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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

If I loved Peregrine would else would I like?

102 replies

Terriersandtea · 27/08/2017 09:16

I love the name and keep coming back to it time and again, DH loves it and we like all plausible nicknames but I don't want my child to feel I've given him a ridiculous name and I'm scared of the eye rolls when I introduce him to people. What other names would people suggest that are a little more mainstream? Thanks in advance.

OP posts:
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Sophronia · 28/08/2017 07:52

Percival/Percy

Glowerglass · 28/08/2017 07:54

Sholto
Clemence
Ptolemy
Torquil
Alorick

Wants · 28/08/2017 07:56

My 22 yr old is Perry ( not nickname) and never had negative comments. Never come across another one😍

Decaffstilltastesweird · 28/08/2017 07:58

Perry is a Surname on its own and there are loads of Surnamey names around these days. So I don't see why not just perry. Fwiw, I prefer that to Peregrine.

NC4now · 28/08/2017 08:04

I prefer Perry and I might call him Peregrine as a nickname at home.

Terriersandtea · 28/08/2017 10:19

Littlemiss Smile how old is your nephew if you don't mind me asking? Does everyone call him by his full name or does he have a "known as" nickname. I like the full name and although I'm happy for nicknames to develop I don't intend to call him something different from day one. A lot of names that we have considered e.g. Archie but I'm not in love with Archibald, Peregrine is one of the few names that I actually love on it's own rather than could cope with to then use a nickname.

OP posts:
WildCherryBlossom · 28/08/2017 10:25

I love Peregrine. Was very keen on it for my first, but she turned out to be a girl.

BeyondThePage · 28/08/2017 10:35

I think it is probably more "fine" if you are English and middle-class-upwards, but generally it is associated for whatever reason with the silver-spoon brigade...

General Sir Peregrine Poncenby-Smythe is usually a suspect in "murder mystery games" where they have a "cocktail hour" murder.

Trollspoopglitter · 28/08/2017 10:37

I would have 100% assumed it was a girl Blush

littlemissneela · 28/08/2017 10:44

He is only 9 months old. He mainly gets called Perry, Peregrine or Pea (due to his initials).

MrsEricBana · 28/08/2017 10:53

I am usually up for names of this sort (ref the Edmund thread the other day) but I'm sorry I'm not at all keen. Peregrine sounds affectedly posh and wet to me and Perry smacks of Terry. A lot of the names suggested above have similar connotations but are more liveable e.g. Hector, Sholto etc. Sorry.

grufallosfriend · 28/08/2017 10:54

People said the same 'upper class thing' about Sebastian only a few years ago. Names change their associations very quickly, especially if more people start using them.

I think Peregrine is great!

MrsEricBana · 28/08/2017 10:54

And remember the age old test, How would you feel calling it out in the park or supermarket?

grufallosfriend · 28/08/2017 11:00

If I love a name, why would calling it in a park be any different to calling it at home? I'd be happy with the name and enjoy using it Smile.

squoosh · 28/08/2017 11:02

Such an awful name. Give the child something very mainstream for his middle name so he can change it if/when he feels the need.

aaahhhBump · 28/08/2017 11:07

I thought you were big Tolkien fans.
Frodo Baggins,
Meriadoc Brandybuck,
Peregrin Took
and Samwise Gamgee.

grufallosfriend · 28/08/2017 11:12

Why the assumption that kids prefer a 'mainstream' (common?) name?

squoosh · 28/08/2017 11:17

Because if you're giving your child a totally outlandish name it makes sense to pair it with something unremarkable in case said child does not enjoy being the bearer of such an unusual name.

Selfish not to imo.

WildCherryBlossom · 28/08/2017 11:19

OP if you love it, go with it!

Terriersandtea · 28/08/2017 11:38

Thanks everyone for all your replies, yes we would be using Jack as a middle name as it is a family name, but both DH and I have old names that are less common in people our age but we like them and I'm glad our parents chose them for us. Hopefully if we do go with Peregrine he will feel the same way (or be known as Jack! 🙃)

OP posts:
Fozzleyplum · 28/08/2017 11:57

There seems to be a real trend these days (at least on Mumsnet) for names which, not long ago, were the preserve of the aristocracy, or the eccentric. During my childhood, in the 1970s, eyes would have been rolled at Peregrine, Monty, Persephone, Anastasia et al.

I'm very much of the view that you do as you like and ignore the tastes of others. However, if you are at all concerned about the impression a particular name gives, you need to bear in mind that "out there" names can label a child. On the one hand, unless you obviously come from a long line of Peregrine type names, certain people will see your choice as very "try hard" and that could reflect on your child in years to come. Another possibility is that your chosen unusual name could become popular, possibly because aspirational parents choose the name, too. I think that has happened to an extent with names like Archie, Finn and Amelia, which are now very mainstream, but were definitely more aspirational 10-15 years ago.

All of this is very politically incorrect, I know, but if you are concerned about the impression a name might give, you need to consider it and decide if it bothers you. I don't think it's a coincidence that most genuinely aristocratic families use ordinary, traditional names for their children.

vichill · 28/08/2017 12:09

I agree this is a statement name of class and along with many of those mentioned above a bit cringe. It is undeniably cool but unless you're proper toff posh and not just Laura Ashley account posh it sounds affected.

Terriersandtea · 28/08/2017 12:16

Fozzley thank you for your post that is a good point I hadn't really thought about a class divide and I wouldn't want people to judge him like that. Whilst we aren't doing too badly we definitely aren't posh and he may or may not go to private school. I suppose I don't associate the name with being posh but maybe I need to rethink that. Thanks again. Xx

OP posts:
grufallosfriend · 28/08/2017 15:20

Why the assumption that a classic unusual name is necessarily 'aristocratic'?

grufallosfriend · 28/08/2017 15:25

Five years ago names like Sebastian, Quentin or Hugo were deemed 'posh' on here. I know lots of very normal cool boys with these names.

I think Peregrine is very cool and much more interesting than Jack (which is a perfectly nice name, just very widely used)