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Baby names

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

Original poster

Parents, Teachers, Everyone - Opinions on these names please!

75 replies

moominleigh94 · 13/12/2013 10:46

Me again Grin

Please be as brutal as you like; whether it's based on experiences of people you've met/taught or just plain opinions. Trying to create long-lists that we can then turn into shortlists (we're having a surprise so we'll just pick the name on the day, hopefully off our shortlist).

Celyn (pronounced Kell-in, Welsh for 'holly')
Dylan
Alistair
Sienna
Georgia (as a middle name)
Rhys (as a middle name)
Rory
Bradley
Skye (girl)
Saffron
Ava

I'll be adding to this list later, just gauging some basic opinions first Grin

OP posts:
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noblegiraffe · 13/12/2013 23:43

Just thinking, I know a Dewi who now lives in England and people are always getting his name wrong.

Original poster
moominleigh94 · 13/12/2013 23:50

noble but will it do her any harm? OH's name gets mispronounced all the time (also a Welsh name), mine gets mis-spelt - all we do is correct people and move on.

I know everyone's entitled to their opinion but I don't understand the notion that everyone should give their child an English name Hmm

OP posts:
MrsBennetsEldest · 13/12/2013 23:53

I'm in North Wales Moomin and have no problem pronouncing Celyn, I don't think anyone Welsh would really. There are many, many people with Welsh names who manage to communicate perfectly well with the rest of the world. :)

Original poster
moominleigh94 · 13/12/2013 23:54

Thanks MrsBennets

OP posts:
ninah · 13/12/2013 23:59

Celyn, great. I like Dylan but v popular, I've taught 2 Dylans in the last 18 months and know 2 more age 3-5. I don't mind Georgia.

noblegiraffe · 14/12/2013 00:02

Not harm, moomin, it'll just make her life just a little bit more of a hassle.

I had a pain in the arse surname that always needed spelling out, over the phone, doing forms etc. I didn't think it was that much of a problem. Then I got married and took a piss-easy surname. Omg it's so much less hassle. I love not having to spell it out any more, such a time saver.
I imagine it's the same with a hard-to-pronounce name, seeing people take a deep breath before attempting it etc.

Theonlyoneiknow · 14/12/2013 00:05

I don't think its a big deal at all, it's a beautiful name both in how it looks and sounds, and it has a personal meaning for you so I would go for it.

I sometimes have to correct people about my name (it is Welsh but not unusually so if that makes sense) and it's no biggie, just tell them once and they remember.

I have given DD a Welsh name but we don't live in Wales. It's Cerys and people do mispronounce it but doesn't bother me.

It sounds like you might regret it if you don't give her this name you love so much!

It is my favourite from your list followed by Skye.

I like all your boys names, favourite probably Alistair and Rory.

Not sure why all the angst about Bradley! It reminds me of Bradley Cooper And that's no bad thing Smile

Theonlyoneiknow · 14/12/2013 00:07

Sorry, when I said it doesn't bother me if they mispronounce DDs name, I meant that I am happy to correct them, I don't let them keep saying it wrong. That was probably obvious I just wanted to make sure!

littlealien01 · 14/12/2013 08:18

not welsh. my first instinct was to prounouce it seh-lin (close to celine) but i can see why it would be kellin.

I think its lovely with the meaning and slightly unusual but it depends how annoying you are likely to find mangled pronunciations and spellings and correcting people.

GwendolineMaryLacey · 14/12/2013 08:30

Celyn is gorgeous. I'm not remotely welsh but it doesn't look like a hard name to figure out. I would have said Kel-in.

FairyTiggybelle · 14/12/2013 09:23

I would imagine Celyn would get pronounced 'Sellin' quite a bit.

I think Bradley was a choice inspired by hormones as all I can think about is Bradley Bear from Haven Holidays, so I think that one's out grin I'd also struggle in that case with Rory, as it's Rory The Tiger...
Well, at least you've already ruled out Micky, Donald and Goofy.

I know everyone's entitled to their opinion but I don't understand the notion that everyone should give their child an English name
&
Please be as brutal as you like
Grin
There's a difference between picking an English name and picking a name that non-Welsh people know how to pronounce.
Aled
Dylan
Gareth
Gwen
Kerris
Meredith
Owen
Rhodri
Evan
Thomas
All pretty Welsh names but all phonetic or well known. One of those is even my middle name.

MrsBennetsEldest · 14/12/2013 09:34

What is Kerris?
Do you mean Cerys.
Dylan is pronounced incorrectly by the majority too, it's pronounced Dullan.
So in future we should only choose names non Welsh speakers can manage. Does that apply to other nationalities/cultures.
Here's a tip, if you do not know how to pronounce a word/name, ask. It's an easy thing to do. ;)

Original poster
moominleigh94 · 14/12/2013 09:38

But Kerris is an anglicised version of a Welsh name. It's actually spelled Cerys (and I'd never anglicise a Welsh name as I think they're nicer in the original), but would you pronounce that Serris? And also, the welsh pronounciation of Dylan is Duh-lan, not Dillon as many people use.

I'm not asking people not to be brutal, I'm just saying I don't understand the notion that people should only give their children names that English people can pronounce. So French people can't give their kids French names, and Spanish people can't give their kids Spanish names, on the off-chance that their child might move to England in the future? That's what I don't understand.

OH has a Welsh name that English people who've moved to Wales mispronounce, but it's a ridiculously easy name to pronounce - not a "ch" or a "ll" in sight Grin As long as people listen to us/her when we correct them, I really don't think we need to completely disregard a name because some people she meets won't be aware that Welsh is a phonetic language (in Welsh, the phonetic "c" is a hard sound, not soft).

I've never said don't be harsh - I just don't understand the logic Grin

OP posts:
MrsBennetsEldest · 14/12/2013 09:42

Ha, x post Moomin Grin

FairyTiggybelle · 14/12/2013 09:51

It's because you're asking mostly English people the question. And of course you can give a child whatever name you want. Except Bradley.

apachepony · 14/12/2013 10:05

Celyn Georgia is lovely. I agree with you on the English name thing, people will only have to be corrected once! Much nicer to have an unusual name with meaning

mammmamia · 14/12/2013 10:09

Totally agree, call her Celyn! It's lovely and unusual and people only need correcting once. I work with a Cerys and she's always having to correct people but I think it's a lovely name. I have an Ava by the way Smile but she's nearly 4 and it wasn't so popular then!

CordeliaTheChristmasRose · 14/12/2013 13:19

Celyn Georgia is lovely. I'm in Scotland and would know how to pronounce Celyn! And if I didn't, and saw it written down, I would ask....

I like Arden, especially because of the Shakespeare connotation - and would think of it as a girl's name.
I love Alexa - we have one in the family who is grown up and gorgeous. She's known as Alex.

I love Alistair With Dylan as a middle name. Finlay is a great name as well. I've never seen Glee!

manicinsomniac · 14/12/2013 16:52

GIRLS
Celyn - very pretty, really like it. I would have said Seh-lin but I'd only need to be corrected once, no biggie.
Saffron - also very pretty
Sienna - less keen but it's quite nice
Evie - don't like this as a standalone. Fine as a nn for Evelyn or Evangeline
Harper - quite like it
Arden - love this.
Alexa - again, really like it. What about Alexis too?
Autumn - like it
Hero - it's ok but I'd be embarrassed to have it as my name. I'd feel like everyone thought I thought myself to be someone great and I'd be afraid of being mocked for having a big ego or having 'be a hero' taunts thrown at me.

BOYS
Dylan - I really like it as Dil-lon. Didn't know before reading the thread that it should be Dul-lan and I actually don't like that at all.
Alistair/Alastair - quite like it
Oscar - love it
Finlay/Finn - also love it
Toby - really like it
Travis - not keen at all.

livenlet · 14/12/2013 19:25

Moomin than its a lovely and very apropriate name

drspouse · 14/12/2013 19:35

I have a good friend with a Harper (girl) and people are forever asking if it's a boy's name. That may not bother you of course.

DH has a very very common, short Welsh first name. His parents met in Wales and his dad was first language Welsh and they thought it would be fine. He grew up in England and nobody can spell it here and nobody from any other country can pronounce it (and that includes English speaking countries). We'd still go for a more common Welsh name with his surname being Welsh but not one that nobody in England has heard of. His parents never thought he'd be a world traveller, and only considered England and Wales, but he's been to lots of places and it's a pain having a name nobody has heard of!

Sienna/Siena says Miller to me, and Rhys and Bradley say "name shouted down street", maybe I knew some badly behaved ones I've forgotten about though!

Original poster
moominleigh94 · 14/12/2013 21:51

Thanks for the opinions everyone :)

manic We'd be pronouncing it as Dillon as we prefer that pronounciation to the Welsh one - I was just pointing it out to another poster :)

At the minute our girls shortlist is looking like -

Celyn Georgia
Evie Arden (Evie would be definitely short for something - probably Eve or Evelyn, although I do like Everly)
Saffron Autumn

All subject to change though Grin

OP posts:
Biscuitsneeded · 14/12/2013 23:16

Oh, steer clear of Rhys if you can...

KLou1105 · 15/12/2013 11:27

Celyn - unsure on this one
Dylan - Love
Alistair - I don't like this
Sienna - Love
Georgia- it's okay but for a MN
Rhys - don't like this
Rory - Like not love
Bradley - Boring
Skye (girl) - not keen
Saffron - Lovely
Ava - Too popular

mummyloveslucy · 15/12/2013 11:40

Celyn, welsh for Holly. Perfect!! I'd never heard of it before, but it's lovely. Smile

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