To hate when people say in response to a name that they can't imagine Judge/CEO/Accountant having that name.

[squoosh]

These days names are chosen from such a wide and wacky pool that it's inevitable that in 50 years time when we're old and doddery and looking to draw up a will, speak to a financial adviser or surgeon that many of them will have names that seem silly to us. I'm thinking Lexie-Rae, Poppy, Spike, Jayden etc.

I hate lots of names and have very rudely said so on a number of occasions but this is my most hated reason. Are people basically saying that the name isn't middle class enough? I don't make a judgement on a person based purely on their name, I may make a judgement on the person who bestowed that name on them.

Do people honestly think that if someone is called Daisy-Boo she will be unable to study hard, get into a good university, gain a good degree and become a doctor/scientist whatever. Will her name physically prevent this? No it bloody won't.

No it doesn't matter at all peopleprincess what does matter is people's firm assertion that a name will dash their career prospects.

I'll be happy if my daughter grows up at all. But I don't find it snobby to call a spade a spade. If the name's daft it's just what it is.

It's other peoples attitudes towards the names, not the actual names themselves.

I'm not just talking about stripper/chav names I'm talking about middle class people too who call their sons Spike or Buster.

Any teacher or school staff will tell you 99% of the time the more academic children have standard timeless names - Richard, Samuel, Robert - those actually named Ricky, Sam, Bobby will not be so academic. 1% there is a fluke and you get an academic child with a quirky name. Very rarely. Simply because those perceived as 'middle class' have aspirations for their children and name them accordingly.

Names are often symptomatic of perceived class. You can almost bet Kai will have ADHD diagnosed but Edward won't. Edward on the other hand may be ASD because his parents are professional and involved in mathematical or science based industries www.cbcd.bbk.ac.uk/people/scientificstaff/mark/PDFs/Can_Asberger_Syndrome

I wonder if anyone ever said that to Cherie Booth - that was probably quite a 'fluffy' name in its day.

TBH there are some names that I can more easily visualise attached to a Cruft's champion than to a judge.

Surely no-one would call a child Binky - that's the name of Death's horse!

Spike and Buster are dogs names

But the fact is that because people from all economic strata are looking for different/unusual names that it's inevitable that you will come across lawyers/surgeons whatever that will make your wig fall off.

That's what I mean.

That's why we give them middle names, so they can ditch the first one if they want to. Of course what is a crap name now probably won't be when they are 18 though. Who knows, the next prime minister may well be an Oliver.

So only the MC have aspirations then?

It's not just about being unusual though, it's about being daft. Unusual doesn't have to be daft, whereas daft is just daft and people will react accordingly.

Someone on the baby name thread just said that Tabitha couldn't be a judge/CEO etc.

That's what inspired my post. What's so awful about Tabitha that her career hopes should be crippled?

There was a lass on Jeremy Kyle (another Kyle there) the other day whos daughter was called Chardonnayea Poor soul

For me its less about class - I would make the said comment about cutesy girly whirly names - Jamie Oliver's girls for example and they are a not bottom of the pile family. I would have thought it would be easier for a Jayden to be a professor of economics than a Honey Boo.

Non-MC with aspirations probably choose 'sensible' names. For instance, to take that barometer of real life, The Archers, social climber Susan names her kids Emma and Christopher, whereas her chavvier sister Tracy has a Brad and a Chelsea.

What? Scriptwriters stereotyping - surely not!?

Tabitha is nice, but it's a cats name

I deliberately chose a name for DD that could be shortened or used as the long form. It is 'posh' in the long form or pretty bog-standard in the short form. The reason is that I want her to choose her own path. For example, Alexander. He can be Al, Alex, Alec, Xander or Alexander. Any number of jobs that boy could do without sniggers.

If you call your child Chardonnay, you are imposing your own values and ideas on your child. Difficult to shorten and embarrassing in medical school.

Anyone properly educated knows that Tabitha is a perfectly sound Biblical name - the fact that people may also think 'ooh, perfect name for my tabby cat' is irrelevant.

She can certainly aspire to the bar and break the glass ceiling!

Trixie is a shortened form of Beatrix or Beatrice, though. Or is taken from an old Viken name.

On most of the snobby name threads, most posters are assumping that these are new names and most aren't.

Most people are not going to be doctors or judges,or even have careers ('only'jobs) and to suggest that is what you base choosing a name for your child on, is ridiculous.

Tabitha is very upper class!

The worst kids I ever taught were called Dale,Jason,Darren and........wait for it ...Simeon [spot the odd one out].
None of them was from a particularly poor or "common" background-just normal wc like me[I grew up on a council estate].
Dale was the worst ever but Simeon was a close second.
I am going back about 20 years though.

suburbandream i 've read that too. Interesting because us foreigners were told for years to change or shorten our names to make work life easier. Now, so called 'middle class' parents choose our names for their children. I don't understand why they choose foreigner and hard to pronounce names if they don't have a reason.

I bet The Rt Hon The Baroness Benjamin's mum would have had a hard time when she expressed her intention to call her DD Floella, but she seems to have done pretty well for herself.

Tabitha is no longer upper class. I know 2 MC Tabithas (both little girls). Both will have the upbringing which means they certainly will be able to be a barrister/doctor or whatever.