To be surprised by the names of the “posh kids” at DDs school

[marilee]

Hi all, my DD just started primary 1. The catchment area for her new school is super mixed with all the nicest houses in the town but also 2 council areas so a real mix. We live in a council flat, I can’t say I’ve rubbed shoulders with the more middle class half of the town and I grew up in a firmly working class area so this is the first time in my life I’m properly mixing with this group (I know that’s awful but it’s just how life has been for me so far).

I don’t know why but I was expecting all the posh kids to have more extravagant names but almost every single one of them is just a very basic name (James, Harry, Anna, Clara, Emily, Emma etc.). While the names I’d normally have associated as being more “posh” are actually the names of the kids from my area (Rafferty, Arabella, Florence, Theodore).

AIBU to be shocked by this? Is this normal or a little regional quirk?

The old money doesn't always last so long, once a few generations of "artists", "poets" don't make it and drain away the money pot. It's all cyclical.

The descendents of the old money, tend to suck up to the new money, when they realise the money is running out.

Wow! Judgy much?

Horrible stereotyping - how would you feel if people did the same to you?

The truly posh all go by a different name to the one they were given anyway. Either daft nicknames or some other name entirely.

Blimey, you have started early today. Take more water with it, Emma.

I actually don't even think it's true. Poster didn't have to mention living in a council flat. Just wanted to have a dialogue about class and names and came up with a predictable back story.

The name Bear. Have a guess at the parents wealth/status/occupations..

😂

We had a dog called Digby. Golden retriever.

Similar situation with my poor aunt and my cousins kids - my cousin is a doctor, partner a business owner and they are Watford Jewish which if you know that community, you know it’s its own thing, and they called their first child Kayden-Jayde (or similar). My poor aunt telling all her ganzermacher friends at Pilates the name of the new baby and trying desperately to come up with some sort of literary justification for this name “because she’s obsessed with literature as you know, and when she read the Booker Prize long list in 2018 she simply fell in love with this character and decided to riff off that but with a phonetic nod to our darling great uncle Yakov because his special interest was linguistics….”
The patter went on for two minutes and she would just wheel it out in one breath as she told you the name!

Thankfully they spared her and called second baby Jacob.

It’s a pity but I do know a couple of teachers whose hearts sink when they see certain names on the register.

My understanding of posh / Sloaney names is that boys are named after either a king or an apostle. Girls’ names are a bit freer - I am yet to meet a Jane, Emma or Anne under 20 but they may be out there.

😂

Did you read that in a Mitford novel? 😂 of course aristos know they’re posh.

all this blather about working class /posh names shows an absolute cringe lack of diversity in so many posters lives. So imperialist.

Upper middle- Florence would be Flossie to her family and friends, Arabella becomes Bella. Probably not Rafferty or Theodore, possibly Ralph (Rafe). Edward, Arthur, Charles more than Theodore.

This thread is peak what self hating poor people think is posh 😭

• “grammar school area”
• ”upper middle class” parents sending their kids to the local primary
• ”chav” (how 1997)
• “Well to do” area
• Old money
• ”the truely posh”
• “nouveau riche”

I know a very, very posh family. They live in the same huuuge, stone cottage the dad’s family have owned since 1600s.

Ended up chatting to the mum when I picked my niece up from her private school. The mum is Claire, dad Mike, kids are Josh and Jessica. Not at all posh names

No one would think Richard was a posh name. How many of you know someone called Richard, Rich, Dick etc? Loads I expect. My friends dad is called Richard was a bricklayer and you don’t get more working class than that.

He was from the roughest area of town, from a family made up of some genuine hardworkers and some criminals.

The Queens first cousin & a grandson of King George V is Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

I actually do know one Arabella whose mother is an ‘Honourable’. She ‘married down’, though.

Assuming you are in either Scotland or Ireland due to your use of "Primary 1".

I totally agree - the "posh kids" round my neck of the woods are James, George, Alexander or Anna, Catherine, Lucy. As we are in suburban Glasgow you will also come across lots of Scottish-flavoured names like Kirsty, Euan, Fraser, Blair, Isla or Rory.

My friend. Professional, fairly well off.

The OP isn't English or, at least, doesn't live in England.

I also think it is relevant that the Savannah, Archie and Lilibet mentioned as part of the Royals all had/have one parent who is not British. Peter Phillip's wife was Canadian, Meghan is American.

I don’t know any posh people, must be rough as a badgers arse around here. No private schools, a few primary/junior schools and an averagely shite secondary.

’Posh’ people often choose classic, sensible sounding names, they don’t want a novelty name. The “not posh” people often don’t choose “Harry, James, Edward, Hannah” and go for Kayleigh, Tyler, Elsie-Mae and things spelled incorrectly, awful double barrels etc

I quite like Rafferty! Although my local park has both rafferty ( dogs) and rafferty (kids) so it gets confusing 😀

This is my observation too.

At least they're all lovely names and no one's called Chardonnay or Balonz.