Has anyone ever actually been bullied for having a chavvy name?

[Manfredine]

Nothing outlandish or double barreled but a name that nonetheless comes up in all the chav name lists. A lot is made online about names being chavvy but has having such a name ever actually affected anyone irl?

example being Chantelle not princess-Rosie-Leigh

AIBU to think it’s more about the parents and worrying about how they’ll be perceived for choosing a certain name?

What an awful thread.

How? I’m only asking to hear people’s experiences before I choose a certain name for my baby.
In my experience nobody gives a shit but the internet might say differently

I'd be less concerned about the bullying aspect tbh. If a child wants to bully another they will always find something to pick on, be that name, glasses, haircut, not having certain fashionable items, weight, clothes or any of a pretty much infinite list of things.

What I would be more concerned about is judgment and social attitudes when said child is grown up. Obviously it is really hard to predict if a certain name will be considered 'chavvy' in 18 years' time, but if a name is the kind of thing that stands out a lot/ is very unique (in the age of social media) or which some employers might judge or be prejudiced against, then it might be better to steer clear.

I'm writing all this as someone with a very distinctive name, which is a real mixed blessing 😅

Not bullying as such, but I do think people have preconceptions about a person based on their name. That isn't right or fair, but it is common. I think people can be inversely snobby about 'posh' names too or a bit bigoted about not obviously british names too. I'm Irish and there used to be a lot of nastiness about some Irish names being declassé, which to me whiffs a bit of prejudice.

One of my friends children has been picked on a bit in school for her name, but as PP says my bigger concern wouldn’t necessarily be bullying but rather about initial judgement on a name down the line as well as in school. It’s not right but there are people who judge based on a name alone.

Not that I know of, but definitely it affects how they are seen and treated as an adult. I knew someone who could never get the management job she was absolutely the best person for, partly because (im the NE) our older blue collar clients wouldn’t accept she had authority.

I’ve had to stop myself assuming things about a Krystal. And a Tammy-Joe.

I was teased for having a posh name, I’ve never known anyone being bullied for having a chav name or even had it commented on. I’m talking normal names not outlandish or double barreled. Normal names that still made the chav list.

Why?
People are often judged on their name. Subconscious judgment often too.

Teachers will have preconceptions about particular names. It has been previous proven that selection for job interviews can be name dependent.

So the OP is sensible to ask.

My DH wasn’t bullied for having a chavvy name ( tbh it wasn’t that unusual in a working class area). However, there is a mismatch between his name and his profession that occasionally causes some posh colleagues ( particularly English ones, Scottish and American people he works with don’t seem to notice!) to make weird assumptions about him.
Never meet babies with his name and to add insult to injury his Dad chose a dodgy spelling which he had to explain all the time!

I have teacher friends who say they try really hard not to pre-judge parents based on their child’s name. (They would never judge the child!)

However, they are right about the parents so often that it gets harder every year!

I think a good test is to say out loud the name you are going for with a few titles and see if it works or sounds ridiculous. Try it with:

The right honourable…
Justice…
Professor…
Reverend…
Dame…
Sir…

If you cringe at any point - don’t use it!

Would you let stumbling upon a handful of two decade old web pages where a name you love is described as “chavvy” put you off? | Mumsnet

It seems to be a name that was considered 'chavvy' 20 years ago.

It's probably more unusual now so only people who are over about 35 will think it 'chavvy'. Not all people think of names as 'chavvy'.

I'm guessing that the name is something like Jayden or Jade, in which case if you love it use it.

I don't know as I am only speculating, but I think people are more open about making fun of posh names because they feel they are punching up as it were. Preconceptions about "chavvy" names are probably less discussed openly but people definitely have them.

I would really avoid naming my baby something I believed myself to be chavvy. I don't understand why anyone would.

I did name one of mine a strong, Irish name though and have zero regrets. He has never had it mentioned to him and there is another one in his (English, RC) school

I think to some extent that has to do with some Irish names becoming fashionable. They might not have known these names before. Names that were always perfectly normal in Ireland, like Aidan, Liam, Kevin, Barry, and probably Cillian are examples.

I taught a really nice lad named Justice a few years ago, so this one made me giggle. There are some children who have been so naughty they've put me off certain names, but that doesn't map onto poshness in my experience. There are some very classic English names that make me twitch now.

Idk if high school kids care whether they’re punching up or down, there was certainly a lot of punching down at people over other things but nobody was ever picked on for having a “chavvy” but normal names like Chantelle or destiny etc.

I wasn’t even aware the name I liked was considered chavvy until I googled it. I do wonder if it actually has affected any kids having a chavvy name or if it’s all just parents who don’t want anyone to think they’re chavvy.

And on another note does having a chav name even matter if the parents are the polar opposite of what people think chavs sterotypically are

I have a friend with a name like this who has been very successful, so she has managed, but she is absolutely sick of people telling her that she wasn't what they expected. So you might have less actual bullying and more just people having lower/different expectations of her.

However, it's also a chance to change opinions by choosing a name that doesn't fit, so people realise they have it wrong.

I’ve never heard of this. Names are names.

I doubt there would be much bullying but I can imagine plenty of discrimination.

What's the name?

I’d worry more about the biased negative perceptions people would have than bullying. Names often carry certain connotations. Some names are so neutral it’s impossible to tell who the person walking through the door is.

I said this to DH the other day but James, for example, could be anyone from 0-110 years old and black or white- there’s just no way of telling. Names like Chantelle carry the connotation of probably a chav and probably not very intelligent. It isn’t fair, I’m sure many Chantelle’s are the opposite.

Some names are names and totally neutral. Many have some sort of class connotation. At least they do in England

In job interviews? No direct bullying or comments to the face? But people have been turned down from jobs and not told why but blame it on their name? Is that what you mean

People will always have preconceptions about names. It used to be that foreign names were regarded with suspicion, now that our society is more mixed, that has tempered that aspect somewhat.

It can be hard to tell if someone might have been affected by it. Like in the story from the PP, people were judging the colleague behind her back, not to her face. I remember a colleague having to randomly pick a physiotherapist off a list of names. She eliminated one based on the fact she thought her name was chavvy (yes, colleague was a dick). Maybe that therapist had fewer clients than her colleagues and never knew why.

I wouldn't eliminate a name based on a few random comments on the internet, but I might reconsider a name that is widely assumed to be of a demographic you are not part of (be that chavvy or posh, it cuts both ways).

Tell us the name and then we can judge...

In freshers week at uni, on the model UN pub crawl. I went to a pretty posh uni, lots of private school kids ect. decent amount form eton and harrow and all that. Some posh bitch made fun of my name and was making fun of my accent so in a black out drunk rage I headbutted her, proving her point I guess. It was more class related teasing than outright bullying, but it wasn’t very nice.

Not great, definitely made me look like a fucking mug, but I never got in trouble so I don’t really regret it. I did not return to model UN though. She is actually on TV a lot now so you may see her if you’re a big TV watcher. Whenever she’s on my mate from uni who witnessed the event will text me a picture captioned “there’s your best mate” and my husband always comments when she’s on.

We are all judged all the time by people. If you name your child something outlandish, people will have preconceived notions about them - but that’s going to happen whatever you pick. My only concern with naming our kids is discrimination from future employers. My Mum and Dad wanted to name me and my siblings more traditional names from my Dad’s culture, but my Dad and siblings faced first hand discrimination in the job market hence why my Dad normally went by his English name that he picked out of nowhere and not his real name. It might not be so much of a problem now, but it’s still something I considered.