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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

What's the story behind your name?

196 replies

LetThereBeRock · 11/01/2011 11:57

Were you named for a relative?,a celebrity?,a character from a novel? or did your parents just like the sound of the name?

OP posts:
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AngelsOnHigh · 12/01/2011 08:15

My middle name is Louisa, after both my Grandmothers.

One grandmother was Louise Mary and the other Louisa Kate

MrsTumbles · 12/01/2011 08:51

My Gran heard the name in some 1930's film and loved it, so 'gave' it to my Mum when she was pregnant with me. She had 2 other Granddaughters at this point from her DS, but thought that the unborn (and sex unknown!) child my Mum was carrying would be 'perfect' for the name! It's a good job that I was a girl. I love the name as it?s really unusual. I have the obligatory 'Louise' as a middle name though (Dad picked that!)

QODneystones · 12/01/2011 08:57

Named after a character from the avengers, middle name (misprounouced) from a Georgette Heyer novel. I like my name, it's rare and pretty.

Poor sis (older) got the most common name of the year, cos mum was too "scared" to use something different - which she regretted - hence me. SIs middle name is my mums best friend from junior school who was murdered by her dad :(

DD is just pretty names but 1 middle name is after my cousin who died aged 2

charley24 · 12/01/2011 09:21

I am also named after my grandfather. Story goes my G Grandad was saved in the war by a man called Victor, then G Grandad called his son Victor, then his son Uncle, then his son, Cousin....cousin had a girl and didn't use name....my Mam called me Victoria and I used it as a middle name for my daughter thus keeping it going for 4 generations so far x

moonstone1201 · 12/01/2011 10:42

I was named after the winner of the 1982 Eurovision song contest, my mum being a bit of an enthusiast. The name wasn't especially popular in this country then but there are a lot of little girls with my name.

By sheer coincidence my first car was a Renault Clio, the adverts for which had plagued me during my early teens.

LittleMumSmall · 12/01/2011 10:44

I like my name and it was a joint mum and dad decision after my dad's suggestion that I be named after his favourite Alfa Romeo car was thankfully rejected...I can just imagine how well 'Guilia' would have been received in 1970s Yorkshire ;)

taffetacat · 12/01/2011 10:59

My name used to be quite unusual. My parents wanted a non trad name as my elder sister has a very trad name. My name was invented by a writer.

Lots of people used to spell it wrong, but it never bothered me and I like having a name thats a bit different.

My DD also has a relatively unusual name.

ginnny · 12/01/2011 11:23

I was named after a ship my Dad sailed on in the Merchant Navy. My middle name is after my paternal Grandmother and is also my Mum's middle name.
I used to hate my name but I actually quite like it now.

LetThereBeRock · 12/01/2011 11:43

You can share your name,if you're fine with doing so.PurplelostPrincess.

There are some lovely,and very interesting stories here.

OP posts:
threefeethighandrising · 12/01/2011 11:45

My Mum wanted Jessica, my Dad wanted Zoe and my name was the one they could agree on.

Also they're Welsh, and it is the name of some uprisings which happened in Wales in the early 19th century (giving my name away to anyone who know their Welsh history!)

I like it because there are a fair amount of nickname variations.

notinmypocket · 12/01/2011 11:47

Am named after a not very well known Blues singer who had 'her time' when my mum was young and she just liked a her name and always said that's what she's going to call her DD.

chipmonkey · 12/01/2011 12:05

My parents were living in the US when I was born and called me an old Irish name which they thought was beautiful and original and uncommon and credited themselves with reviving it.

Only to arrive home with me and find every other Irish couple who had a dd in 1968 had called their dd the same name.Hmm

MargaretGraceBondfield · 12/01/2011 12:07

I have a two name name, first part is a little common and was due to a very pretty girl my mother knew, fortunately my father stepped in to give me the second part of my name which makes the whole thing more palatable.

Jins · 12/01/2011 12:12

Great Aunt so I was saddled with a name that I considered truly vile and that was mocked at every opportunity.

Thank God there was a bland middle name so I paid for a change of name deed.

Years on the name I hated and despised so much actually regularly appears in the top ten baby names list.

jeanz · 12/01/2011 12:15

I was given my first name after my youngest auntie and my middle name after my eldest auntie both of them gave up their bed at my grandparents home when my mum went into labour and stayed up all night until i was born. My mum had a homebirth and my grandmother delivered me before the midwife even arrived Grin

bebejones · 12/01/2011 12:15

I was named after a character in the book my mum was reading when I was born.

Upon telling my Year 8 History teacher this (can't remember how it came up) he said 'I wouldn't want to be named after her, she was a slut'!! Shock Hmm

ChildofIsis · 12/01/2011 12:19

I'm named after my mum's middle name. 5th generation of women in the family to do this. My middle name is the one my birth mother gave me (adopted).

My DD has a french version of my middle name and hopefully will like to pass on her middle name if she ever has a DD.

Mummy2Bookie · 12/01/2011 12:22

I think my own parents were just terribly unimaginative when they named me. I have a really basic boring first name and no middle name.

pipplin · 12/01/2011 12:27

My name is a variation of my Great Grandmother's name. I oddly enough now use the same nickname as her's.
DP was named after the midwife, male version obv.
DS' name is the only name we could agree on and his middle name is the same middle name of both our favourite Grandfathers.

MrsLucasNorth · 12/01/2011 12:31

My middle name is the girl's spelling of my Uncle's name.

First name chosen cos it went ok with weird surname and mum thought it was modern (until the vicar came round and said 'What a lovely old-fashioned name"!!!)

AKMD · 12/01/2011 12:56

I'm named after my mum's great aunt. It is a terribly boring and common 80's name but FAR better than the other name they were considering! My first middle name is for another great.

I have a second middle name but didn't realise until I was doing the paperwork for our wedding that it isn't an official name i.e. doesn't appear on my birth certificate or passport, although it's on all my paperwork from school, doctor, bank etc. My mum comes from a very Catholic family and my dad wasn't fussed so I was Christened. Apparently the priest refused to Christen me unless my parents changed my name to something Biblical or a saint's name. As a compromise, I was Christened with an additional middle name (Margaret). It caused a big fuss at our wedding as the registrar had my 'official' name on the marriage certificate but the bishop married me using all four names, so the registrar was going to make me take the vows again so they matched! Luckily he let me off Hmm

Raahh · 12/01/2011 13:02

My name screams 1971 like a neon light. I was always one of a least 2 in every class at school. My dad liked it apparently. I don't (sorry Dad). my middle name was a great Aunt, apparently, and I do like it- it's Elizabeth- dd1 has it as her mn.
Along with Jane and Louise, it was one of THE middle names to have in the 70's, I think.

My sister (her middle name is Jane), has a name that was top 5 for most of the 70's, but is at least a classic name, and an Austen novel(though I doubt my mother knew that!).

purpleiris · 12/01/2011 13:09

My first is just because they liked it, I think. My middle is after 'the most beautiful woman in the world'! ;)

Likesshinythings · 12/01/2011 13:12

I too am named afer a character from the Avengers, QODneystones. Suspect not the same one, though, as my name is not unusual.
I also have the obligatory Louise as a middle name.
DS is named after a character in a Thomas Hardy novel (or a toad in Bagpuss, depending on your frame of reference!)

MrsTumbles · 12/01/2011 13:13

Ooh, moonstone1201 I know your name! Only coz she was at number one when I was born :)

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