What do you think of Heathcliffe or simply Heath for short?

[LittleMilla]

Yes, he's not an endearing character in Wuthering Heights and Heath Ledger died tragically. But DH and I both like the name.

To me...if we have a son and he's called Heath, he'll be a little dude. And then when he grows up, he'll be an even cooler dude! But I might be living in a fantasy world!

Not quite sure what i'm after...but would you automatically think someone's a nob if they a) called their son Heath(cliffe) or b) raise your eyebrows if your child spoke about a kid in their class called Heath?

Blardy pg hormones render you unable to know if you're making ANY rational decisions.

Oh, and I don't know what I'm having. So will hit you all with girl's names soon...!

I have a friend called Heath and he is lovely (Australian though - perhaps it is more common there). I wouldn't raise eyebrows, no.

I like it. :)

LOVVVVE!

I think Heath is pretty cool :)

Heath is fine,but a definite no to Heathcliffe.

Phew - good early response, thanks ladies.

I think my trouble is that my DH is pretty cool - well in to his watersports etc. So he could carry off such a name. But the worry is that you don't know what your child is going to be like. So don't want to give him this super cool name...just in case it doesn't suit him?

But i guess you can say that about any name, really? I just don't want to type-cast my baby before it even arrives.

I like Heath. Don't over analyse your name choice - if you like a name, use it! Your baby will grow in to his name and you won't be able to imagine him called anything else.

But don't call him Heathcliffe.

TooMany I am a bit old-skool in that I like to have a full name that you shorten. So aside from birth certificate and tellings-off...I doubt the full name will be used! Ha

I actually think it's a good name in the sense that it would suit a sufer dude but also (said in a gentler slower way) suit a sensitive bookish type boy iyswim :)

Oh yes should have said I mean the name Heath. Heathcliff fine for birth certificate but would use the shortened version if it were me :)

Please give him a middle name just in case he hates it. Sorry. I am 1000 years old so perhaps a bit out of touch.

I personally dont like it. A bit....pouncy imho.
pulls up judgy pants

it's me, Cathy, I've come home...Not Heathcliff under any circumstances please! Heath makes me think of Ted Heath. Not cool or into water sports as far as I'm aware. Btw, didn't know that water sports were the bench mark of cool!

Sorry, I would think the parents were nobs and I hate the idea that if you give a child an out there name, he or she will grow up to be cool. It's just a ludicrous assumption.

On the plus side, I don't think anyone gets bullied on the basis of their names any more so that's not anything to worry about. Perhaps wait until the pregnancy hormones settle a little ?

I think 'Heath' is ok, but really dislike Heathcliffe. Emmerdale has a Heathcliffe, one of the hope twins.

I don't like the name, but if you do use it, why not spell it the way it is in the book, i.e. Heathcliff.

Ha, I do love MN - always guaranteed to get a mixed bag of opinions. Which I did of course ask for.

reikizen you might view my DH as deeply uncool or a nob, just my biased opinion. And other people tend to think of him as cool...but I appreciate that him being a surfer/watersports bloke doesn't automatically qualify him as being cool. Thanks for your honest answer.

lalalonglegs thanks for honesty - helpful. Made me about bullying comment...ha!

Housewife for some reason MN spelt it with the 'e' and I didn't change it. I prefer without. Thanks

If you should use the name, personally I do really feel it would be better to spell it Heathcliff without the superfluous 'e' as that is the spelling in Wuthering Heights which is so well known. It was also the spelling of Heath Ledger's name.

I do think that the name would raise a lot of eyebrows from other people for the rest of his life. Heathcliff is such a famous character in the book - a bit of a 'one off' - but at least it is likely to be pretty unique and not a 'fashion name'. Heath is actually quite cool for younger people who don't remember Ted Heath.

I have a Heath Jude in my family, lovely name !

didn't say he was uncool or a nob! Bit touchy this evening? I was just a bit amused by your repeated use of the word!

Nooooo, not at all. Sat here laughing reikizen. Tis fine.

I'm glad you said that about Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights; I was about to discuss some of his less appealing qualities... (i.e. all of them).

I think Heath is a lovely name.

I think Heathcliffe may be pushing it tbh.

I know a Heath, he's pretty cool and AFAIK gets no grief re his name.

Why the extra 'e' at the end?