Wilberforce

[Fartbaby]

We have decided to call this baby Wilberforce if it is a boy. We absolutely love it, as do my family and my best friend. I haven't told anyone else as I know for a fact lots of people would be horrified by the name. We will be almost exclusively calling him Wilbur due to the aforementioned probability of loathing for the full name, so my question is: is there any point to putting Wilberforce on the birth certificate?

I know it sounds as if I don't have the courage of my convictions regarding the name Wilberforce and that makes me a little sad, too, as I absolutely love it. Would you introduce your baby as Wilberforce if you were me or would you pretend he is simply Wilbur?

Oh blimey, I sound like an idiot

Your kids will love them too as you'll obviously raise them to be fearless, confident, upstanding members of society. Parents of children who get bullied must have made some serious failings to allow it to have happened. Go you.

Talk about victim blaming. So it's ok for kids to get bullied because it's the parents fault for giving them a particular name?

I still don't see a problem with Wilburforce. However OP I think you have shot yourself in the foot naming and shaming the names that you don't like. But some of the replies on here have been horrible.

"Eddie Izzard said that?? So the dress and heels would have nothing to do with having the shit kicked out of a boy? hmm"

There's a difference between choosing for yourslf something that might make your life more difficult for you, and your parents deciding to do something before you're even born something that will pale your life a tiny bit more difficult than it needs to be every single day of your life. As I said, the children in my family changed their names because it was just so tedious to have a comment, even a friendly one, or a hint of raised eyebrow every time they told anyone what they were called.

Our job is to help our children, not hinder them. There are loads of unusual names- my ds is the only one in a school of nearly a 1000 boys, but it's a perfectly ordinary, although very beautiful, name that people have had as first name for thousands of years.

You'll probably find that he'll get a nickname which fits him when he (or she) gets here. DS2 is on his birth certificate as Albert but he's been Bertie since he was born-always gets introduced as Bertie.

It's not OK for kids to get bullied for any reason whatsoever. However, it is extremely naive to think that your own children will be immune from bullying because of the fantastic job you're going to do bringing them up.

I didn't read the full thread before posting and I see my child's name is terribly common so I guess my contribution will be ignored

You sound a charmer OP.

Purdita is as valid a spelling as Perdita but I dislike the look of Perdy; it's not how Joanna Lumley spelt it!

Because the character wasn't called Perdita.

Yes, I'm beginning to think I'll disregard Perdita entirely and just have Purdey on the bc as that is the name I love.

I absolutely love Albert but, again, it's the ubiquitous 'ie' that bores me: Bertie, Alfie, Archie, Frankie, Freddie.

I'm really not interested in trying to presuppose what a son of mine may or may not get teased for at school. All I can do is try to raise a confident and caring young man - and one who isn't afraid to use his noble, glorious name.

Purely was, apparently, named after a shotgun manufacturer.

Purdey.

one who isn't afraid to use his noble, glorious name.

Yeah.

You know those wedding scenes where everyone sniggers because they didn't know what the bride/groom's real full name is...?

Anyway, I grew up with a name my parents "loved" and which was shit. It destroyed all my confidence once I started school.

Oops I've got a Freddie too!! Again, he's Frederick on his birth certificate but he just suits Freddie.

If you absolutely had to choose between Purdey and Queenie, what would your preference be?

I love Frederick, by the way.

...and Isambard is just glorious! What a crime shame to shorten it to Sam.

I don't think he needs too worry so much about his ghastly name anymore, it seems the ops cunty attitude will do more damage to megatron as he grows up.

Thanks, he was named after my grandad (who I adored).

I'd choose Purdey over Queenie, like you I remember The Avengers, whereas Queenie, to me, is an old lady name (think a character in Adrian Mole was called Queenie!).

There are some people who shouldnt be allowed to name children

I've always liked Queenie, but think you're best off waiting to see which of the two suit best if its a girl.
(I have a Nancy too, its a fab name)

Oh but Queenie ends 'ie'?

All I can do is try to raise a confident and caring young man - and one who isn't afraid to use his noble, glorious name.

Come now, OP. Bit of leg pulling going on now I think.

I'm still not convinced another Wilberforce born c. 2015 will be popping up any time soon on the BMD registers (and we'd never see a Wilberforce appearing on the annual ONS stats I'd wager because there simply aren't enough ever registered).

Queenie was a nickname for Victoria.

If you absolutely had to choose between Purdey and Queenie, what would your preference be?

I think Irish names are visually ugly and anything ending in 'ie' frightfully common

Oh dear.

I'd forgotten Wilberforce was Bertie Wooster's middle name. Joke name you see.

What does Aunt Dahlia say about Wilberforce:

Wilberforce,’ she [Aunt Dahlia] murmured, as far as a woman of her outstanding lung power could murmur. ‘Did I ever tell you how you got that label? It was your father's doing. The day before you were lugged to the font looking like a minor actor playing a bit part in a gangster file he won a packet on an outsider in the Grand National called that, and he insisted on you carrying on the name. Tough on you, but we all have our cross to bear. Your Uncle Tom's second name is Portarlington, and I came within an ace of being christened Phyllis.’

I know full well that if Wilbur or Wilberforce was featured in Game of Thrones or was the name of one of this year's achingly middle-class and diverse Bake Off contestants you would all be slobbering over it.

I've never watched GoT, and have only ever watched one episode of GBBO so no slobbering imminent here.