Boys name Feral?

[iknowimcoming]

Overheard a rather new-age looking chap address his son as Feral in a pub garden yesterday, thought maybe it was Ferrell and I heard wrong but no it was definitely pronounced Feral several times, was a bit shocked as would interpret that as a bit derogatory (maybe too much time on here) but wondered if it had another meaning somewhere in the world? Has anyone come across it?

I reckon a new age type would definitely call their child Feral as a positive thing.

Feral in Jilly Cooper isn’t really called Feral. Can’t remember his real name but pretty sure it is a nickname.

thought maybe it was Ferrell and I heard wrong but no it was definitely pronounced Feral several times

Am I the only person sitting here thinking "Both those words are pronounced the same way"?

Maybe it’s a non British name and they have another culture in them. Theres loads of non English names which mean something else in English.

‘Rafe’ is Ralph. I’m going to assume it was a pronounciation of another name. Nobody would be stupid, or posh, enough to name their child Feral.

NotTheFordType Nope, me too. Can't understand how OP is dismissing it being Ferrell as would sound the same as Feral.

Not that Ferrell is a name either but at least it isn't another word.

Ferrell - might be pronounced Fer-ELLE whereas Feral is more Fer-AL....

I was assuming Ferrell would be pronounced like Ferrell Williams the singer so as in Fur-rell? Rather than Feral as in the cat which is fe-ral to me! Definitely not mis-heard. They were at next table to us and not awfully posh but well-spoken and bloody loud! 'Feral, Rafe - lunch is here, Feral which flavour j20 do you want, Rafe go and get Feral etc etc.

Yes simple that's what I thought!

Fwiw...I know I very bog standard Rafe...I also know a Terra, which would sound like Terror in a pub garden, because it's pronounced exactly the same). I think some people just don't think through what they are naming their child.

I know a girl, now an adult called ferral.

I was shocked, she was in care. I can’t believe that the registrar allowed it.

Pharrell Williams is pronounced far ELLE, whereas feral is pronounced FE rul.

Could it have been Fergal?

Isn't Feral a Hindu name though?

Rafe is a derivative of Ralph or Raphael.

I was at a very rough secondary school with a girl called Ferial. It wasn't a misspelling of feral, though it probably should have been!

Her catchphrase was 'I'm not a fckin' pki, I'm Persian!' so I guess her family were from Iran. I always thought the name was quite nice, or would have been without the school connotations.

That makes me 😁 I'm imagining it in a Yorkshire accent for some reason.