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Baby names

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Original poster

Surprised by choice of Deborah

64 replies

Emileee80 · 01/12/2017 13:39

One of the mums at the school has just had a baby girl and called her Deborah! Her nickname is Bee as that's apparently its meaning. Are 70s names due a revival??

Her son is called A m o s (separated so not googlable!), which seems more cool and on trend.
WDYT?

OP posts:
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NannyR · 01/12/2017 13:43

I quite like it - she's not likely to be one of several in her class. Both sibling names are old testament biblical names.

Flippetydip · 01/12/2017 13:44

Um, at the wish of sounding a bit preachy - Deborah is not from the 1970s, it's a Hebrew name and occurs in the Book of Judges in the Bible. Hence, it goes quite well with Amos.

That said, I can't ever get past Tony singing "ditteny da, dittany da, Deborah" in Men Behaving Badly so I'm probably not one to ask.

IsadoraQuagmire · 01/12/2017 14:12

Yes, Biblical, and it does mean "a bee" in Hebrew (as does Melissa in Greek, so I always think of those names as being connected)
It's a nice name.

Intercom · 01/12/2017 14:31

I like it, but not so keen on Debbie as nickname - prefer Deb or Debs.

Intercom · 01/12/2017 14:32

Bee is a lovely nickname 🐝

orangecloves · 01/12/2017 14:33

It was my favourite name when I was little because there was a girl a couple of years older than me called Deborah at school who seemed very glamorous!

Codlet · 01/12/2017 14:34

I know what you mean about a 70s name OP - I’m a 70s baby and it was the most common name in my year at school.

I like it.

OuchBollocks · 01/12/2017 14:34

I would get Year 2000 by Pulp stuck in my head every time I saw her. Its stuck in my head now.

daisypond · 01/12/2017 14:45

I love Deborah. As pp have said, it's an ancient Biblical name. Definitely due a revival - quite a few of these names seem to be coming back now, pushing out the more flowery Olivias and Isabellas.

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 01/12/2017 15:16

I like it, spelled this way, and love the nick name Bee, as I don't like Debs/Debbie.

MarklahMarklah · 01/12/2017 15:21

Sounds perfectly fine to me. Names tend to come and go in popularity. DD has a name that's been in the top 10 names for ages. I didn't give her the name for that reason, but because of the meaning.
Our area is awash with Evies, Olives and Elsies - all old-fashioned names from my parents' era.
Haven't seen my own name (rather typical of the era in which I was born) making a comeback much yet, but who knows, in a few more years? :)

YouThought · 01/12/2017 15:24

I love it and Bee is super cute. 🐝
My D.C. Used to go to a school with a lot of Asian kids (nearly all Chinese) who had an English name along with their Chinese name. The choice of English names was really random. Deborah would have fitted right in. I loved their names they were interesting.

Navegante · 01/12/2017 15:25

I would assume if she's immediately calling the baby Bee that Deborah has some family significance.

Original poster
Emileee80 · 01/12/2017 15:39

Yes I guess the siblings names do fit well together seeing as they are both OT. No family significance I don't think....she made a point of saying that they love the name, and also that she will be Bee not Debi!

I'm really warming to it and she will almost certainly be the only Deborah in our school!

OP posts:
ladybirdsaredotty · 01/12/2017 16:01

Aww I love it! My DD has a boy called Nick in her class, which I also love Smile

greendale17 · 01/12/2017 16:03

Don’t like it at all. Very dated.

BitOutOfPractice · 01/12/2017 16:19

I had a lovely, lively, funny, gorgeous friend called Deborah, sadly no longer with us, do it has all of those smashing connotations for me. She was always Deb but I think Bee is lovely 🐝

SnowyPolarBear · 01/12/2017 17:37

I would never use it. Very dated and not a particularly nice name.

Pemba · 01/12/2017 17:57

It's a nice name - has a nice sound. And from the Bible, like pps said. Yes it was very popular in the 60s, but so what? Some people are very narrow minded about names and perceived 'datedness'.

DramaAlpaca · 01/12/2017 17:59

It's really lovely, especially with the nn Bee.

EmmaGrundyForPM · 01/12/2017 18:00

OuchBollocks

me too!

Blahblahblahzeeblah · 01/12/2017 18:01

Tbh I prefer Deborah to the hundreds of Amelias, Olivias etc

Lules · 01/12/2017 18:04

I love Deborah. The only one I know is Jewish so I associate it more with that than a 60/70s name.

catsarenice · 01/12/2017 18:23

@Flippetydip yes!!! There was a girl in my class called Deborah - she hated it after that episode of Men Behaving Badly aired!!!

nooka · 01/12/2017 18:31

Deborah known as Bee is a little odd to me. I can only imagine that sticking if she is never called Deborah, as otherwise I would have thought it was almost inevitable that she will at some point be called or call herself Debbie. There are three Bees/Beas in my family, and only the one that is short for Beatrice has stuck beyond immediate family into adulthood.

I don't think that 70s names are due to come back quite yet as 50s and 60s names will come first and I think they are only just starting to be used. It's more typical to use names from your grandparents generation than your parents.