"American" names in London - will they go over well?

[lily3]

As expats in London, I'm wondering how our children's names will go over. I also just found out I'm pregnant with DC 3 and I'd love to hear what names are considered "trendy" (to avoid them) or what names would not go over well, that might be popular in America.

Our baby twins are named Rowan (girl) and Weston (boy).

The other names we like are Beatrice, Winifred & Hadley (for a girl) or Finn, Harrison & Asher (for a boy).

Avoid Mackenzie in all its incarnations.

Sydney is gorgeous for a girl, as is Elena. Luca is a boy's name.

Meyer and Sawyer are too American and surnamey. Jackson is pretty American too and there are millions of Jacks, which Jackson would be shortened to.
Mason is Kardashianesque.
Quinn makes me think of John Edwards' youngest daughter and it is also more of a boy's name in the UK. As a name it has a ring of Oirishness to it.

Maxwell is nice but I would use just plain Max.

Elena - really nice, no negative connotations here at all.
Sydney - awful - will sound "trashy" (awful word, but ykwim)
Mackenzie for a girl here is just like Britney or similar
Luca - boys' name, okay if you have cultural connections - a bit 'try-hard' if you don't, not great for a girl even though it sounds quite girly
Quinn - there have been some threads about this sounding like 'quim': here , and here

Meyer - can be pronounced 'may-er' which sounds like 'mare' or 'my-er'. "'mare" is short for nightmare and frequently used to describe someone/something as "a bit of a 'mare"
Jackson - okay, but Jack is very popular here
Maxwell - good! - by far the best from your list. Max as a nickname is good too
Mason - just no! - sorry.
Sawyer - I don't like it. Not overly common here, but not sure what you'd use if you wanted a nickname

Luca is a boys name usually spelt Lucas but often given by French/Spanish parents. My friends son was one of two in his class. Sydney's also a reasonably popular boys name.
I don't know any Elena but I know a lot of Eleanors and Ellens and similar.
Jack and Max are very common, I know one US Jackson here.

Elena and Maxwell are lovely, and are the only names on your second list that I would consider non American/trendy. However, I really dislike the surname-as-firstname trend, so I'm probably not the best person to ask . Beatrice and Asher from your first list are lovely too.

I like elena. I have known a couple of elena's, one with Australian Greek heritage and one Russian.

For boys, I'd avoid maxwell as it reminds me of maxwell house coffee (and maxwell smart - we must be due a revival by now!). Generally fir boys you're safe to go with a Thomas the tank engine character. Within reason, perhaps not bulgy, rocky or bulstrode.

With weston, and an overseas accent, prepare to be asked how to spell it (the answer is "Weston, as in Weston super mare, not the hotel chain. :). )

Is shelby trailer trash right up to... what was it you siad Math!? i'll take your word for it! i read a book called 'on the road' by paullina simons and there was a character in it named after a Mustang. I thought the name was quite feminine for an American girls name. A lot of girls names in america seem quite hard, kennedy, mackenzie, sydney, harper... all so hard on the ear.

Agree with others who've said if you want to avoid American names then avoid surnames (boys and girls) and avoid using boys names for girls. You could probably get away with names that are traditionally unisex. Elena is lovely, though does suggest some kind of Spanish, Russian, other European heritage.

I would assume Luca, Mackenzie or Quinn were boys.
Meyer and Sawyer sound like surnames.
Mason's alright I think, and Max and Jack (which presumably Maxwell and Jackson would be shortened too) is very common over here

The trendiest name for a baby here that I come across is bloody Isabella - I know about 12. Don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with it but I do think when yet another friend selects it - er hello! There will be another 5 in her class!
Others include Ruby, Molly, Daisy for girls and Barnaby, jack, Isaac, that kind of thing for boys.

Wes makes me think of Wes Craven! It does sound v tank - sorry!

When I read the op I was expecting your kids to be named Brittany and Randy though

I agree with others who have said that as you are American you will get away with names that "sound American" - which Brits would possibly be sneered at a bit by other Brits for choosing.

Surnames as first names "sound American" and triply so if this is done for girls - Harrison, Mason, and Marshal are a few surnames that are in common use for boys in the UK but surnames are rarely used for girls and it does sound odd to the British ear and create the expectation that the child will be a boy - so be prepared for people to assume the wrong gender in the baby and toddler years when it's not always immediately obvious!. I personally dislike boys names used for girls (I have a unisex name IRL myself and always hated that as a child). Calling your girl a boys name sounds as if you wanted another boy...

If you want your DC3 to fit in choose a first name that is a first name (not a surname) and that is gender appropriate, but if you decide to give a girl a boy's name or either gender a surname or place name as a first name then you will get away with it, names are getting odder and odder and you'd really have to be way out there (perhaps naming your child after a fruit or vegetable) to raise many eyebrows these days I think!

Oooh I like Sawyer!

From your lists: Elena or Beatrice for a girl
Maxwell maybe for a boy, but as others have said Max is already very popular, though it can be short for several names or used on its own.

I see some posters are saying that the OP can/should go for more "American" names because the parents are American. However, over time, the children will meet plenty of people without the parents being there - the children will be assumed to be English especially if they have English accents.

It's great to celebrate heritage - there are names from various cultures in my family - but so far all have been easy to recognise as first names and easily pronounced in both languages. It makes it easier for the children both when they are at home in UK and when they visit the parents' home countries.

I don't think there are any American names that would cause pronunciation issues in the UK.

I think the thing that stands out from your list (as others have said) is the 'surname as first name' trend and the 'boys names for girls' trend. Both of those things are considered v American.

Some names, like Harrison, have tripped over into being very popular here. However, there is still a snob factor against them, particularly for girls. I'm really not sure what the appropriate word for it would be, but my grandmother would have called them common (as in lower class, not as in popular). That isn't right, and I don't approve of name snobbery, but it will be a reaction some people have. There is certainly a lot of negativity towards 'creatively' giving a girl a boy's name - take a look at the reaction to Jessica Simpson's choice of name. That said, plenty of pretty establishment people use these types of names- Stella McCartney has Bailey, Reiley, Miller and Beckett (first two girls, second two boys). I doubt she cares if my grandma would think her common (mind you, she's part american isn't she?).

From your list, I like Beatrice and Elena. Quinn= Glee to many people. MacKenzie I would expect to have a sister called Madison. Luca is a boy's name.

From the boy's names I only really like Asher. Maxwell is nice but uber popular - I know at least four little Max's. Sawyer = bloke on lost. Mason and Jackson are definitely 'lower class' (god, that sounds awful) compared to Asher.

Middle class british people tend to approve of 'granny' names - i.e. names of their grandparents. So the names of people in their 80s are coming around again - Henry, Florence, Beatrice, Agnes. Lily Allen even has an Ethel. That or names from ethnic heritage (Irish, Indian, Cornish, etc), or biblical/hebrew names. Names like Keziah and Asher, which sounds new to some ears but are actually old testament, are definitely on the up. Archetypal middle class families I know:

• Beatrice, Sebastian and Oscar;
• Sam and Isabelle;
• Emily and Sophie,

You get the picture. I'm not outing anyone with those, as I suspect there are a lot of sibling pairs/groups with those combinations!

Really posh people in this country tend to have names that have been used for generations- Elizabeth, Henry, etc. A lot of them are all used in the middle classes a lot too. What tends to make very posh people stand out is either a few names no one else really uses - Araminta, Lettice, Hugo, Giles - and daft nicknames like Tiggy and Bunty. Really posh names aren't generally what people aim at!

Name your children what you like. The longer I am around, the more I think that what matters is that you love a name and it still makes you smile when you say it for the thousandth time that day. I have seen DD2's name savaged on MN as old fashioned, ugly, with unpleasant associations. You know what, I couldn't give a flying whatsit. I love it.

Really enjoyed reading your post youllscream! Hee Hee. Concise and eloquently put! But actually, all of it true.

YoullScreamAboutItOneDay Your post is great, thank you! Wow it's really interesting to hear the stereotypes of names in the UK vs US. Surnames as first names is very "upper class" in the US. A Harrison in the US would be assumed to belong to a wealthy family.

Names like Emily, Elizabeth and Henry are very neutral in the US. Very middle class and many Americans would probably say dull & too common (as in over-used). Really interesting that it is the opposite in the UK, most likely due to the fact that Americans don't really carry on names from generation to generation.

I'm intrigued about these nicknames such as Tiggy and Bunty. Ha! Tiggy is our cats name!

So in the UK, traditional names like Emily/Elizabeth etc are common as in popular? Would there be many "Emilys" in a class? In the US this would be a bad thing - you don't want your child to have many other children around him/her with the same name. In fact it would work against you in college/job applications to be an "Emily" or "John". Just doesn't stand out enough and isn't considered "strong". If that makes sense...

As far as Beatrice, what about Beatrix instead? I have to admit that I am guilty of loving the nickname "Trixie" but in the US Trixie sounds like a stripper name. If some Posh people are calling their kids Tiggy in the UK, maybe I could get away with Trixie after all!

also a couple new names to judge me on : )

Girls: Savannah, Amelia (Milly), Matilda, Stella
Boys: Sydney (Ok - you all said it's more of a boys name than girl)!, Oliver

If anyone has any other suggestions please throw them this way!

As long as they're not called things like Randy Chuckmeister you'll be ok.

Fairly good indication of what the middle & upper classes are naming their babies: announcements.telegraph.co.uk/births

I'd expect Weston & Rowan to have siblings with names like...

Girls' names: Sorrel, Bronwen, Catrin, Cleo, Erin, Merryn, Manon, Jessamine, Tamsin, Megan, Coral, Darcy, Adelaide, Imogen, Evelyn, Scarlett, Pearl, Olive, Harper, Juno, Ruby, Sadie, Jasmine, Flora, Bronte, Saffron

Boys' names: Fraser, Fergus, Angus, Cormac, Aaron, Austin, Declan, Ewan/Euan, Flynn, Tristan, Holden, Reed, Heath, Griffith, Aubrey, Digby, Quentin, Willoughby, Lachlan, Blake, Ellis, Miles, Beckett, Bennett, Kieran, Damon, Emmett

Some of the above are much more unusual than others. The names have a fairly unisex, nature, surname vibe.

For what it's worth, I'd spell Sydney 'Sidney' for a boy and 'Sydney' for a girl.

I like your current choices although, with the exception of Savannah, I think they are radically different in style from your twins' names. If you like them, great but don't feel you have to drastically alter your own tastes to suit life in England. Amelia and Oliver are massively popular so I'd avoid those ones after two unusual picks.

Stella isn't used much in the UK due to the alcoholic beverage and its unfortunate associations... Matilda is fab and on the rise. Savannah is a bit American but if it's good enough for the royal family then what can I say? I quite like it myself. Susannah is a great alternative if you want something more classic. Susie is a cute nickname.

Emily, Elizabeth etc are "common" as in well used, rather than lower-class. But I wouldn't say that they are hugely over-used. Does that make sense? You're likely to come across one or two, in all age groups, rather than many in one age group. Eg for Emily, I know one who.is 1, one who is 4, one who is 21 and one who is 40 something.

Gwennan LOVE some of your suggestions!! I'm adding a few to our list! "Sidney" was my grandfather's name so has special to meaning to me. I guess it would make sense to stick with the original spelling anyways...

Glad I was helpful. I was a bit scared it was a bit of a stream of consciousness ramble!

Surnames as first name isn't posh over here. I would say it is definitely more popular amongst lower socio-economic groups. If you said your son was called Harrison people would definitely not be particularly expecting a wealthy family. Though, as I said, I doubt multi-millionaire Stella McCartney cares what people think about surnames as first names!

Names like Elizabeth, Emily and Henry are pretty neutral here too. However, they are still very popular. If you look here table 6 on both the excel spreadsheets has all the names given in England & Wales in 2011 in order of popularity (where at least 3 children of that sex had the name). As you can see, there would probably be a fair few Emilys in any class!

Many people are put off by names being too popular, and will say that they are looking for a less popular name. But what middle class British parents often mean when they say that is a name in the same style, but which hasn't quite reached the same levels of popularity. You get a lot of names which seem to suddenly rise up the popularity tables as people search for the next new thing. So you get names like Imogen shooting up the tables, because they feel a bit like Emily, etc.

Popular names are generally seen as a bad thing from the 'I don't want her to always have to be known as Emily Smith because there are four Emilys in her class and two have an 's' surname' sort of way. It is not seen as something that would work against you in the job market though. In fact, the opposite. Many more creative name suggestions result in people saying - oh my god the poor child will never be a CEO or a high court judge with a name like that. See the recent thread where someone wanted to use Joey (not Joseph) for an example of that!

Posh people nicknames are a whole world of amusement. They will almost always bear no relation to the actual name. I have no idea if Minnie Driver is posh, but her real name is Amelia. Her father gave her the nickname Minnie and her sister Lori (see what he did there) and it stuck. That is a very posh person way to go about nicknames.

Amelia and Oliver are monster popular- though for a reason, both nice names.

Sidney would be quite cool over here in a 'grandparent chic' sort of way .But we'd always do an i for a boy. With a y people would think you had used a girls name. I like it.

From your new girls list, I like Stella and Matilda.

Savannah (stripper exotic dancer)
Amelia (Milly), - uber popular, think it may have been the most popular girl's name last year
Matilda - seem to be hearing this name more and more often.
Stella - popular enough but maybe peaked about 5 years ago

Sydney - pretty rare I think. It's a bit geeky and weedy.
Oliver - really, really popular. Swing a cat and you'll hit an Oliver.

Download the spreadsheets on this page for last year's UK baby name statistics. You can then see what's rare and what's not.

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-266770