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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

The cliches abounding in this topic

136 replies

LadyThompson · 24/04/2010 21:14

I enjoy the Baby names section - I'm interested in names generally, and, furthermore, am expecting a DC2 so the choosing of names has some direct relevance to my life at the moment. However - I am wearing of some of the following:

  1. People who claim to have overheard particular names called out in the supermarket (always derogatory in tone, as well);
  1. People who say, in an uppity manner - well, it's ok for a BABY but it won't do for a lawyer/brain surgeon (my DP is a barrister and as any fule kno, as far as the legal profession is concerned, they have practioners with ALL sorts of names);
  1. People who talk about names being common, 'chavvy' or 'council house'. I think this says FAR more about the people decrying the name than those contemplating using it ;

I could go on, but that's enough for starters. I'm not against robust discussion either, just a bit bored of the same old nonsense being trotted out...

OP posts:
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downthecreek · 25/04/2010 13:16

Archie and Alfie are used by the same types (IE not posh). I'm in London and it is seen as the C word here.

Psammead · 25/04/2010 12:59

I think it's inevitable that some names will have good/bad associations for individuals and/or communities depending on popularity within certain circles. Always has been the case, likely to be the case for many years to come.

Pointing that out to someone who asks your opinion can be helpful if the poster isn't aware that a large proportion of their community hold those views.

Ultimately however, a person can make or break a name with their own personality, character and behaviour. Opinions are useful, but are not the be all and end all, and I don't think anyone here pretends that they are.

So whilst I don't particularly LIKE the British obsession with class and social climbing, it is a fact and opinions will be given which reflect that.

MaisietheMorningsideCat · 25/04/2010 12:57

It depends where you are here in Scotland, and it depends on the age of the Archie.

fabhead · 25/04/2010 12:51

Archie is posh in Surrey if you follow the stereotypes - but if you are in Scotland where your name suggests you might be then I can see that is isn't (same way Ned down her is slightly middle-class trendy but I know it woudln't seem that way in Scotland!) - always regional contexts as well.

MaisietheMorningsideCat · 25/04/2010 12:46

Archie isn't posh? Where do you live???

downthecreek · 25/04/2010 12:44

Archie is FAR from posh!!!! Jesus, where do you lot live???

CakeandRoses · 25/04/2010 12:41

oh LOL at Zoe=chav. Zoe is my 80yo Grandmother's name and the very last person anyone would call chavvy! I'm sooooo looking forward to winding her up on this though (if I can find a way to explain chavvy to her!)

Magaly · 25/04/2010 12:36

Cakes, I'll have to start a thread about you stealing my name!!

Magaly · 25/04/2010 12:36

Never in RL have I come across such heightened chavometres as youll find on MN!! I guess that stands to reason though. Maybe I should say "never on another forum..." To me it seems ridiculous to say that Zoe is chav!!!! . I have read that Amber is chav on MN too. Amber is a beautiful resin and Zoe is Greek for life. Saskia is an old Dutch name. So Saskia is chav??, no hang on, it's poncey, no it's chav again! wait, news just in! it's normal. My head is spinning!

CakeandRoses · 25/04/2010 12:04

Magaly: All this talk of chav/council/poncey/posh that I've been reading on here lately had got me wondering... Are there really many names which can be ascribed to any particular class/stereotype these days?

Take the example of Saskia above: on this thread, Padraig is (I think) saying it's poncey, AntoinetteOuradi is saying it's chavvy (oof) and lockets is saying it's used by every type of person (which I agree with).

And I have to admit to a slight girl-crush on you after Disneyvita

Magaly · 25/04/2010 11:54

Well, feel free to totally discount my opinions, that's your prerogative and I'm not offended. I'm here for me, not for other people. HOw selfish . I'm not somebody who categorises names into two neat pigeon holes. My geeky interest in names goes way beyond that. I am interested in what names mean, Saints' names and saints days (European custom) boys' names becoming girls' names over the years, how long it takes for a name to become unusable as a boy's name. Also, influences from America and Europe (the o trend?). Irish sur names are considered girls' names in the US! (Delaney, Cassidy) English sur names are considered boy's names. Parker, cooper, Tucker. It interests me. It's a pity I can't make money from it. It's a huge subject and one that bores 99% of the population. I realise that.

Good luck finding the right name for your next dc.

LadyThompson · 25/04/2010 11:39

I've been posting on here (including Baby names) for a few years, Megaly, so clearly I haven't decided that - what was it - 'feedback from internet sprites isn't worth having'. Obviously, like most people I think, I listen to or am entertained by the opinions of the more interesting or informed or simply enthusiastic posters, and pass over the obviously sour or the moronic and/or those whose views are limited or circumscribed by two default reactions: "X is a chavvy name!" or "Y is too posh and the child won't last ninety seconds at a state school" and so forth.

As for my names for my next DC, I think I am pretty much decided but I look on here in case I see a name I hadn't thought of before, which changes my mind. So, I doubt I'll be canvassing your opinion, no.

OP posts:
Magaly · 25/04/2010 11:11

I think some people just yell chav when you put five cents in the slot.

You're Welcome LadyT, I'm glad I didn't offend you, it was another way of looking at the same thing, that's all. Glad you took it in the spirit it was meant.

I look forward to seeing your list, if you share it with us! Maybe you won't because you've decided feedback from random internet sprites isn't feedback worth having!

lockets · 25/04/2010 10:41

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LadyThompson · 25/04/2010 10:41

Thanks for your contributions, Magaly and 5dollarshake. Most enlightening.

I'm not going to take a break from the names thread, though, as fortunately there are enough contributors who make up for the numbnuts who keep screeching "Chav!"

OP posts:
AntoinetteOuradi · 25/04/2010 10:22

padraig, I'd have thought Saskia was a bit chavvy .

According to MN "wisdom", my children's names make Minty and Benedict look common.

5DollarShake · 25/04/2010 10:18

Well said, Magaly - LadyThompson, you are indeed coming across as more than a touch sneery at all the posters you clearly consider beneath you in being unable to round up a decent, original thought of their own. You're not using the word 'chav' yourself, but you might as well be, for the way you're coming across as looking down on others.

Also not said to be inflammatory - just an observation.

Every single baby name thread starts from square one. The OP asks for opinions; s/he gets them. People who have replied to other threads don't temper their response to this one based on previous, since the discussion at hand is a completely new one.

Human beings make judgements about every little thing they encounter - whether it is names, clothes, the papers people read, the supermarkets they shop at, the way people decorate their homes, their pastimes and hobbies. It is the way of the world. Instead of reinventing the wheel each time they encounter a new person or a new situation, they recall their previous experiences and use it to make the unfamiliar familiar. It's what separates us from the apes.

The only time this is a problem is if people let such judgements and perceptions override the actuality. In other words, to continue to dislike a Daisy or a Jayden simply because of their name, rather than their character.

If you're that tired of the cliches and tired options, perhaps you should have a small break from here. I can't see things changing any time soon.

Magaly · 25/04/2010 09:59

Zoe is not on the MN chav list now is it? God MN is the harshest judge on earth. I wouldn't be surprised if when Prince William and Kate are choosing names, their choices are slagged off as being chav.

dizzydixies · 25/04/2010 09:19

and how on earth can MN at Zoe or Mary-Jane all 3 of which are possibly amongst the oldest of names??

the Zoe I know is a successful author/teacher and the Mary-Jane I know works within the criminal system on the right side as well

all a load of nonsense frankly and yet I still can't seem to stay away from the baby names threads

lockets · 25/04/2010 08:31

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Magaly · 24/04/2010 23:32

@Padraig, yeah I'm a real dog with a bone with the disneyvita thing today. Just popped into my head. NO props. My brain is a scary place.

Magaly · 24/04/2010 23:28

RE: the public service I think I'm providing! WEll that'd be stretching it, obviously I'm on a work to rule.

BUT if a poster says "I like disneyvita-mae but my colleagues laughed and said it was chav", then I will say what I think. I could wallow in the dignity, self-control of NOT saying anything negative,,, but I wouldn't get the same righteous buzz an aristo would feel for keeping quiet...

personally, I'd rather do somebody a favour, even though I know we're not supposed to ever mention the war. mentioning the war means you've lost the war, right?

i guess to the Aristos, we're all the same. So the notion of some commoners with delusions of grandeur laughing at other commoners' names is probably quite cute. I get that.

padraig · 24/04/2010 23:27

Oh and to pick up on the reverse of something the OP mentioned about people overhearing particular names in a supermarket:

When I was working in John Lewis I heard some proper blinders.

"Oh Saskia do slow down"
"Minty darling stop pestering Archie"
"Benedict you put that down this instant young man!!"

Imagine the above in a very Sloaney accent.

And a bit of advice, if you let your children run around a department store, they will play with the fixtures and the staff will judge you because of it

padraig · 24/04/2010 23:21

@ LadyThompson
"She will never be a brain surgeon if you call her Cherry!...I think...can't you think of something else to say?"

How is "I agree it's lovely/oh no I can't stand that name" more original?

"Frilly names are a hindrance to your child being taken seriously" - Shall I just copypasta this everytime someone posts a thread asking about Daisy/Maisie/Pixie/Disneyvita?

Or I could comment on the attractiveness of the last Bartholemew I met and how swoon-worthy he was (this always confuses me, why would the fact that some incredibly sexy guy somewhere has the same name make me want to give that name to my child??), is that more like what you want to see?

My point is, I just don't really understand what it is you actually want us to do

@ Magaly
LOL
Do you have Ryvita biscuits and Disney toys in your eyeline by any chance?

Magaly · 24/04/2010 23:21

Just an observation btw. I come in peace. HOnestly.