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Baby names

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Original poster

Have I saddled my baby with a chav name?

113 replies

KateBeckinsale · 26/03/2010 11:55

My DS is 2 and as soon as I found out I was pregnant, DH picked the name Kaeden for a boy. I really liked it and we stuck with it.

I chose to spell it this way for the following reasons:

  1. Kaiden would get Kai and he has a cousin called this. 2)Kayden would get Kay 3)I didn't like Kaden as thought it loooked like kad-en rather than Kayden and it is arabic and I have no arabic connections.
  2. Caden means round lump and is usually the girl version.
  3. Kaeden is sometimes shortened to Kaed and we just like it.

But since then lots of people have called their kids Kayden/Jayden/Hayden/Aiden/Brayden, etc and people have started calling it chavvy.

This really upsets me as neither DH or I are chavs, we're teachers with a nice house, etc and we DS going to be judged on his name for the rest of his life and is it really a horrible name or are people just being snobby and trying to label others?

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evesmummy1 · 29/03/2010 20:41

Well said skihorse! KB youve chosen a name that you like so dont worry what others think! :-)

Original poster
KateBeckinsale · 29/03/2010 09:18

Again, we teach adults so it's not an issue.

I'm not judging others for having the name. Apart from Britney because she is a skank

Sorry to have lumped your traditional names with my god-awful 'made up' name

OP posts:
qumquat · 28/03/2010 14:12

Aidan/Aiden is a traditional saint's name, don't know why that always gets lumped in with the 'made up' -ayden names.

As for your name, you like it and that's all that matters. I hope as a teacher you never judge students by their names.

MamaLazarou · 27/03/2010 17:52

I think it's because she's got a 'nice house', shockers.

shockers · 27/03/2010 17:51

You're judging other people for choosing similar names... I don't understand why you think you should be exempt.

mathanxiety · 27/03/2010 17:48

This from Babynamewizard.com: 'Cross Jacob with Aidan and voila; the sound of the times. The name's popularity shot up starting in 1998 when celebrity parents Will Smith and Jada Pinkett chose this male twist on mom's name' The sibling names reported for all the Jayden variations show a lot of names with (ahem) original spellings, lots of Ys where you'd expect to see Is, EE where you'd expect to see Y, etc.

thumbwitch · 27/03/2010 15:38

Jayden is a very popular name here in Australia - different associations here, no indication of "chavviness" in the people I know who have sons of that name so far.

Maggie00 · 27/03/2010 15:36

Steffi Graff and Andre Agassi's eldest child is Jayden.

thumbwitch · 27/03/2010 15:32

Yes, Lord Baden-Powell was a Robert. Tut at you for not remembering that from your Brownie Handbook, Maggie!

ilovesprouts · 27/03/2010 15:12

oops dont know why its done that

ilovesprouts · 27/03/2010 15:11

my ds2 is called kenzie [waits for sarky comms]

ilovesprouts · 27/03/2010 15:09

my ds2 is called kenzie [waits for sarky comms]

Maggie00 · 27/03/2010 15:09

Despite having been a Brownie once.

Maggie00 · 27/03/2010 15:08

oh! Baden-Powell? I didn't know that.

diddl · 27/03/2010 15:03

I agree it is the person not the name that maketh a chav.

Although I did think that many avoided "ayden" names since Jayden James.

lockets · 27/03/2010 15:02

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Maggie00 · 27/03/2010 14:50

btw, what about lord Baden Powell?!

Maggie00 · 27/03/2010 14:49

Lockets, some people might have said, not it's an Eastenders name so maybe for that reason it might 'go downhill'. and tbh I'd have avoided a soap name, but that character was years ago now, and the name is quite privileged-sounding iykwim. I don't want to use the P word either.

lockets · 27/03/2010 14:09

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Quattrocento · 27/03/2010 14:05

Names are labels by definition but it's clearly better for the child if they don't carry labels that denote socio-economic backgrounds.

Take Hugo. You see the name and you know that he is a stranger to benefits.

This name Kaeden. It sounds a bit made up. You automatically know that he isn't a pupil at Eton.

I do think life is easier for the children, if you avoid names that connote too much.

MarianneD · 27/03/2010 13:59

Yes personally wouldn't dream of choosing any of the Kaeden, Brayden, Jayden names but I'm sure it will be inconsequential to your son in later life as he'll be judged on the person he is not his name.

However some people can make judgements based on names when looking at things such as class registers and CVs - such is life!

lockets · 27/03/2010 13:16

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Original poster
KateBeckinsale · 27/03/2010 12:48

Queen- I hope I'm that friend

OP posts:
Original poster
KateBeckinsale · 27/03/2010 12:47

Hi I'm back.

I should probably explain my reasons for starting this thread. My friend is having a baby and someone had suggested 'kayden' as a name on her status on facebook. She said 'no way, too chavvy' and a conversation followed about whether it was 'rough' or not.

We teach adults so don't have the issue of names and classes.

We generally call him Kaed (as in cade). I don't want him to be stereotyped. He's a lovely little boy. I would associate 'chavvy' with a blatant disregard for others due to values not being instilled by parents (obviously because the parents were too busy swigging cider, smoking and watching Jezza Kyle to bother with their children ). I don't want people to perceive him as disrespectful as he isn't like that.

But it's picked and we like it and he likes it... Plus no one has ever mentioned it being 'chavvy' until now.

OP posts:
queenofthehouse · 27/03/2010 10:44

I always thought of certain names as chavvy but then when I heard a friend of mine who is not at all chavvy and actually very beautiful and classy used such a name for her child it instantly changed my perception so do not worry about that, people have preconceptions about lots of names that are often changed and it really depends on the person I think.

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