Hatred of American names

[FluffyMunchkin]

Why do so many people on here hate American names? They really take a beating here, being called chavvy and horrible. I'm Canadian, so see them as normal, which could explain why I don't mind them as much. But the reactions here are so intense!

I'm pretty sure the popular American names are similar to the popular British names.

Let me check

I suppose it depends on your point of reference. They aren't to British taste, by and large.

I don’t think it’s just because they’re American. I’ve noticed there is also a general feeling that you shouldn’t use Irish / French / Indian / whatever names unless you actually are from that heritage. I guess it’s a cultural appropriation thing?

I just find them a bit over the top and cheesy sounding

Girls in left , boys in right

Tick says popular/common in UK, cross, not so much (bit not unheard of)

1 Sophia ✔️ Jackson❌
2 Olivia ✔️ Liam✔️
3 Emma ✔️ Noah✔️
4 Ava✔️ Aiden✔️
5 Isabella ✔️Caden❌
6 Aria ❌ Grayson❌
7 Riley ❌ Lucas✔️
8 Amelia✔️ Mason❌
9 Mia ✔️Oliver✔️
10 Layla❌ Elijah❌

www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names

he only ones that "scream" American are maybe Riley, Grayson, Caden and Mason

Layla isn't common here, not is Elijah.

You get a few Jacksons...and bits are more likely to get a bit called Riley.

The only "chavvy" name out if that list is maybe Riley or Caden. But that's pushing it.

Because in the UK we have a rigid class system . Given names are strongly associated with social class. Traditional , biblical names are middle class or not strongly correlated with class. Classical names such as Ptolemy are associated with the urban upper middle class and unfortunately , creative new names , which are commonly found in the USA, such as Chase or Cash would be popular with lower class parents.
I think the same is in France but its Irish or English names which are considered lower class.

Fair enough. Growing up with more American names, I've always found a lot of traditional British names to be plain, but I would definitely consider using a few despite not being British!

They just aren’t to my taste- just as I don’t really like many Italian names.

One thing that does wind me up is a tendency for US name boards to describe American spellings or variations as authentic Irish/Spanish etc.

I think it’s just because it’s mainly British people on mumsnet (I think) so as a whole we are more likely to like British names. I think a lot of British people are quite traditional whereas some American names are quite unique to America. If you want opinions from more Americans /namenerds on Reddit is good!

I for one love Jackson but I’m in the minority Some American names though I do find awful!

Most Americans find George and Jemima awful. In part it’s an aesthetic, what you’re used to hearing.

Because MN as a whole has a peculiar dislike of the US, including typically American names

If you look at even quite benign threads, such as asking for advice on where to go on holiday in the US, or what to consider about a potential job offer for the US, you will find plenty of posters whose sole contribution is along the lines of "I'd never go to the US, it's an awful place where everyone is fat and has a gun"

Taking digs at America is the acceptable prejudice on MN. An obsession with what's perceived as being chavvy comes in a close second.

I like some 'classic' American names, like Wyatt (which is taking a bashing on another thread) but some of the made-up names can be hilarious. For some reason women who have (cheesy as hell) mommy blogs have a penchant for calling their kids things like Brinsley and Braxley. Creative spelling can also be awful eg Kamdynn and Bayleigh.

But on the upside I like that in America a boy called Mason could be from any section of society, whereas we all know what people on MN would say about that name. Some people think calling a baby Mason is akin to being born with a spiderweb face tattoo and a criminal record.

Would Diego be considered American? What about Simone?

I know so many Jacksons, and I love the name!
And Chase!
I feel like Zach is an American name as well...?

The only typical girl ones I don't like are Sarah, Ashley, Rachel but I think that's because there were so many in my grade at school.

Layla is massively popular in uk

I'm not in the US, but plenty of popular names here that would fall foul of the MN approval process.

I once met a young Jackson, and was chatting to him when his dad came up. I said that I had enjoyed chatting to Jackson, introduced myself and asked the dad what his name was. He looked at me very oddly and then said - in the sort of voice reserved for using with the slow of thinking - that he was called Jack, of course...

And indeed, I now know that if I meet a Jackson, or a Gregson, or a Jurrickson, or a D'Angelo or a D'Erey, I also know what their father is called

McKenzie. That's a super duper US name.

I remember being aghast the first time I heard a full grown man called Mikey. Such a baby name. And how we pitied Princesses Beatrice & Eugenie.

My American relatives would never have let me live it down if I had called a DC Nigel, Harriet, Alun, Annuziata or Portia.

Yes, I was a bit taken aback for the contempt shown "American" names on mumsnet, but then I realized that a lot of the popular names on this board would be viewed as unbelievably twee in the U.S., so I guess it goes both ways.

00100001- where are you getting your info from regarding these names not being popular in the uk?!
Layla is very popular! It's 36 on the ONS 2017 list! Aria is 47! Mason is 37, Riley 43, Elijah 41, Jackson 74. All the names you've listed are in the uk top 100 apart from Aiden (it's 109), Caden & Grayson.

It confused me when I was living in the UK as an American-Canadian, too, with one of the names above described as "chavvy"

But then I think how back home in Canada, names like Arthur, George, Harry, Albert, would be met with a face, too and they're ridiculously popular in the UK so I guess it's just a difference in preference.

Like someone said upthread, the UK has a huge class thing, too, that we don't really have and names have connotations to those classes.

misty my apologies

Yes, I think it’s a combination of Mumsnetters that enjoy hating on anything American (or describing things they hate as American), and the weird class obsession here.

Stick around, you’ll see derogatory remarks about Americans in the other forums as well.

Yes, I think it’s a combination of Mumsnetters that enjoy hating on anything American (or describing things they hate as American), and the weird class obsession here.

OP is Canadian and it's practically the national pastime there!

I'm not keen on them. Piper, Hunter, McKenzie etc
They just seem so random.

I think its a mix of non traditional names being seen as lower class and people being more at ease with familiar names. My daughter has an 'English' name, something rarely heard outside of the UK. I looked it up on Nameberry a few years ago and the comments were all negative - it sounded like a boy's name, it was an ugly name, it was a made up name.

Opinions are based on familiarity and it works both ways.