Your opinion on these names, please? English naming "rules" are a book with 7 seals to me... [hmm]

[1horatio]

so...:
Vela (which I love and is also the name of a constellation)
Carina (honours somebody that saved my life...)
Erica
Louisa
Carla
Kira (Kira doesn't come from Ciara, it's the feminine form of Cyrus. I think this sounds spunky)

Cedric (my absolute favourite, tbh. I looove this name)
Clement
Isaac
Orion

My better half is English but I am from all over Europe (Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Germany...)
The daddy works for a uni, I myself am a consultant (law).
The daddy would probably just name the kid after grandparents/favourite aunt/uncle and be done with it... But in Britain names can apparently be "wet", "chavy", "common", "try hard"?
The 2nd and 3rd name will honour relatives, so these will be fairly classic....

Love Erica and Isaac. Not too fussed about the rest.

I love names with celestial connotations. How about Estelle rather than Stella. Or Celeste, Eliana, Astrea, Esther, Helia, Lyra, Selene, Hester, Orianne, Danica. Along the lines of Vela there is Vega and Veda also. I love Vita too.

For boys Cosmo, Sirius, Atlas...

Lots of inspiration from the heavens!

Ah, but this "class stuff"... Maybe people just thought it was ironic (I don't use it often in real life).
Or they mentally assigned me to a class. Or thought I was just weird...

But I am foreign. So, I highly doubt that anybody cares in Britain that my dad's family tree goes back to 14something, whether I used to have a dummy (I didn't) or that my grandma's dad was a carpenter. So, I somewhat doubt this English stuff applies to me?

I think that flexible names are ones where there is no association with any one particular person or social group. They tend to be established, reliable names yhat have been consistently used throughout the generations, so they are not specifically associated with a particular age group or social class. Names like Sophie or William tell a person nothing about the social class or background of either the child or parent - you are as likely to hear them amongst royalty and council estates. Yet there are some names that if used by the 'wrong' class would scream 'try hard' and 'wrong'. As a foreigner you would get away with that and by extension, so would your child, but yes, it is easier to fit in.

Unusual names are fine but again they have to be the 'right sort'. I think you could use Peregrine, but not Copernicus or Clement tbh.

When naming children we comply with rules that we often never articulate as actually existing, yet we instinctively know them. I guess it is the same everywhere, about different things.

I lovee Astrea! It is gorgeous...! But maybe Astraea? Or Atreia...?
Vega is also pretty
Vita means life in Italian... I do think it sounds pretty, but seeing as I speak Italian (and it's my mum's first language....).
The person that suggested Ezra... Ezra is lovely!

"I agree it is an indicator if class but it is horrible to tell someone not to use it because it makes them sound common. Whe someone uses 'chavvy' on here, they get their arse handed to them. Is it not the same thing?"

If somebody doesn't have English as a first language and has asked for advice on unspoken English mores, then it would be irresponsible not to point out things lik that. It's all about informed choices! I have loads of friends and family with English as a second language, and this sort of thing can be a minefield. Stuff that shouldn't matter, but does.

Posters are describing 'hubby' as grim. It's mostly just working class. I don't think it's right to tell people to avoid working class words/phrases, as if being working class is a bad thing.

NNalreadyinuse: that is very nice :) But I didn't feel like BertrandRussel called me common. Or maybe I just didn't read between the lines? If it's rude to say this in this forum then shame on whoever that said it

But I didn't feel offended... If anything I felt offended about a certain somebody saying that I just ignore the answers I get (no, I know that this wasn't you...)
. Because that's wrong and I truly appreciate them! :)

I also like your suggestions about flexible names. But Sophie is really, really not a name I'd want, tbh....

I said hubby was grim - did you also read my reasons? Nothing about class, all about attitude

Peregrine - Posh rather than hippyish, unfortunately. Also google Harry Enfield's Perry the teenager

Clement (Clem) - had a lovely friend called Clem. Unusual choice but not in a bad way

Cedric - vague associations with a cartoon character?

Ezra - Lovely but quite religious in my circles

Girls - no opinion apart from Kira possibly sounding like a dog's name to me. The only popular Euro name to avoid at all costs here is Fanny.

BertrandRussel: :)
Knowing social protocol is important, I agree. Where I grew up not saying individual names after clinking glasses (yes, we clink glasses) is horribly rude, for example... I did not exactly ask for your opinion about how I call my husband. But I'm not offended that you did give yours... :) it's good to know. And if I ever wanted to tease my MIL, well, saying hubby s most likely a very sure way to do it

One of my grannies is probably what one would call common. And yet she's the loveliest one of my grand-parents and will be a fabulous great-grandmother :)
And being working class isn't bad. Some of the nicest people were working class, at least where I grew up.

Sorry, that was not meant to read as though there's something wrong with being posh...

Maybe we should go back to talking about babynames? :)

Vela - no, makes me think of velo=bicycle. Not a good association.
Carina - lovely name, would be an excellent choice
Erica - a typical name for the "mean bully who no one likes" in my mind.
Louisa - very traditionally English but a bit boring
Carla - fine, nice enough
Kira - would constantly be misspelled as Kiera but it's a nice name.

Cedric - nooooo this is terrible. Ultra victorian.
Clement - even worse
Isaac - a nice name, yes
Orion - oh dear. Far too hippy, almost as bad as calling a child River Moonshine

"Posters are describing 'hubby' as grim. It's mostly just working class. I don't think it's right to tell people to avoid working class words/phrases, as if being working class is a bad thing."

I didnMt say anything about "grim" I was just pointing out that it is a word that would n't. fit into the particular world the OP is likely to inhabit in England.

Sorry about saying you seem to be ignoring suggestions, OP. it just seemed that way when you were accepting that Cedric Peregrine wasn't an option then going on to suggest Copernicus!

Basically, in England, the "higher" up the social scale you go, the more traditional the names. There are a few notable exceptions- there is a minor Royal called Columbus, for example, and another by marriage called Savannah. But the fact that they are exceptions proves the rule.

I'm not calling our child Fanny. I wouldn't call a child Vagina or Penis... Plus Fanny reminds me of Fanny Price. Nothing against Jane Austen books, btw.

Of the girl's names I like Carina the best. Lovely name, unusual but not at all chavvy. Louisa is a classic but I'm not that keen on it - think it's the Loo sound which means toilet in UK.

I love Cedric too. great name - classic but unusual. I love Isaac - all time favourite (DH vetoed it for being too unusual and now it's popular)

Only one I dislike is Orion but that's by association with a very unpleasant person I knew of that name.

Actually, Jane Austen is good source material..........

OP I really like Lettice for a girl so I'm with your 'hubby' on that one!

I know a little Cedric, he has French parents so it sounds super cute. From an English tongue it does sound more wooden though (see also: Agnes).

I also like Clement but I'm not sure I would be brave enough to use it. 'Clem' makes me think of phlegm a bit. It's a shame as it's a lovely name.

I would definitely have used Orion as a middle name. I think it's pretty cool.

River Moonshine? :)
Well, moonshine makes me think of alcohol. Isn't it a bit like calling one's child Oban or Chardonnay? That's just not happening.... Never!!!

Seeing as I have no idea where we are on this social scale... I don't really think I want to let these rules dictate our choice. As long as it's an informed choice it's all good imo.

Bertrand, I didn't mean you when I said that posters were describing hubby as grim. It was further up the thread. I do take your point that you were informing the OP of perceptions. Apologies if it came across as otherwise.

OP, how about Astrid? Although I think Carina is hard to beat.

I have no idea where we are on this social scale

Your husband works for a university and is OK with the names Ignatius and Lettice. You are a law consultant.

That instantly makes you middle class intellectual, I would guess your husband has some sort of upper middle class connections and probably went to private, if not public school.

From being foreign you get away with not spotting class signifiers, and get forgiven for using spunky, but your posts actually signal quite strongly what class you belong to.

From your names Carina is the best by far but all the girls' names are great except possibly Kira, Cedric and Clement belong to retired colonels who read the Telegraph and have gout, Isaac is great, Orion belongs to a hippy.

"Seeing as I have no idea where we are on this social scale... I don't really think I want to let these rules dictate our choice"

your husband works for a university and you're a lawyer..............And your child will go to school with the children of other lawyers and university lecturers.

As a foreigner, you get to escape all the class stuff, but your kid won't. (Fellow foreigner)

If you like hippy tree/flower names, how about Heather for a girl, and Rowan for either?

I am rather surprised that you guys can tell these stuff just by a thread like that. I'm honestly surprised.

Anyhow, being in the middle means, what again as far as perceptions are concerned? Just nothing made up?

ButtonLoon: yay, fellow foreigner :) yes, that's exactly what I think as well. The child will be facing these class issues.... Heather will sound like he-t-err when my mum or grand-parents pronounce it. Which is... Uhm, yes, the opposite of pretty imo.

As for Rowan. It is pretty. But I just can't see us going with a unisex name.