Baby names - the last bastion of acceptable classism on here

[Cuppasoupmonster]

I see so many threads on here picking at things which are working class - tattoos, certain clothes, council housing etc - and posters generally respond in fury, accusing the OP of snobbery/classism.

So why is it so okay on here to call a baby name ‘chavvy’ or ‘something you can imagine being screamed in ASDA’?

Personally I either like the sound of a name or I don’t, I don’t obsess over the class angle.

Either it’s too uncomfortable to discuss or too boring and I don’t know which 😂

I wouldn’t say it’s OK on here to say that certain names are chavvy. It doesn’t go down well.
But I still think that some names just are. Sorry.

I mean I am a bit of a snob, I do enjoy judging peoples horrendous baby name choices 🤷🏻‍♀️ it's fun! People make fun of posh names, people make fun of chavvy names - meh, some names are just silly.

Well certain names are chavvy

That's a basic fact of life

And unfortunately the baby names topic on here runs very young and not all that classy so there are more of them being posted, hence the comments

agree, sometimes it's not as overt as saying a name is chavvy. But comments such as "Darcey used to be a nice name, but it's become downmarket", also known as "poor people use this name"

All the posters who are saying "but some names ARE chavvy," chavvy is a derogatory, classist term so your point is pretty much being proven here, OP.

And the ever-so-subtle "I can't imagine a lawyer or a doctor with that name"

I wouldn't say they are the last bastion at all. People are always telling each other things are chavvy.

Grey decor, white rangerovers, package holidays where you sit by a pool instead of visiting museums, crushed velvet sofas.

Classic, but also xenophobic. Foreign names are generally dismissed as made-up and followed up with "why not use this similar top 20 name ?"

YABU if you think that they are the last bastion of acceptable classism on mn of all places.

And the ever-so-subtle "I can't imagine a lawyer or a doctor with that name

No, that’s different. It’s about style of name. I can’t imagine a lawyer called Cosmo, but it’s potentially the poshest name going.

Personally I find the MN baby name board one for he most conservative I've even been on. Stray much further than George and Charlotte and your name is too poncey, too "downmarket", too foreign, too hippyish, "wouldn't be a high court judge".

MN is quite a snobby website in general. Look at any thread where grey decor is brought up for example. It's bad on the baby name section, but not exclusive to it. But I think the nature of baby names is that people are asking for an opinion. And the MN general opinion is that you wouldn't want a baby name which poor people (and Black people for that matter) use.

Absolutely. The idea that there are languages other than English and they might spell names differently is lost here. I posted on a thread about Konrad recently with the (predictable) comments about how 'I don't like this new trend of spelling names with a K" pointing out the German language isn't a passing fad.

What others have you been on? Unless it's hippyNamesRUs I am confused by anyone thinking it's conservative

The top post currently there is thoughts on river, 2 posts down 'jems'

I could never look at a girl called "Sharon" or Tracy" without laughing, after seeing two characters with those names in Viz.....

@MrsHarrisgoestoTimbuctoo you laugh at someone because of their name? A name they had no choice over. Think about that. What are your angels called? I'm not called Sharon or Tracey btw. I notice you didn't go the whole hog and mention 'The Fat Slags'. Why is that? Non PC, misogynistic and fearing you'd get your arse handed to you.
Some role model you are.

@honeylulu you are right.

You don't stress over the class angle, yet you saw fit to start a thread with that at its very core.

Admit it, you love it and are hungry for more!

Definitely far from the last bastion of classism, and yes frequently xenophobic.

However, it's a well known long established fact that some names are strongly associated with particular social classes, or have clichés attached to them.

When you give a DC a name, it's not you who has to carry it through life. I wouldn't want to saddle my DC with a name that made people instantly think "chav", or "who does she think she is with a posh name like that, notions". It might not be enlightened for people to think like that but the fact is that many do and I wouldn't want to expose my DC to that unnecessarily, especially if there were other names I liked as much that didn't have those connotations.

The baby name forum is a great place to find that stuff out because in real life people will just say "oh lovely", regardless of what they're actually thinking.

Do people often comment that you seem a bit…well…thick?

I can definitely imagine a lawyer called Cosmo. I know one called Wolfie too.

You really need to get out more.

No one laughs at those names anymore. We’re not in 1995

I think the style threads can be awful for this- like the ones about styles that people don't like or understand.
It always starts lighthearted with people who find a certain style of jeans don't flatter them or their kids fashion is new and bizarre.
Then ends with 60 posters thinking they are so original in hating leopard print, block eyebrows, eyelash extensions, sports clothes, chunky shoes, fake tan, leggings insert any type of clothing they think the poor/wc people wear. Like we get it, you are full of disdain for the poor, we are all thrilled you had to share your brave and hilarious opinion..

Oh yes, baby names come out and the gloves are off. Truly, the baby names forum is the UFC of Mumsnet.

I mean the situation calls for it - imagine getting stuck with a horrible chavvy wet name that’s everywhere this year without being told beforehand!