble

Cara cheeky Irish girl
Lucy goody two shoes
Marian MIL from hell
Zoe Darcey Bussell

Aaron and Lucas are both horrid sorry-really council
Arthur is great and i love Malachi.

Your girls names are good- my daughter is Clara (what do you think of that?) she's a really feisty,curly haired bundle of energy but oh so cute.my fouls sister (mother of Esme,Hugh,Wilfred and Teddy) accused us of pretension when we said baby was going to be a clara i almost bit my tongue in half
Lucy is quite common
Marian is an unusual one although I wanted to call DD2 Rosemary and was really vilified for that-if you like it then go for it, just don't discuss it beforehand with anyone and introduce her as Marion.
Zoe is great,my friend called her baby Zoe just before Xmas so is it becoming popular??

Thanks Fanjo! I can honestly say I am not some boring middle aged lentil weaving grey haired bag from hell, even if my name says otherwise.

Boys:

Aaron - Hate this. Reminds me of a naughty boy I used to teach.
Arthur - It's cute but cute in the way I picture an old man with walrus-like moustache smoking his pipe in his armchair.
Lucas - I'm on the fence with whether I like this name but I used to teach a Lucas and he was the most adorable child you could ever meet. Just scrummy!!!
Malachy - Would you pronounce this Mal-Ah-K-Eye? Nice, mischeivous Irish lad.

Girls:

Cara - Lovely and feminine. Isn't the new judge on American Idol called Cara and she is very pretty!
Lucy - Pretty but a bit cheap sounding.
Marian - Old woman nearing her retirement. Works in a nursing home.
Zoe - Too modern and bolchy. How many posh Zoe's do you meet? Will probably grow up to be a stripper.

Aaron - youngest of a large family
Arthur - hippy parents
Lucas - lives in a council house or housing association house
Malachy - naughty but lovable

Cara - blonde sullen girl
Lucy - likes ponies
Marian - spinster aunt
Zoe - lots of fun and popular, will become an hairdresser

Aaron - a bit stupid
Arthur - a bit old
Lucas - luke rhymes with puke
Malachy - gay

Cara - pretty, kind
Lucy - sensible, mature, feminine
Marian - matron
Zoe - cute but dumb

I love the name Zoe think its a funky name for a cool girl! Marian to me is a little older, Malachy is unusual but nice

audley- I have an Iris

It was DH's choice but I love it!

I am Leticia Dean - I personally LOVE your name

Erk, my name is very similar to one on this thread and it is NOT nice reading!

Thanks Pendulum, I thought I'd like them, Clementine, Iris and Daisy are all on my list!

hmmmm audley will try to remember a few.

clementine
matilda
iris
lila/ lola
daisy
anais
madeleine
isla

Aaron: bookish, clever and teachers pet
Arthur: 60 yo has flat cap and whippet
Lucas: Cheeky, a little naughty but v affable
Malachy: Irish, has the gift of the gab

Cara: Flighty, away with the fairies
Lucy: Strong, sensible, beautiful, trustworthy and a fantastic friend
Marian: Married to Arthur
Zoe: Lively and a little wayward

Aaron: mouthy, loud, his dad uses grade 2 clippers on his hair every fortnight
Arthur: quiet, well-spoken, well-behaved. The perfect son until he reaches 15 and you realise he'll have no success in his love life whatsoever
Lucas: something of the night about him. Charming but unnerving
Malachy: Mum was reading Angela's Ashes when he was conceived and fancied an Irish influence in the family

Cara: Daddy's girl. Pretty but throws her toys out of her pram on a regular basis
Lucy: likeable and lovely and away with the fairies
Marian: sensible, clever and sensible. And clever. And sensible
Zoe: unconventional, unpredictable and unlikely to do anything you want her to

Boys:

Aaron - American of Irish decent. All members of his family have names which are vaguely celtic (but usually just random Irish words rather than actual Irish names). They all mispronounce them.
Arthur - nice name for a dog or old man
Lucas - Painfully silent and sulky, speaking to him is like getting blood from a stone
Malachy - alco

Girls:

Cara - see Aaron
Lucy - slutty, popular, all her friends are boys. Often doesnt wear a bra under light white tee shirts
Marian - boss from hell
Zoe - girly girl

Crashing in here but please Pendulum, give me some examples of "Primrose- Hill type boho girls' names", that sounds enticing!

Yes, true. I think my point is that in reading your list, I don't get a strong sense of where in the baby names book your preferences would lie IYSWIM- it's not as if you have shortlisted a group of biblical boys names, or of Primrose- Hill type boho girls' names. They are all very different in terms of the decade they were popular and their 'trad English' vs foreign origins.

In my case for example, (and I have never analysed it like this before, it is a very interesting exercise) I would say that I picked two girl's names that are quite strong and possibly tomboyish. On this thread I would describe the names as 'mop haired in mismatched clothes, probably eating worms in the garden' rather than 'beautifully turned out in petit bateau, does baby ballet on saturday mornings' Interestingly the baby book, which I did not read at the time but flicked through recently, puts them both firmly in the same chapter (together with all of our shortlisted boys names)

However, if this thread shows one thing, it is that there is no such thing as real consensus on a name.

(Have you thought about Ruth by the way?)

Aaron- a lovely boy but socially awkward, has trouble making friends.
Arthur- hyperactive little boy who is very naughty but quite funny.
Lucas- a kind and thoughful boy with many talents. Everybody loves him but he has no awareness of this and is very down to earth.
Malachy- cheeky but gorgeous little boy.

Girls:

Cara- party girl.
Lucy- goody-goody.
Marian- unfashionable, has BO and goes grey prematurely. A bit of a lentil-weaver but never really fits in with any group.
Zoe - wishes her parents had called her Chloe.

Aaron- walks with a swagger and loves his sports (though not very good at losing).
Arthur- dependable with ruddy good-looks. Is looking for his kindred spirit.
Lucas- no matter how much he eats he will always be a skinny boy.
Malachy- cheeky green eyed boy who talk too much.

Girls:

Cara- a shade of orange with very straight hair and a tendency to go to the shops in her pjs.
Lucy- a doll-like creature who keeps secrets.
Marian- wishes her parents had not aged her so soon.
Zoe- is the person everyone wants to go to the pub with.

You could reverse the exercise. Tell us what you would like us to say in response to a name, and we could suggest names