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 don't think "posh" and "pretentious" are the same.

Posh is OK, pretentious is more about showing off, pretending to be something you're not.

I would discount a name I thought was pretentious, but I would happily choose a "posh" name because I am posh

He was my favourite CocoPops character when I was growing up: Alan the Anteater. Anteater/Aadvark, close call.

I gave DH the option: Alan or Aadvark.

Sounds great with our surname

Ha! @elquinto

Fair enough, as good a reason as any

I happen to love 'pretensions' names - I find them elegant, classic and timeless.

I would discount a name I thought was pretentious, but I would happily choose a "posh" name because I am posh

^^This.

Most of my shortlist would be considered posh. In fact my 1st choice boys name has been mentioned on here multiple times. I like public boys' school type names mainly because they tend to be classic yet uncommon, which is the holy grail for me. And we're a bit posh too.

'I think the statement you are making by naming your child Thomas is "we like the name Thomas". And by naming them Sonny you are saying "we chose to call our son Sonny because we like that name".

Surely any other assumptions you might make about what people are saying by choosing a name are just that- assumptions based on your view of a name.'

Of course people choose names because they like them, but why do people decide they like a name? People don't choose names in a vacum, there are many criteria at work.

Parents of Florence and Henry don’t generally go on to have a little Zephyr.

What if some of us simply love the way a name sounds, love the fact that the name isn't overused, is classic and beautiful sounding? What if it has meaningful historical associations or associations with loved relatives? What if it sounds great in (for us) relevant languages?

Does that necessarily make us or our kids' names 'pretentious'? What are we pretending to be? Worse, how on earth can we 'be trying too hard'?

I'm not sure if pretentious is the word but last time I was pregnant people kept suggesting Irish names that I wouldn't know how to pronounce or spell. We are very southern England so it would have felt strange to choose something so unfamiliar to name our kids.

What exactly is the difference between a pretentious name and a posh name. Or does it depend on the person. So OK to call your child x if you are of a certain class but not ok if you are not. Hmm. Who says we live in a classless society.

I think pretentiousness is not about the name, it's about the intention behind it. If all you are intending is to choose the nicest name for your DC then it's not pretentious no matter what the name is. If you are choosing a particular name because you want to create some sort of impression or effect, that's more likely to be pretentious.

So if you call your child Jocasta or Wolf because you genuinely think it's the nicest name you can think of - no pretentiousness.

If you call your child Jocasta or Wolf because you want people to think "ooh what a posh/unusual/trendy name" - a bit pretentious.

I do think whether a name seems pretentious or not is connected to your background, of course it is. A name can't be pretentious in a vacuum, only in relation to the person choosing it.

My friends have a son called Alessandro - they're Italian. I love the name, but I have no connection to Italy. So I would worry people would think I was a bit pretentious choosing it myself- trying to make myself sound exotic, and well-travelled etc. Whereas for my friends, it's a totally normal name.

"If all you are intending is to choose the nicest name for your DC then it's not pretentious no matter what the name is. If you are choosing a particular name because you want to create some sort of impression or effect, that's more likely to be pretentious."

Absolutely. And I believe that the vast majority of people are in the first camp - they choose a name because they truly love it!

Also, should't we be encouraging celebrating name diveristy, doesn't it make life much more interesting as well as easier?

I wanted Fidel for a boy (as in Castro). We are not Cuban or even Spanish. DH thought I had lost my marbles.

Still love that name....

Lots of currently top100 names are originally from other cultures/languages. Does it really matter, in an ever globalising world?

I think it really depends on the intent behind it
I Am from a working class background and have (prepares to out self horribly) a Pearl and Valentina, I genuinely just loved the names since I was young and was pleased to see Pearl com's back into a kind of trend. But a couple of school mums have commented on 'poshness' of the names. Or said 'don't you think it's a bit old lady's'

I am not pretentious, I don't live in a hipster gentrified area where men have cool beards, and have another daughter named after a Disney Princess (ooh chavtastic)

HOWEVER I have two friends who are prime examples of trying to 'socially construct' in a way, an image for their family. They both live in a nearby very very expensive trendy area think 4 raw juice bars on one street, vintage spectacle shops, everyone on fixie bikes. One decided a fee years ago she was this vintage-China using, upcycling, reader of obscure and deep literature, opened a vintage clothes shop, all of this can be utterly lovely but it was all down to meeting ng her dh, who lived on inheritance but owned an art 'gallery' which made no money, she got in with this hip crowd and totally changed. Her two kids honestly have ridiculous names, they are gorgeous and I look after them for her often they're great but her ds first name is the surname of a writer who 'changed her and her dh's life'
And her dd is called something SO old fashioned it genuinely isn't trendy or different it's just a bit bizarre esp on a toddler.

Anyway this post is so long but I wanted to basically say it's not nice to judge parents as pretentious straight away!! Maybe they just love the name?? But sometimes... There us definitely an eye rolling kind of desire to be painfully cool when naming your kids.

Oh she HATES Pearl and my eldests Disney name, she said they are much too common for her tastes!!

We do have a laugh about her epic hipness, tbh deep down I don't think it's really 'her true swlf'

Oops massive fail 'self'