Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

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

Original poster

Help!!!!!! Olivia or Harper????

106 replies

BettyBoo246 · 02/10/2018 20:58

I have one week till due date and have no idea which name to choose for our girl, Olivia or Harper 😐 Please help which one?! I know the inevitable beckham connection with Harper and also how common Olivia is but I do love them both

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
ChaosMoon · 03/10/2018 09:58

Names only really date when they become really common place for a time and then stop being used. I don't think Harper is common enough to do that. In fact, that's more likely to happen to Olivia if it falls out of fashion.

If you're worried about the association, think about the people you know and the schools she's likely to go to. If people are more likely to read a gossip magazine than a book, it'll be Harper Beckham. If it's the other way round, people will be thinking Harper Lee.

But honestly, within a year, they'll think of your daughter first and it won't even matter.

Personally I love Harper. It's a strong name but still lovely. I find Olivia a bit overly pretty. But I'd hardly judge a kid called Olivia for that.

Sparklyfee · 03/10/2018 10:05

Olivia. But I don't get why everyone has to be so "unique". It's annoying and ridiculous and chavvy

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 03/10/2018 10:16

You all confirm my fears really Confused The more I say both names the more they start sounding... meh
My ds (5) actually hates Harper Grin and my dh is not so keen. My reserve names are Mila (mee-la) or Elisia? Maybe I’ve overlooked these two too soon!

OP posts:
Sparklyfee · 03/10/2018 10:29

Still prefer Olivia.

The other two she will spend her life spelling it for people. And the only reason for that would be for her parent to think they were a bit "different".

bellinisurge · 03/10/2018 10:32

For all Olivia's popularity, I know only a couple across a few years at school. I know several "trying to be original " ones.

Roomba · 03/10/2018 10:35

Olivia. I actually think Harper is a really lovely name, but it just makes you sound like a Beckhams superfan, sorry.

OutPinked · 03/10/2018 10:42

Olivia

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 03/10/2018 10:47

Sparklyfee exactly what my dm said about those two names
Arghhh why is it so hard? I had none of this with my ds Grin

OP posts:
TheLovelyOtherDinosaur · 03/10/2018 11:09

I know two baby Harper’s- a bit Chav.
Olivia is beautiful but so boring, although plenty of nicknames. I prefer Mila I think.

Sparklyfee · 03/10/2018 11:12

She's right Wink

My boys are both traditional names, according to the stats they are popular but I'm not obsessed with not being in the top 20/50/7000 etc. And for what it's worth, in their year at school they don't share their name with anyone. Nor are there any Olivia's!

Plenty of Luca's, Indias, Mila, Iris, Ivy, Fox etc etc

kizzywizz · 03/10/2018 11:16

Everyone will automatically assume you are a Beckham fan if you go for Harper.

Sunflower321 · 03/10/2018 11:38

Olivia is SO overused, I think it's been nr 1 for several years...

Harper is more interesting but personally I don't like the sound.

Mila is lovely

user14869556378 · 03/10/2018 11:56

Olivia - hate the way it gets shortened to Liv
Harper - love but Beckham ruined it
Mila - I love but is it not quite popular now since Mila Kunis?
Elisia - love

WaitroseCoffeeCostaCup · 03/10/2018 11:58

Harper x 10000000000

SmokeAndBone · 03/10/2018 12:08

Olivia

I always think Harper could be shortened to 'Harpy' - for which the definition is 'a grasping, unpleasant woman'. It's always put me off the name.

TatianaLarina · 03/10/2018 12:15

You have to spell out perfectly ordinary names anyway, as long as they’re not too long I don’t think that’s an issue.

From that POV you could go for Alicia which is almost the same but more familiar.

I like the name Elissa which is the alternative name for Dido, queen of Carthage.

curlyLJ · 03/10/2018 12:25

My daughter is an Olivia and she is one of only 2 in her entire school. I know it's popular, but we chose it because we absolutely love it. It doesn't mean there's necessarily hundreds of them where you live.

GreenMeerkat · 03/10/2018 12:45

@Sparklyfee I don't know how it makes someone 'chavvy' to NOT choose a name that's been the most popular girls name for the past 5 years at least. Speaking as someone who was one of FOUR children with the same name in my class at primary school, it's hugely annoying.

Original poster
BettyBoo246 · 03/10/2018 12:48

Just for the record I’m really not a beckham superfan Smile her middle name of whatever we are going to choose will be Rose as this is what ds has chosen so he feels he has had big part of the decision.
I really don’t want something that will date badly or sound chavvy and I do tend to lean more towards anything the ends is ‘ia’

OP posts:
SemperIdem · 03/10/2018 12:54

Olivia is lovely but overdone.

I really don’t like Harper.

If you like ‘ia’ endings, what about Aurelia?

Pemba · 03/10/2018 13:53

Olivia is a lovely classic name, OK there are loads of them around at the moment but I don't think it will sound dated in the future. I think people will think of it in the same way as we now do about Sarah, people still like it but not many are naming their daughters it because there were so many Sarahs named in the 60s and 70s (and 80s?).

Harper on the other hand is very surnamey, used to be a boys' name (I knew baby boys given this name when DD was born in the 90s), and just very faddy and not particularly attractive.

But like a pp said, there are plenty of other girls' names out there! Mila I like, but yes, that might turn out to be faddy but at least it's pretty and feminine. Elisia I've not heard of before, it is a nice sound, but are you sure you didn't mean Alicia or Alyssa or Elisa?

Sophronia · 03/10/2018 17:26

Olivia

heiheithechicken · 03/10/2018 17:58

I do like harper but the beckhams have ruined it.
Mila is a beautiful name

cptartapp · 03/10/2018 18:17

Don't like Olivia and definitely not Harper. Mila is a bit bland.
Love Alicia (spelt this way) or Elissa.

TheDowagerCuntess · 03/10/2018 18:23

Olivia. But I don't get why everyone has to be so "unique". It's annoying and ridiculous and chavvy

I don't think you quite understand what 'chavvy' means.

Why does it annoy you when other people want to avoid a top ten name that will inevitably date? There's a world of names out there, and a vast, gaping chasm between 'top ten', and 'so unique'.

Most people probably fall into this.

Your reaction to this is way OTT.