Matilda or Tabitha

[looki]

I'm torn - I love Tabitha but if I was going to be called one of them, I think I'd probably choose Matilda. Or would I really want to be named either of them?

Which do you prefer and why and which one would you like to be named if it was your own name?

You have a point, maybe I'm assuming all the Tillys are actually Matildas when they're just Tillys..

Actually, I stand corrected having checked, Matilda has gone up in popularity again. 1394 born last year. But a further 600 Tillys, plus another 114 Tillies. If you consider how many of those Matildas are also Tilly/ie, I think Matilda is not nearly as popular as it seems. I also know a couple of Tillys who are Ottilie and Natalia on the BC.

And once again, nobody used Rhonda. Honestly, we're a dying breed. I know, I know it's hideous.

Popularity varies a lot across the country too.

A name may be overused in one town but almost unheard of at the other end of the country.

I don't think I've ever actually met a Rhonda. 'Help me, Rhonda' is a good song though.

Maybe you need to make a new version 'Help we Rhondas' in an attempt to bring it back into popular use!

I completely agree with Showy. In the 2014 most popular baby names statistics Matilda was 36th, behind names like Molly, Imogen, Lola and Holly. Very few people on mumsnet would call these names overused but for some reason Matilda is often regarded on here as "too popular".

I think names are considered 'too popular' when you know a lot of them personally. I haven't met an Imogen yet.

I've never met another Rhonda. There are two others on MN. I think we're it tbh. I promise you, me warbling anything approaching a song will kill off any and all recognisable words and/or names contained within it.

I know all the Islas, Matilda's, luca's and Noah's. I haven't met a single Olivia.

I think people think of Matilda as popular as its very much of this generation whereas I know Holly's of all ages, holly doesn't stand out to me. Tbf I don't know any little Molly's or lolas.

Oh dear somebody just mentioned Matilda in the same sentence as Noah (I really hate the popularity and name Noah). I wouldn't have thought it was ugly, not by a long shot though I really don't like the name Tilly.

How difficult is it to ensure someone is called their full name and only their full name?

Sorry but tabitha sounds like a granny from a fairy tale. Matilda is beautiful.

Perfectly possible for her to only ever be Matilda to you. Nicknames are organic though, you could have her known as something v odd to other people. Nobody calls me by my first name. My nn is unrelated to my real name. My dd calls herself Mathilda and always has. That''s because we call her Mathilda mostly. In future, her friends might change it or she might. I can't control it.

I wouldn't use a full name if I really hated an obvious nickname. DC1 has a name like Thomas, we meant to use his full name, but at 6 now he is almost always the nickname equivalent of Tom (which I'm fine with, but it's not what I had planned). Lots of people assumed that we'd use the short form of his name and so used if themselves, and once he started school he requested that the teachers use the short form. This is the reason that DC3 is not called Louisa - I could envisage her insisting on Lou, or LouLou, and I don't like either. That said, I'm not sure that Tilly is quite so automatic from Matilda.

I had a dream that I had a daughter and names her Tabitha nick name Thea. Not sure that it really is a nn for Tabitha but I think both are lovely and am now considering it. DH will of course not like either when I mention them to him

I love Matilda because it reminds me of the Roald Dahl book and that character was a pretty awesome role model in my opinion.

Tabitha makes me think of cats or witches for some reason.

Of course I understand that names seem 'too popular' when you know loads of people of that name. Having said that there are 2 Roses and 3 Jasmines in my daughter's class and I would never say that those names are overly popular, it's just a coincidence I guess. People that say that they have never met an Olivia or Amelia, however, are not around many children/ young people IMO.

My ds's name's something like 300 on the list. I ran a parenting craft session when he was a newborn, using him as a model. 3 of the pregnant women used his name. Unless we move, his reception class will have 4 children with the same relatively uncommon name.

I have a Tabitha! (The clue is probably in my username....!) 4 years on and no name shortening, I guess that might change when she goes to school though. Only one cat reference so far from a neighbour 'we used to have a cat called Tabitha'

adore Tabitha! (Jilly Cooper fan...)
also Talitha...

Do you think that these pregnant women got their name inspiration from you/ your son then Showy? Would love to know his name now...

Tabitha!

I know one and my first response was LOVE that name.

There's also Tanith
Tamar

Definitely Tabitha. The cat thing wouldn't bother me either. Not a huge fan of Tabby, but have to say I prefer it to Tilly/Tilda. I actually quite like the NN Kit for Tabitha - it's a nod to the cat connection but is more tomboyish as less girly than Tabby. Obviously you can't control what others choose to call her though!

Matilda's perfectly nice too, but for me Tabitha just has a smoother, more pleasant sound, and it's that bit more unusual.

Peggy, in at least one case yes. I see her at toddler groups sometimes. She told me about the other two as they have kept in touch.