Araminta and Antonia

[Cortina]

Is Araminta upper class and Antonia an upper middle class name?

I quite like Antonia but it conjures up an overweight, dandruffy, late middle aged slightly ruddy faced Sloane to me. Someone who helps out in a stately home is is very knowledgeable in the decorative arts. Probably a bit horse faced and sour breathed with the beginnings of whisker on her chin. So not a overly positive image then :)

And Araminta I love, but how could I use it? How can anyone use it without looking like a berk unless they own half of Gloucestershire?

Araminta is very posh. Antonia is one of those names where it looks like you really wanted a boy. I don't like boys names made into girls.
Neither for me, sorry.

I don't like either tbh

Araminta smacks of a chinless wonder who hasn't done a day's work in her life, and Antonia makes me think of a well-dressed frigid old lady tutting at the world and its lack of good opera. Neither of them is a baby's (or child's, or teenager's, or young woman's) name. Sorry!

I love Antonia, I think it sounds feminine and elegant. Araminta sounds less nice to my ears.

Magic have you met me? :) I have to move away from the smocking when in over-priced shops with DS!

lol at agonising over the difference between upper middle class and just middle class, and yet missing the fact that they are both minging.

at least Antonia can be Ana though.

Oh they ARE minging. Sorry! I love underused names and there are so many beautiful names which people hardly use. But Arra Minta. come on!? HOW is that nice? What do you shorten it too? Arra, Arrie? Mintie?

And worse, it's like a parody of the upper middle-classes. The name Harry Enfield might give to one of his characters in a sketch.

Antonia is to be fair, not so bad. Not to my taste. Minging would be harsh wrt Antonia. Annia for short might work too. It is quite versatile actually.

Valium, spot on. Do you know the Trustafaria and Isabora sketch? :) I am not a fan of Isadora and Pandora for all the reasons you describe :)

I know, must be a cultural thing! I have a more highly calibrated ponce intolerance bleeper, partly due to being Irish I think.

I've been accused of being a snob on MN so I'm FAR from blameless apparently, but as an Irish person it does make me chuckle (fondly). Honestly.

ps. ha ha at Liz H dressing her son up as Little Lord Fauntleroy. that was definitely her inspiration. I saw that film too.

Yes Zara Philips on tv talkign about her Mother's 60th last week and she does sound very normal. her brother is carrying the posh flag, he sounds quite cut glass (or maybe that was just in comparison to Zara).

LLF was Cedric, quite like that one :).

'The only way of eradicating this is for more people to use' good point, think this will happen with Ophelia.

Which other names would be in that category out of interest.

Really don't think I am brave enough I fear and I don't love it enough, if I did I probably would.

Both sound quite posh, but I know an Antonia and she is beautiful

Araminta is not a very attractive-sounding name

what about Lucia ?

There are lots of lovely names ending in "a" - do you particularly want a name beginning in A ?

I went to school with an Antonia and an Araminta (not sisters). We called Araminta "Minty" - I also recall someone I've always known just as Minty, so I assume she's short for Araminta as well? Unless her parents just really liked polos or something... If you like those two, how about Anastasia?

I love both Antonia and Araminta, anyway, I think they're beautiful names :)

I love both these names.

Antonia white is one of my favourite authors, although actually have been a pen name now I come to think of it.

Araminta with shortening 'Minty' -I agree with previous poster that more usage is needed to get rid of posho image.

I had never heard the name Araminta until reading about Harriet Tubman (born Araminta), and I would always consider it one of those quirky 18th century names, sort of like Almanzo Wilder (although he was from a different century) or Inigo Jones. I think it's the Ara- part that makes it sound upstream troutish, like Arabella. And the many syllables in both cases. I think it's more exotic.

Antonia is a warmer name somehow, more approachable. Makes me think of Antonia Fraser.

I like Antonia, you could use Toni for short. Didn't know Araminta was a real name tbh (sounds like a made up parody of the sort of names posh people give their children).