Pretentious names?

[Linguaphile]

When choosing a name, did you write off any for the pretension factor? As I am not English, the idea of a name sounding 'too posh' is new to me... I have my fair share of sociocultural connotations attached to names, but none of that particular variety. Just curious as to what names (if any) you would avoid because they sound pretentious?

I'm not english either and i really don't grip that "too posh" or "too common" thing. Choose the name as you like

My favourite boys' name won't be countenanced by DH because it is too posh.

If someone like me used a posh name I'd probably bring the name down rather than making my child sound posh :)

I am English, and some examples of names which I like, but wouldn't use in real life, are Rupert, Ptolemy and Araminta.

I do.

I'm Irish and from a working class background. My brain automatically rejects all names that sound posh and/or stereotypically English.

The very thought of telling my family my child was called Antigone or Jonty makes me .

There are some names which just scream "upper class", like Torquil or Jocasta, which are not mainstream or usable without risking some ridicule. Other names, like Hugo or Arabella, used to be UC but are fine to use now imo.

There's also another element of pretension imo, where people are "trying too hard". Personally I loathe Atticus, for example. To me it screams of someone trying to say "I'm an individualistic, creative liberal", but in fact it says "I'm trying to show you how clever I am because I read TKAMB for GCSE".

Ditto EyelinerQueen

Rupert for example! It's hilarious to us! Rupert! Ho ho!

Agree with leggings.

Also, most upper class names slowly move downwards and become mainstream - lots of evidence in a great book called Freakonomics.

Examples include Henry, Sebastian, Quentin, Hugo, Arabella, Aurelia and Seraphina - all becoming fairly mainstream.

But most importantly, choose a many you love - I happen to love 'pretensions' names - I find them elegant, classic and timeless.

Sorry pretentious

We choose names to deliberately sound pretentious
The more pretentious the better.
DH loves 'Beauregard' or 'Reginald' haha! At first we would suggest jokingly, but now we actually think... Yep... Something ironic about us uncouth, uncivilised, interloping colonials naming our children whatever the hell we like.

I agree with Leggings. If you judge a name for being pretentious then you'd be someone whom I'd give a wide berth.

Just choose the name you like, OP.

My dp tells me I like pretentious names all the time, so clearly it isn't something that would bother me

Ha ha Alisvolatpropiis, my DP tells me the same thing! In truth, the reason I bring it up is because someone told me the other day in a conversation about baby names that our children's names were 'quite posh' (and it wasn't a compliment...). Rather annoying.

People have actually rolled their eyes at me before . Thing is I don't like them because they're "posh" sounding, I like them because of the sound/meaning.

My dp has started coming up with inventive reasons why we can't use certain names. I've let him think I've conceded one but really it's just because I've realised the name sounds awful with our surname

I do think there is a certain amount of social climbing involved with names - I always have a hmmm moment if I see that Dave and Debbie have called their children Tristan, Gioconda, Utah and Maximus.

I find it very strange when people make judgements on others for their name choices.

It's a bit silly to me. I'm from a very English, working class, midlands based family. The names I love vary from traditional, modern, and plain made up!

If you love a name use it, and if you're worried about people being nasty, just don't tell them until baby arrives, their judgements will soon fly out the window when they see how beautiful the baby is! X

See, I love Tristan, but not because it may or may not be 'posh'. I just love the sound - I just love beautiful names . I wonder why some of you have a problem with that and feel the need to 'judge' or call us or our kids' names pretentious.

Utah, on the other hand, is rather ugly, regardless if you find it posh or pretentious!

I would feel like a chump calling after Ptolemy in the park.

I was in big trouble a while ago for saying Persephone was too posh. Ptolemy the same. It just makes a statement.

I never understood why anyone would want to name their child after a horrendously tragic figure. Jocasta poking out her eyes. Tristan, his mother loved his father far more than he loved her, he married her to avoid a fight with her brother and she died having Tristan, hence the name. Then he had a shitty life and died young. Why would you want your child called tap after that.

Persephone, too, kidnapped by The Lord of the Underworld and forced to spend three months of every year in the world of the dead just because she nibbled a few pomegranate seeds. WTF.

I think that about standard names too though expat. Look how popular Amelia is and it's a birth defect .

Anyway, I too would feel a right arse shouting after Ptolemy in the park. No chance. I like good old fashioned down to earth names. Nothing that'll make other folk snigger when they hear me calling it!

I don't necessarily think any names are pretentious but I wouldn't use certain names like Ottilie, Rafferty etc as they don't reflect who we are, all names have connotations, I'd also be mindful of "chavvy" names even if I liked them