Ethel

[ag123]

Firstly, any general opinions on this name?

Would there be any alternatives i.e. to shorten/nickname?

Also, this will be dc2 to older ds Wilf(red)...would this be too weird to have two such old person names??

I'm usually more drawn to 'prettier' names e.g. Ottilie (DH has vetoed :-( ), Hetty, Phoebe etc but quite like the sound of Ethel! Very much in early stages of deciding though!

[MrsBungle]

Ethel is truly awful. Greta seems similar but much more sophisticated. Iris is beautiful.

[BubGal13]

Love the vintagey type of names but do not like Ethel, sorry. Sounds very harsh & almost a bit like "evil"

[EeekNumber4]

Wow, we clearly have very similar taste OP! I have an Iris and a Hetty! Ethel is currently top of my list for dc 4 if a girl! Wilf top of my list if a boy!

My third daughter is Mabel and Elsie was on my list until my brother named his daughter :)

I'm not sure I'm brave enough to go with Ethel simply because I don't like the thought of most people hating the name :( usually wouldn't bother me but Ethel really seems to stir up an absolute hatred in a lot of people :(

[ButtonMoon88]

Edith
Olive
Pearl
Jean
Flora
Lottie
Nancy
Slyvie

I love all of these names, very strong and feminine sounding. One of them is my DDs name

[clary]

Some great suggestions here.

Not sure about Ethel personally but I really like:

Agnes
Florence
Edith
Elsie
Mabel
Cecily
Harriet

Agnes was DS2's name if a girl - I told a colleague once and she said "oh, good thing he was a boy then" at her rudeness!

[Whathaveilost]

Personally I don't like it BUT its not about me or what anybody else thinks.
If you really like it go for it.

[ItsADinosaur]

Ethel is awful, sorry.

[MamaLazarou]

How about Henrietta (nn Hettie)?

[professornangnang]

Eliza?

[Fairenuff]

Does anyone else remember "Don't look Ethel!"

[coolaschmoola]

Can't abide Ethel or Edith...

Nell
Ivy
Gwendoline
Clara
Adeline
Cecily
Beatrix

[IsadoraQuagmire]

I think Ethel is a lovely name, also love Wilfred (I'm a big fan of Wilfred Owen)

[IvoryMadonna]

I don't understand a blanket hatred of "old" names. There's an incredible variety of names, and I consider each name on its own merits. Some "old" names (by this I mean those that were popular c100 years ago) I like, some I don't. Some names that were popular for my own generation I like, some I don't.

[susiedaisy]

Ethel is dreadful. Sorry

[ag123]

Ooh no Gobbolinothewitchscat! It was certainly directed at the size she's likely to be and said very much in jest! I of course love red-heads and will be very pleased to have a lovely red-haired (little) girl :-)

[Twinklestar2]

I hate old names so it's a no from me.

[Belazu84]

Love Iris - beautiful. I know two little ones.

The Hetty I know is short for Hester, which is old-ladyish but a lot cooler than Ethel, I would say. She's grown up, but very creative and cool and it suits her very well indeed.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

I had a teacher whose first names were rumoured to be Olive Daphne. How we laughed in 1972, little thinking that 40 years on our children would be falling over themselves to snap up names of just that type for our grandchildren!

My daughter tells me that if she ever has children Matilda is a front runner. That would be lovely!

[woodhill]

mama so was mine. her face came straight into my head and she looked so old when she wasn't.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Iris is lovely. Ethel is awful. Eunice is even worse. Also loathe Edna and Enid. Edith not so bad.

What about Dorothy or Agatha or Margery or Phyllis or Ruth? (Keen readers of British crime fiction may be able to see a connection here ).

[Laquila]

Agatha
Gytha (I think this will Have A Moment soon)
Althea

[littlejohnnydory]

I like Ethel. I love Iris though (I'd have used it except a friend has one!). Dd's middle name is Ivy and I really wish I'd used it for a first name.

[OddBoots]

Gobbolinothewitchscat - I think the monster bit was more referring to being 12lbs than being ginger.

Mind you, my dd who is now 12 years old was 7lb at birth and recently looked at her newborn pictures and thinks she looked like Golum so the 'monsters' come in all sizes. :) It's an affectionate term, in most cases.