Do I just have really awful taste in names?

[Mahraih]

BF and I have discussed names, very casually, and the conversations always end up with him saying, "Seriously?!" as if he thinks I'm joking! I'm not.

Here's my list of names I like, please do tell me if I'm actually just crazy:

Boys:
Nichol
Fyfe
Felix (BF doesn't mind this)
Kerouac (I love this)
Auden
Jethro

Girls:
Kimya
Irene (pronounced eyereenee)
Perdita
Clotilde
Ottilie
Proenza
Belphoebe

Looking at them now, there's not a John or an Emily there. But they're not 'bad' names, are they?

Hmm, the Rufus I know is a v. successful computery type - doesn't appear to have been overly damaged by it . . .

Honestly, I think unless you live somewhere very rural and old fashioned, pretty much any name is fine these days. (And I speak as a sheltered rural type who nearly fell over backwards when I went to college & met a Rupert & a Gervase - but that was my problem, not theirs. Come to think of it they were so busy being posh & successful that they certainly didn't have a problem )

I am related to a Rufus, we all think it is ghastly and begged them not to do it.
He doesn't use it at all.

I love Ottilie (but worry about the emphasis - does it sound like utterly or is the emphasis different?).

Also love Felix. Perdita ok.

Rest are awful.

and where does Belphoebe come from? what's wrong with Phoebe?

Irene will get called Eye-reen by everyone and she will have to correct them every time.

Irene pronounced Eye-ree-nee is very much of my parents' generation. Shortened to Reenee.

I had (what seemed like) lots of "Auntie Reenees" when I was a child. All of the housecoat, perpetual curlers and fag with an inch of trembling ash in the corner of the mouth variety.

Having said that, I had some "Auntie Graces" out of the same stable and I think Grace is a lovely name for a little girl now.

And Belphoebe is the worst name I have ever heard. I have been on Mumsnet for a few years, so that's saying something.

Ottoline even prettier than Ottilie imo and no confusion with utterly.

Off topic but a bit at the slating the name Rufus is getting on here!

I think it's a great name. May have considered it for DC2 if we didn't already have a so-called cat's name for DS1

I knew a Rufus - he was/is intelligent and good-looking and didn't seem to have any issues with his name (and nor did anyone else from what I saw).

And how many dogs do you actually know called Rufus anyway? I've never known ANY! I've only known dogs called Sam and Ben etc but no-one says they're dog names!

Probably got a bit worked up there but it seems so silly how perfectly lovely names get written off for such ridiculous reasons.

I totally agree, cakeandroses - I know two dogs called Ben, too. Rufus is a great name IMO. (Maybe we know the same Rufus )

I also think Rufus is great.

Hasn´t done Rufus Sewell (drool) any harm!

or rufus wainwright

my dog was called rufus, he was a border collie, we used to sing rufus rufus the bear at him (in the style of rupert the bear obviously)

If you like Irene (pronounced eyereenee, which it won't be, it'll always be pronounced eyereen), how about Irune, pronounced ih-rune-ay? It's a Spanish name, I used to work with one. Or even Josune.

If Kimya is after Kimya Dawson, it may or may no be worth noting that her DD is called Panda!

Mahraih I also like some unusual names and think it's great to consider giving a child something out of the ordinary. Having been a teacher, I've come across some very odd names, but other kids seem to accept them and you end up liking the names because of the children possessing them (if that makes sense).
Out of your list, I like Irene best (and considered it myself with your pronounciation) because it means peace (Ancient Greek). I also think it is important to recognise your roots and Kimya will be a lovely middle name.

Ah OP I don't think they're all bad (antibiotics and bananas aside )

Boys:
Nichol - Sounds like he's named after a US coin? Nico is nicer, or Nicolai?

Fyfe - Fife is less banana-y, AFAIK the one from the Guillemots named himself this as an adult (avoiding the playground stuff). Fife is a cool name.

Felix (BF doesn't mind this) - pretty normal

Kerouac (I love this) - I like it, but will become Kerry or Wacky at some point no doubt.

Auden - great name, great poet.

Jethro - he tells racist jokes

Girls:
Kimya - fine but not the prettiest name ever

Irene (pronounced eyereenee) - lovely, but "eyereen" problems, plus Forsyte saga where she has rather an unhappy time.

Perdita - great name, ignore the dalmatian obsessives!

Clotilde - pretty but contains the word clot, in a rather prominent place

Ottilie - nice, she will run a literary salon

Proenza - hahahaha but I think you know by now

Belphoebe - I don't mind this at all (although reading that bloody book took me months, personally I preferred the Blatant Beast)

Some other loosely connected suggestions (not John or Emily):

• Amoret
• Huxley
• Artemis
• Tristan

They aren't my taste, but the only one that makes me blanche is Kimya. It's not one thing or the other.

Proenza sounds like Prozac.

The answer to your question, Mahraih, is a resounding YES!

If you are Kenyan and your children will be half Kenyan then a Kenyan name like Kimya is absolutely fine. If you like it, go for it.

Compared to the bizarre made-up names round here (St Lucia), it's very tame.

I'm astounded that people object so strongly to these names. And as for the suggestion that you make up your own nonsense name rather than taking one from a literary classic that means something to you, well, that's just bonkers.

But , to be honest, if you live in South London you can name them anything and no-one will bat an eyelid. .

But fwiw, my own opinions are:
Nichol - 1st reaction was too close to Nicole, but on reflection has a nice ring to it. Are there scottish connections?
Fyfe - Again, sounds quite celtic. Wouldn't go for it myself but I quite like it
Felix (BF doesn't mind this) - I know several small (South London) Felixes and like it.
Kerouac (I love this)-better as a middle name
Auden - better as a middle name
Jethro - Argh! Yokel or Tull. Not good conotations for me.

Girls:
Kimya - If it's Kenyan and so are you then lovely
Irene (pronounced eyereenee)- Much better than the alternative pronounciation
Perdita - lovely and hardly unusual
Clotilde - ditto
Ottilie - ditto
Proenza - Erm, no
Belphoebe - Lovely and unusual.

Let us know your next hotlist!

How about Rudyard? Actually I really like Rudy for a boy! I think it's important to think of what the kid will end up being called (would your family be strict about sticking to a name? would you?).

So happy (nearly) everybody likes Felix! That's the name I chose for my son! (and he is one cool cat...)

I quite like most of your boys names, but the girls names less. Rufus I love, though it might just be that I had a Gossip Girl obsession when I was pg.

Going with a fairly unusual name for DD was the best thing we ever did, it totally suits her and she'll never be the 5th girl in her year with the same name, like I was (I hope).

I also think that asking for opinions is mostly futile. People feel free to lambast a nname when it's 'just a name', but when you introduce a person with that name, you'll rarely get any response other than 'hi, nice to meet you'.

Good luck convincing your BF, though. I was desperate for Imogen or Penelope as a middle name, but DH decided on Emily. I am gutted about that every day.

I'm also from South London and agree that you can get away with almost anything.

Kimya sounds like a perfectly nice normal name for a mixed race South London girl, it would be a bit try-hard for a white British girl in Devon.

Kerouac is ill-starred - I can't understand people who name their kids after tragic characters - Ophelia, Cordelia, Heath Ledger was christened Heathcliff FFS - had his parents never read the bloody book? but I digress.
Ottilie is unspellable, but then so is Iso/a/bel/l/e and that never stops anyone.

Fyfe just makes me think of the Scottish county. Ok you don't live in Scotland but your son might!

And Clothilde just really makes me think of blood clots. Sorry.

The rest are ok and definately use Kimya if you have Kenyan connections.

And be warned- IME the surest way to ensure you have middle of the road, utterly normal offspring is to name them something crazy and tell everyone that they are going to 'be an odd kid'!

Felix is fine, Belphoebe is fine (Spenser and nice meaning- beautiful moon; and she can just be phoebe at school if the whole thing proves difficult)

The other boys' names are just awful; Kimya sounds made up; Proenza sounds both chavvy and absurd; Perdita means "lost"; but the other girls' names are fine

oh yes i agree with ur dp !! all bit poncy