Views on these names

[Camilla26]

Hi everyone, I am new to this page. I don't have children yet but I am getting married next year and children are on my mind. I have always loved very unusual names and i just wanted some input on these names I love. I don't want my child to be bullied in school lol for a boy I love the name Grey and for a girl I love the name Dolly. Both names I have never heard others called. What do you all think? X

I like them both. I know a little Greyson (nn Grey) and met a baby Dolly last week. They aren't names that will please everyone but I think they have character. I think dolly is slightly harder to pull off in later life though... fine if you want to be in theatre or perhaps a nurse, harder possibly if you want to be a builder or a barrister? If that bothers you, you could put a more formal name on the birth cert (Dorothy, Delores?) but it may well not bother you, in which case, go for it.

PS some minor celeb had a baby called Dolly in recent years so it might be less rare than you think by the time you are naming your little one

Gosh, OP, I really don't want to rain on your parade, and many congratulations and best wishes on your forthcoming wedding.

However:

Dolly was quite popular among the older generation of ladies in Scotland. It was short for Dolina or occasionally Donalda or Donaldina. It can also be short for Dorothy ...
Essentially, it's a nickname.What would your Dolly be short for?

Am not a fan of colours as names - eg Scarlett - so can't really think of much to say about 'Grey'. Why would anyone want to name their child after a famously boring colour? If it is short for well-known and talented potter namedGrayson, then I'm afraid I don't like 'celeb' names, either. But these are just my opinions. I really don't wish to be negative.

In Scotland, no babies were called 'Dolly' last year.
One was called Gray, one was called Graye, one was called Greyson:
www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/popular-forenames/2013/babiesnames-2013-t4.pdf

In England and Wales, Dolly ranked 276 in England and Wales; Dorothy was 397.
Grayson was 231 in England and Wales; Grayson was no 883

www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-318125

Chantelle Houghton and Alex Reid, if that means anything to you!

Thanks for all your replies, mixed feelings on both names. I didn't know Chantelle had named her navy dolly. As for grey it would just be grey, although now I do like greyson shortened to grey. Dolly I love it shortened to doll, to me it just sounds so girly and feminine. As for a job when my child is older I don't think you can name your child in accordance to what job you would like then to have as who knows what the future holds xx

Grey is not to my taste, but fine. Might want to be careful if it is when the 50 Shades film comes out.

Dolly I am afraid I think is awful. Why would you want to name your child after a toy? And, yes, it is massively girly and feminine. What if your child isn't massively girly and feminine, I think it would be quite a hard name to live with in that case. As a nn for Dorothy or similar I think it's fine.

Grey just makes me think of the colour, or the 50 Shades books/film. I don't like Greyson either - a grey son?

I only think Dolly is ok if it's a nickname for Dorothy or Dorothea, otherwise no.

Hi op, I think they're both lovely! You'll find on mumsnet that opinion is divided on every name so don't worry too much about a lack of consensus!

What does your DH-to-be think?

I like Grey but for me, Dolly only suits a tiny baby or old lady, not the inbetween stage.

I don't like Dolly at all. It's.something you call a toy, not a baby. And it's very much a cutesy infantile sort of.name IMO. Fine on a baby, but terrible on an adult who's not extremely girly.

I don't really like Grey either, but I don't think it would burden a child in the way that Dolly would.

If you told my great-aunt Doll her name was awful she would have whacked you with a wooden spoon! Anyway, she was a Dorothy. I would give a child the option if a longer name.

Grey I like.

Dolly reinforces so many stereotypes about women and girls- all cutesy ickle pwetty. At least call her Dorothy or Dorothea so she has a bit of choice. Not all women like to be girly and feminine.

Grey to me is just a shortening of Graham- which I am pretty sure is not the image you are hoping to create!

Grey is OK, at best a bit meh, at worst 50 Shades Of... connotations. Dolly, again is OK, but the Chantelle/Alex Reid connection would put me off. It's OK as a middle name maybe, but not great. Sorry. Congrats on your forthcoming wedding.

Dolly is adorable but personally I'd use Dorothea or Dorothy and this gives the child options of other nns. I know a youngish Dot and it really suits her!

Dislike both, sorry. Dolly just about okay as a nn. Grey is horrible, imvho.

My daughter was named something entirely different but for some reason I called her Dolly for months after she was born, so much so that my sister thought we'd officially changed her name! I've mostly stopped it now, but have very affectionate memories of the name now. Plus my granny was a Dorothy, known as Dot.
I like Grey too and don't think you need it to be a shortening of anything.
Kids will find something to make fun of - it's not like you're wanting to call them something totally ridiculous, and agree with the other poster who said EVERY name on MN will lead to differing opinions. If YOU (and DH) love it, ignore the naysayers - it will just be your child's name, and everyone who loves that child will accept it, raised eyebrows at the beginning or not! With time and repeated use, they'll get used to it, and if they don't, it's their problem!
(Can you tell I'm a week away from birth of DC2, Team Yellow, with some unusual choices on the name short list?)

Honestly - I don't mean to be harsh but she will more than likely be changing her name as soon as she can.

Imagine the poor thing in a business meeting, hi I'm dolly?

She will however be in a generation of - rains, tigerlilies, storm, Eden, rainbow and all the other more unusual names I've heard recently so maybe dolly will be considered average by then.

There was an old Boer War era song 'Goodbye Dolly Grey', weirdly enough.

I would avoid Dolly because of comparisons between her shape and Dolly Parton's where she is probably bound to fall short.

And also because it is an infantile name. If you wanted, you could call her Dorothy and use Dolly as a NN for a few years. But I wouldn't try to make it stick past the age of three.

I would avoid Grey because of '50 Shades of...'

As an alternative to Dolly, Dulcie is similarly old fashioned.

Hi everyone thanks for all your opinions. Massive response on this. Personally I think ignorant matter what you name your child there will always be people out there that will hate it, get bullied because of it, look stupid in work meetings because of it. My name being Camilla I have had my fair share of "oh where is Charles" "your not that posh with a name like Camilla". And with the amount of new unique names out there I am sure those names will just blend like Sarah of Thomas.

I think "Dolly" will have a harder time of things than other people with the "pretty, empty-headed, vacuous toy" connotations.

I dislike it for the reasons listed above.

But ultimately if you love it, you should go for it.

How about Graham? Grey as a nn?

Its soooo cool now to have a baby Dave or Graham or even Darren