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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Unfortunate name choice

206 replies

Rose789 · 31/08/2020 18:03

A friend of a friend has just had a baby and called her Summer Eve.
Summers eve is a brand of feminine hygiene products in the US. Akin to someone in the US calling their child vagisil.
I have spent a lot of time in the states so it may not be something that many people in the U.K. know about. I messaged my friend to say oh my goodness I can’t believe the name they’ve chosen for the baby. Now my friend is (jokingly) pissed off that I’ve told her as she’ll not be able to think of anything else.
But I also have friends in the US who have friends/family members called Randy. Again completely different connotations in the U.K.

Not an AIBU but it has amused me

OP posts:
Kitmerow · 31/08/2020 18:40

It’s literally nothing like calling a child vagisil.

occa · 31/08/2020 18:40

Oh no!

Yes, sorry, but anyone from the US or associated places would immediately make that association. Summer's Eve is a very well known and publicized brand of vaginal douche.

I've never bought one in my life and don't pay much attention but am still well aware. They're in pretty well every drug store and grocery store.

PaternosterLoft · 31/08/2020 18:40

I know you're not supposed to tell people baby names before birth but there should be a website/service where you can run ideas past.
A work colleague announced the birth of his daughter Caitlin Rose Oakes. A day later he re-announced her as Caitlin Mary Oakes as they'd had eleventh billion messages saying "CROAKES?!?!" which obviously he could have avoided Grin

topofthewardrobe · 31/08/2020 18:41

[quote Marcipex]@topofthewardrobe yes it’s true.[/quote]
Oops.

sapnupuas · 31/08/2020 18:41

Honestly, I think it's pretty fucking disgusting that not only have you made fun of the name behind their back, but you also decided to do it here too, where it'll be obvious if someone knows the parents.

Did you really expect a load of people to join in your bullying of new parents and their name choice?

TonyChestnut · 31/08/2020 18:43

Missing the point completely, Toyota used to make a sports car called the MR2. Pronounced in French this was a homophone for merde!
Which, as everyone knows, is french for shit. Smile

MrsTerryPratchett · 31/08/2020 18:45

@TonyChestnut

Missing the point completely, Toyota used to make a sports car called the MR2. Pronounced in French this was a homophone for merde! Which, as everyone knows, is french for shit. Smile
But then there's the Citroen DS or goddess in French, which I love!
wildcherries · 31/08/2020 18:46

@TinySleepThief

So to clarify, your friend messaged to tell you someone she knew has had a baby called Summer Eve and your response was to mock the name even though you don't know the mum and you'll never meet the baby?? You sound lovely.
... and then a MN thread to top it off.

The name is nothing like Vagisil.

crosser62 · 31/08/2020 18:46

Malaena or malena is another one, means bloody poo in medical terms.
And Candida which is thrush.

I associate some names with people I’ve known of the same name, whether or not I’ve had negative or positive experiences with that person.

Each to their own I guess.

wildcherries · 31/08/2020 18:47

sapnupuas Snap. Cross post.

Ignomen · 31/08/2020 18:48

I couldn't get excited about the connotations of a name in another country, to be honest. When I lived in Massachusetts about a million years ago, I knew a Randy Langer. Where I am from 'langer' is slang for penis. I didn't tell him that he should change his name immediately in case Irish people found him hilarious.

More crucially, what is it with the US and vaginal douches?

garlictwist · 31/08/2020 18:50

And technically Amelia means "missing a limb". But no one cares about that.

NameChange84 · 31/08/2020 18:50

I think you get or got Summer’s Eve products here in the U.K. as we definitely had them in the bathroom when I was growing up.

It’s unfortunate but I’m not sure most people here will “get it” and there are worse names. I went to school with a Holly Wood. I shit you not, her mother was unmarried and called Beverly Hill. My friend’s Mum was her teacher and asked her mum what the deal was with the name and she said she’d wanted her daughter to have a glamorous name that stood out and was unforgettable and she also found it quite “fun” that they had these names Hmm. We had a Benjamin Dover at school too (BenDover). The parents didn’t give a shit. They knew he’d get teased but liked the name!

Ava-Mae and Freddie-Bear in Reception won’t know much about US Vaginal Douching...and surely she’ll just go by Summer anyway?

Prokupatuscrakedatus · 31/08/2020 18:53

Amelia also means "the capable one" - just change the language

RickOShay · 31/08/2020 18:54

I think Summer Eve is rather lovely, and hopefully won’t be a problem.
@Marcipex I also know a little Lilia, and agree with you

Prokupatuscrakedatus · 31/08/2020 18:55

How about not avoiding names because a child will get teased (ie bullied) but coming down like a ton of bricks on the little darlings doing the teasing?

sapnupuas · 31/08/2020 18:56

@Prokupatuscrakedatus

How about not avoiding names because a child will get teased (ie bullied) but coming down like a ton of bricks on the little darlings doing the teasing?
If only someone had taught the OP this...
InFiveMins · 31/08/2020 18:59

Summer Eve is fine, never heard about it being the same name as feminine hygiene products. She will be known as Summer anyway, so what's the problem?

Coffeecak3 · 31/08/2020 18:59

The tittering teens are on MN tonight.

Backtoschoolnotsoonenough · 31/08/2020 19:00

Ds's primary school friend was Rory Lyons...

ChikiTIKI · 31/08/2020 19:02

I don't think people in the UK would make that connection. However I thought most people would use Google these days to check the name they like isn't also the name of a serial killer or something.

Oh well, most people don't even know their friends middle names anyway.

HooverWhenTheCoastIsClear · 31/08/2020 19:03

@Rose789

A friend of a friend has just had a baby and called her Summer Eve. Summers eve is a brand of feminine hygiene products in the US. Akin to someone in the US calling their child vagisil. I have spent a lot of time in the states so it may not be something that many people in the U.K. know about. I messaged my friend to say oh my goodness I can’t believe the name they’ve chosen for the baby. Now my friend is (jokingly) pissed off that I’ve told her as she’ll not be able to think of anything else. But I also have friends in the US who have friends/family members called Randy. Again completely different connotations in the U.K.

Not an AIBU but it has amused me

Bizarre. You texted your friend to say they called their daughter a feminine hygiene wash. I'd think you were really rude. But you obviously don't worry about that sort of thing.
Rockbird · 31/08/2020 19:03

I can't be doing with all the childish sniggering over something that isn't an issue in this country. I wouldn't be impressed with you contacting me to snigger over the silly joke either. It's a legitimate name, nothing like Vagisil FGS. We'd be left with precious few names if we went round and ticked off brand names worldwide.

Newdaynewname1 · 31/08/2020 19:04

You would have been unreasonable to NOT tell them. Any thinking human being would like to at least make a conscious decision about a name like that....

HooverWhenTheCoastIsClear · 31/08/2020 19:05

@Rose789

To clarify I said it to my friend not to the babies parents. I don’t know the parents hence the friend of a friend in my OP
One saving grace I guess. Get a life perhaps.