Outgrowing names

[Happydoingitjusttheonce]

In dentist waiting room yesterday and dental nurse calls "Alfie". A near 6ft 16 year old with a tracksuit and key wig rises from his seat. He probably made a cute Alfie when he was a toddler. Do kids outgrow cutesy names?

He spoke openly to a friend on his phone before seeing the dentist. He wasn't a cute little Alfie.

I like this idea that speaking openly to a friend before seeing the dentist is somehow shocking or makes one "not cute"

Speaking to a friend! Openly! Before seeing the dentist! Shocking!

It's one thing to recognise your bias, but quite another to act upon it.

CruCru, your second paragraph hits the nail on the head.

And I never said Aimee wasn't a proper name, I know a few. It would just not usually make the cut.

School/uni does not move me as a recruiter either way.

Then I'm simply flawed Headofhives. You got me.

There was a study done and the most popular name for girls at Cambridge was Eleanor.

But if you'd heard what he was saying coffeeslave. No doubt the dentist will spot the gum disease

IT Is used as a marker, I agree. I have often laughed with my children and said "don't bring any boys home with the name of Xxxx etc".
I am much less likely to offer a play date to a xxxxx than a zzzzz. I do recognise it in myself and try and give people a chance though.

I've not used actual names as I think it's unfair.

’As someone involved in recruiting sometimes, I think I'd not take a CV from a 22 year old Teddy seriously, however wrong that may be’

No offence but that makes you seem like an utter airhead. A name says little to nothing about a person, they didn’t choose it themselves. So Teddy Jones’ application ticks all the boxes but because you don’t like his name he doesn’t even get a consideration? I work in recruitment too and I barely register the name beyond glancing at it to see if it’s someone who’s already known to me.

Are you a bit of an airhead?

Head please try not to pass your predjudice on to your kids by actively jeering certain names to your kids. They could have one in their class or simply meet one in life and it will make it very hard for them to not feel superior if mummy at home has basically taught them certain names are to be laughed at and not good enough to date.

'When I had my son, our head of HR said "what a great name (both first and surname together) it conjures up the image of a tall, striking man striding into the office in a well cut suit".'

Hilarious.

Tell me his name and I'll critique it for you.

No charge.

All my kids have quite short, strong, traditional names. Luckily our surname is pretty solid and gives no indication of anything. My one regret is not giving the girls unisex names.

If I am circumlocutor then I've been a bloody good actress over the 20 years of my professional career, and my achievements pure fluke

’My last word on the subject and it will be controversial but in my experience there's some truth to it...to the poster who said your name is the only thing you can't control on your cv. That's true but your parents can and you are the product of their genes and nurturing. Their choice can be reflective of that.’

Maybe you should bypass all this CV nonsense and just ask people to submit a DNA sample instead. That way any faulty family genes can be pinpointed early on in the process.

I would say that the same head of HR once confided in me that she wasn't a people person. What she said about my son's name is likely absurd for such a position but I mentioned it to demonstrate how prevalent name associations are. And don't worry, i already know my son has a pearler for a name

So what is it?

If I don't have the time for cv's then I don't have the time for DNA circum, as clever as your suggestion is

This thread just gets worse and worse doesn't it?

You've all admitted it's not the names themselves that are the problem is their working class association. But you're still blaming the parents.

Up until a few years ago I would've considered Alfie and millie etc quite pretentiously mc but now ordinary people like them we can all have a good laugh about their employment prospects.

If every working class parent in the world called their kid Hugo, jonty or fucking Boris you can bet everyone would be laughing at those names.

Don't you have any staff to assist you?

Do you genuinely think I would post my child's name?!

I met a Buster who was a 31 year old computer programmer. He was very serious, small, slim and shy. It didn't really suit him, but had never held him back.

Well you don’t seem all that bright so I thought I might be able to trick you into doing so.

I mean I think they are ridiculous names but it's precisely because of their class associations that they never held anyone back.

I also knew a very wc Tristan. His name on his CV didn't help him.

I've got an Alfred nn Freddie and an Albert nn Bertie. I definitely had their full names in mind when I named them for CV purposes nothing wrong with Freddie and Bertie on a CV

Would it be fair to say all people are predjudiced (no matter how hard they try not to be) considering all the posts above?

In exactly the same vein, would it be fair to say that all people (not just white people) are racist too, despite some trying hard not to be.

I must admit I thought Munroe Bergdorf had a point if you step back and listen to what she was saying. This thread makes me feel that she maybe had more than a point.

I think people like this OP are just furious that a working class Kyle or Lily-Mae has academically outstripped their own beautifully named middle class child. These plebeians really should know their place!