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Baby names

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Original poster

Perdita - honest opinions

57 replies

BexJ78 · 04/08/2009 20:55

For ages and ages, DH and i have said that if we ever had a girl we would call her Perdita or Purdie for short. However, i am now half way through my pregnancy and DH now says that he is worried that a) she will get called 'pervy' at school;
b) that it is too wannabee-ish.

We both have very traditional names and are from families of traditional names, but i really like it as i think it is unusual without looking contrived.... what do you think? I have canvased other MNers on my antenatal thread, who suggested we could shorten to Dita, which is nice, but the only dita i've ever heard of is dita van teese.
in a quandry so need some help! thanks all.xxx

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Merrylegs · 04/08/2009 22:26

Yep, 101 Dalmatians. But Purdy makes me think of the truly gorgeous Joanna Lumley with THAT haircut in The Avengers. Pretty cool.

cat64 · 04/08/2009 22:21

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mssally · 04/08/2009 22:15

I used to work with a Perdita, and she used to get annoyed by people mispronoucing her name. She liked it pronouced Perd-it-a, but it was more commonly pronouced Purr-deeta which she disliked. She was mostly called Perdi

cat64 · 04/08/2009 22:06

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waitingforbedtime · 04/08/2009 21:59

I dont like it tbh but that could be because my son watches Tractor Tom incessantly and the cat on it is called Purdie!! x

hf128219 · 04/08/2009 21:42

Only if you are posh/can pull it off/feel confident shouting it across waitrose asda

ScummyMummy · 04/08/2009 21:38

Makes me think of a pampered Burmese cat. Which is strange given that it's a mother dalmatian's name... And I went to primary school with one, I think. She was alright, afair. Not spoiled or lost or cat or doglike at all.

Dita is cute.

purlease · 04/08/2009 21:37

101 dalmations was first thing that came to my mind too

blinder · 04/08/2009 21:36

sorry - not keen.

Tommy · 04/08/2009 21:36

I thought of the Jilly Cooper books too

doesn't mean I don't think it's sweet

Cadelaide · 04/08/2009 21:34

Like it.

Think your DH is wrong about the pervy thing.

Original poster
BexJ78 · 04/08/2009 21:33

from what i have read and researched, i don't think it is 'loss', i think it means 'lost' (like the french perdu...) which i know is perhaps a bit odd, but at the end of the day, according to some books my name means 'noose' and to be fair it hasn't really been an issue for me!! i think i might just call her 'our gert' and be done with it

OP posts:
artichokes · 04/08/2009 21:26

I like it although I associate it with Jilly Cooper's novels (not that I have read them of course . I think Rupert Campbell-Black's daughter is Perdita. She is uber posh.

I know very sweet little Purdey. Although I think a Purdey is also a type of hand gun.

hambo · 04/08/2009 21:25

Very Jilly Cooper

MuffinToptheMule · 04/08/2009 21:25

It means 'loss'. It's a bit strange to call your child a name meaning loss.

moffat · 04/08/2009 21:21

sorry I don't like the name or its meaning.

epithet · 04/08/2009 21:20

(A state school, btw, in a non-leafy area.)

RipMacWinkle · 04/08/2009 21:19

Agree with others - sounds v posh to me.

Reminds me of the character of that name in the Jilly Cooper novel, Polo. That tells you how posh I am

That said, I quite like it.

epithet · 04/08/2009 21:19

I taught a Perdita - she was never called 'pervy' or, as far as I can remember, teased about her name.

LovelyTinOfSpam · 04/08/2009 21:19

Also name of v posh sloane type in bridget jones IIRC.

GirlsAreLoud · 04/08/2009 21:18

Pongo and Perdita weren't the parent dalmations called?

Original poster
BexJ78 · 04/08/2009 21:16

yes, it is from winter's tale, but also character from emmerdale (class ) and as i have just found out, 101 dalmations!

OP posts:
deaconblue · 04/08/2009 21:12

is very posh. means "little lost one2 doesn't it? I only know Perdita in A Winter's Tale - she gets a happy ending

WesternBelle · 04/08/2009 21:12

It's a sweet name, but straightaway the connection in my mind as soon as I see it, is the dog from 101 Dalmations.

Umlellala · 04/08/2009 21:12

Doesn't it mean 'lost'?

Not offensive though at all (says the mother of two weirdly unusually named dc)