Gautham

[Username12345]

My cousin would like some middle name suggestions.

Thank you.

People usually are in this section, especially when it comes to foreign names

No doubt that's what made you think it was the ideal place to canvas opinions while giving no background information whatsoever.

People who did recognise the name, or took the trouble to look it up, would probably be inclined to suggest a name with "matching" ethnicity (I'm not sure, by the way, is it a specifically Tamil name?) which is specifically what you didn't want, while you've made it clear that you expected people who didn't recognise the name to take the piss. So you were going to be wasting the time of people whose opinions you valued and also encouraging people whose opinions you didn't value to waste yours. Seems an odd approach.

How many syllables in last name? I'd be inclined to look at a one-syllable middle name or you risk singsonginess. Do the parents mind "nicknamy" names?

Gautham Ben
Gautham Luke
Gautham Charles
Gautham Seth
Gautham Joel
Gautham Jude
Gautham Jack
Gautham Finn

Yes, it's quite a soft 't' sound isn't it, I can see how 'th' would be an alternative spelling.

Oh, from Buckskinned's list I really like Seth.

I knew Gautham was an Asian name and yet I still made the apparently 'shocking' City comment.

My shame isn't very great I'm afraid.

Well in my cultural ignorance I'd have thought it was a made up name.

Srinivas

bansheebarley do try and be even more po faced and outraged. I'm sure you can manage it.

what did i expect? ummm maybe for you to stop being a knob?

Oh dear. Very different I'm afraid as 'Gotham City' isn't actually offensive whereas 'Paddy Wagon' is making a joke of the racist term 'Paddy'.

And may I please add that I'm not one tiny bit embarrassed by making an off the cuff (and rather limp I'll admit) 'Gautham City' joke and I would challenge your implication wholeheartedly that I'm being 'nasty'.

squoosh Why do you think it was appropriate to make such a 'joke' on a thread where you don't know whether the persons sense of humour is in line with yours.

I'm seriously looking for names to help my family member, and instead, if it wasn't for ConcreteElephants comment would probably have had a page full of lame jokes.

Unnecessary and ill-mannered.

I teach a boy called Gautham. He's a very nice boy.
I don't see the 'city' jokes as offensive, sorry. It's like suggesting 'time' as a middle name for 'Justin'.

Jai. That's a lovely name. Maybe Jai Gautham?

I think you're looking at that from the wrong angle Username. Surely you should have looked around the baby names section, read the mood and then asked yourself 'will I be hacked off if strangers on an internet forum give anything aside from a straight answer to the question I pose?'

This is how these threads often go. You think I'm ill-mannered, I think you're taking it way too seriously.

You were 'having a laugh' at the expense of the OP, which I which say is nasty, and I would also say that you, and others, acted in a very derogatory manner.

Many people 'have a laugh' on these boards. It's allowed you know. You think I and others acted in a 'very derogatory manner'. And I think you're being silly.

And there we have it, we each have an opinion on the other that the other most likely disagrees with.

Username if you had started with 'My cousin is Asian and is thinking of Gautham for her new DS but wants an English middle name to go with it - any suggestions?' this thread would have gone totally differently.

Equally a brief look at the baby name forum would have showed you the general tone of threads, and possibly the recent Balonz thread, and made you realise that not everyone is going to post love and kisses.

And many people on here have diverse social backgrounds and social lives but if you aren't into cricket, or meeting Asians of Tamil origin, you would never have heard the name Gautham. Or know it wasn't a made up name. And heaven knows, this forum has seen some weird made up names.

Well at least you've given up the silly 'Paddy' analogy. Small mercies I suppose.

Regardless of its ethnic origin I think it's fairly reasonable to point out that Gautham will bring to mind Gotham City in the same way it was pointed out recently that Jezebel brings to mind the disreputable Biblical character. I would hesitate to give my child a name with very strong historical/cultural associations or linked to person who is perceived negatively, e.g. Adolf, and I don't think it is odd for people to point this put in these kinds of threads.

I agree with you Squoosh. BTW, I thought it was pronounced Gotham, never heard it in RL and genuinely thought OP was a Batman fan.

'Gotum' is how my Gautham pronounces it

Well I am super ignorant then, because I assumed it was French!

my first thought was also Batman

Imagine if the word, I dunno, Emily, had some sort of funny connotation in, say, Turkish.

If I then went on to the Turkish version of mumsnet, and posted 'what do you think of the name Emily' with no other information, then I couldn't really get all po faced when everyone posted the very obvious joke? And especially not if I then stated that I knew everyone would make fun of it but still posted it with no helpful information anyway.