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?

Unpleasant behaviour is no excuse for headbutting someone.

@ClaudiaWinklemansFakeTan , it's not about the name being Irish, it's about them becoming very popular usually because of a celebrity or fictional character.
Many of them are Irish names but not all of them.

Aidan, Liam, Kevin, Barry, and probably Cillian are examples.
I'd add Cian/Kian, Ryan, Conor/Connor.
Names I'd consider normal on someone from Ireland but I'd probably be able guess their age otherwise.

Really? You've never heard of it?

You know what though, I bet that girl thought twice about doing it in future 🤷🏼‍♀️

Not the schools I know.

I’m not talking outlandish names or even doubled barreled just names that are normal but get put on the chav lists. She sounds like a bitch if you don’t mind me asking do you think she’d have made fun of your name if you didn’t have an accent.

Do you think a kid from a typical middle class family could get away with having a chavvy name without having class related teasing or anything?

I’m not sure, before this I wasn’t aware that there were “chav names” and I didn’t really know I had an accent. I don’t think I have a particularly chavy name, it’s a common name though and it often makes the mumsnet chav name lists. My kids go to what I would consider a pretty posh / middle class school and there’s lots of kids in the class with “chav” names so I think you could get away with it. I don’t really think bullying about names alone independent of class or race really happens, most of the time if someone is making fun for your name it’s because of one of those two things.

If you have found a name you really like I think you should go for it because at the end of the day you can always change it. It’s a pain in the arse to do but it’s an option.

I dont think any name is chavvy.

I suspect no one called Chantelle has ever felt bullied for their name until they read your post. Did you mean to be mean?

Not the point. I'd have pressed charges if I'd been assaulted like that. Perhaps the name her parents chose to give her was a minor problem compared to their parenting.

Not trying to be a dick but if you look up most chavvy names Chantelle always makes the list, one of my best friends was a Chantelle she also kind of behaved like what a sterotype of a chav would and still no one ever said anything about her name.

so surely a name like that on a person who isn’t stereotypically “chavvy” causes no issues?

I think you may risk your child experiencing not so much bullying as subconscious bias.

I agree.
Whether intentional or not, you might find you have preconceptions about some names.

Chantel or Chantal in France is considered quite a classy name.

I think the fact she was taking coke and hazing 17/18 year olds probably stopped her pressing charges. Definitely a bit of misappropriation of society funds going on, drug use, and buying booze for the underage. If I could go back I wouldn’t do it again, but if I could go back I probably would have left after the third pub when the concept of penalty shots was introduced. We live and learn.

It could well be but it probably doesn't in the UK.

I'd Argue do I want my kids working somewhere that is so closed minded that they'd just a Chantelle or a Talulyah-Blu as lesser than a Jessica or an Emma? Surely that's something we as adults should be working on rather than picking names to fit other people's prejudices in 20 years time

I suppose the counter argument to that is that it's a choice you're making on behalf of your child. If they grow up and struggle to be taken seriously in certain contexts because of their name, then ultimately it's a burden they have to bear, rather than you.

FWIW I obviously don't think judging people on their names is a good thing to do, but I can't pretend it doesn't happen a lot, at least in the field I work in. I get really sick of having to explain my name to people all the time.

@SleepingStandingUp , it's subconscious bias not closed-mindedness.

Why did you pick the names Chantelle or a Talulyah-Blu? Why did you pick Jessica and Emma?

It's more choosing to call your child something like Rubi or Benn and condemning them to a life of saying "Rubi with an I" or "Benn with two ns" every time someone asks their name. Just why?

I agree with subconscious bias maybe being an issue, it works both ways though and I also wouldn’t be keen on a name that might give overly middle-class or private school vibes for the same reason.

I do think you can usually tell what kind of background someone has come from by some names.

there’re definitely chavvy names and they do stunt people’s job prospects.

people think that names don’t hinder people, but they really do.

No, but I’ve been bullied for having a posh name!

I don't expect you would have been horrible enough to make fun of someone's name and accent though.

Sounds like there were parenting fails on both sides of that headbutt.

Me too, I’d say a posh name is more of a hindrance than a chavvy name tbh based on my experience.