Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Baby names

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

Please critique my long list to help me shorten it ...

58 replies

Vestlandet · 07/03/2019 11:04

Please say if any names on this list seem chavvy/ easy to bully ...

Boys:
Arthur
David
Gabriel
Idris
Joseph
Morgan
Nathanael
Rowan
Samuel
Solomon

Girls:
Adelaide / Ada / Ida / Ayda / Aida
Agnes
Celine / Selena
Delia
Emmeline
Esme
Ethel
Isadora
Jane
Jemima
Joanna
Josephine
Judith
Judy
Julia
Lilia/ Lilian /Liliana
Lina
Mabel
Mathilda
Meredith
Merryl
Mina
Morgan
Morgana
Muriel
Nathalia
Noelle
Rita
Rowan
Sabina/Sabine
Sabrina
Selma
Serena
Susannah
Talia
Tina

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
RayaJambalaya · 07/03/2019 12:53

Nope. Sorry. That list is too long 😂

RayaJambalaya · 07/03/2019 12:56

Oh but I will say one thing. Morgan was one of my favorite names until the other night when I realised it would be automatically shortened to Morg. Which is just awful. Not a nice sound and obviously another way to spell Morgue. Such a shame cause I loved the name Morgan!

Icklepup · 07/03/2019 12:57

Love Rowan

MollyHuaCha · 07/03/2019 13:07

Arthur - yes
David - love it
Gabriel - love it
Idris - maybe
Joseph - yes
Morgan - no
Nathanael - yes if Nathaniel
Rowan - no
Samuel - love it
Solomon - maybe

Adelaide / Ada / Ida / Ayda / Aida - maybe
Agnes - love it
Celine / Selena - love
Delia - love
Emmeline - love
Esme - yes
Ethel - no
Isadora - no
Jane - love it
Jemima - love it
Joanna - yes
Josephine - yes
Judith - maybe
Judy - no
Julia - love it
Lilia/ Lilian /Liliana - yes to Lilian
Lina - no
Mabel - no
Mathilda - yes
Meredith - love it
Merryl - no
Mina - no
Morgan - no
Morgana - no
Muriel - no
Nathalia - yes
Noelle - maybe
Rita - no
Rowan - no
Sabina/Sabine - yes
Sabrina - no
Selma - no
Serena - love it
Susannah - love it
Talia - no
Tina - no, but I like Kristina

Antonin · 07/03/2019 16:35

Can’t go wrong with David. Not so popular atm but a good classic name . A number of years ago it was said to be a name to use to give a good impression to teachers and prospective employers.
Serena and Sabina go well with Louisa.

manicinsomniac · 07/03/2019 23:26

Boys:
Arthur - not keen. Still think of it as a bit 'old man'. But it's inoffensive.
David - quite like it but not a fan of Dave and it seems a bit dated.
Gabriel - used to love it. Now know two very irritating ones and it's put me off hugely.
Idris - love it but can't separate it from Elba
Joseph - really like it
Morgan - love it
Nathanael - never seen it spelled like that. Is it the same name as Nathaniel. Love it if it is.
Rowan - love it
Samuel - it's ok. Just know so many that it seems a bit bland.
Solomon - like it. Really like the nn Solly.

Girls:
Adelaide / Ada / Ida / Ayda / Aida - pretty.
Agnes - don't like this at all. Esp if it ends up as Aggie
Celine / Selena - not keen.
Delia - not keen. Makes me think Delia Smith
Emmeline - it's ok.
Esme - really like it
Ethel - sorry, this is one of very few names I actually think is ugly.
Isadora - quite like it
Jane - the ultimate middle name. Seems too plain for a first name.
Jemima - love it. Quite private school? (I teach lots but apparently it's quite rare so I'm thinking it must be more used within that demographic)
Joanna - love it. Think it's underused.
Josephine - like it. Josie is a cute nn
Judith - not keen
Judy - slightly prefer to Judith but still not that keen
Julia - again, one up on Judy but not liking it yet (do love Juliet though)
Lilia/ Lilian /Liliana - I like Lilia and Liliana. Don't like Lilian.
Lina - quite like it. I usually see it written Lena.
Mabel - not keen
Mathilda - love Matilda. Not sure about that h in the middle
Meredith - it's ok. A bit dated maybe?
Merryl - really don't like this at all. Though Meryl Streep is a fab namesake.
Mina - like it.
Morgan - it's ok but don't really like this even though I love it for a boy.
Morgana - sounds a bit like fantasy fiction.
Muriel - Oooh, sorry - another of the small number of names I'd call ugly.
Nathalia - like it. Much prefer Natalie though. Would lose the h
Noelle - like it. Very unusual now too, I'd say.
Rita - not keen. Very dated.
Rowan - like it but much prefer it for a boy.
Sabina/Sabine - quite like Sabina but not Sabine.
Sabrina - it's ok but almost forces me to add 'the teenage witch'
Selma - oh no, sorry - I think this is really, really ugly
Serena - quite like it
Susannah - like it
Talia - really like it
Tina - not keen. Very dated.

I would choose:
boy - Morgan or Rowan
girl - Jemima or Joanna

ForumGirl · 08/03/2019 02:41

Nice bunch of names. Here are the ones I’d rule out if it was me.

Idris - sounds like ‘I dress’, potential for slagging off
Morgan - wouldn’t for a boy, more a girls name

Delia - there can only be one delia!
Ethel - wouldn’t go for this it feels quite old for a little
Isadora - in case 90s whizzadora comes back as a rerun
Jemima - puddleduck
Mabel - think there was a Blue Peter dog with that name
Morgana - sounds like organza, I don’t know just doesn’t sound right
Noelle - slight chance could get slagged off at christmas

Selma - reminds of Simpsons aunt or something

Only critiquing since you asked, you could get off with any really!

MercyBodle · 08/03/2019 04:16

My favourites, and with sibling Louisa:

Arthur
David
Nathaniel

Adelaide
Esme
Jane
Jemima
Joanna (also love Johanna spelling)
Judith
Julia
Mathilda
Susannah

Sessy19 · 08/03/2019 04:29

I really don’t think name-calling is so much of a thing as people here make out....kids are hurtful, but if a child is taught how to behave towards others, and how to tolerate pathetic behaviour from others with guts and dignity....well, kids are being bullied for much more superficial stuff....it’s not what gets said, it’s how it’s handled.

But to answer your other point, OP, I don’t think any of your names are chavvy or leave a kid open to bullying.
Tina, Rita, Ethel and Agnes are all maybe a bit too adult(?) in my mind, like I can’t imagine a baby with those names. Although there must have been many babies with these names once! 😂😂

Tillygetsit · 08/03/2019 07:07

Joseph and Susannah are fantastic. They're my children's names!

disappear · 08/03/2019 19:24

Boys - Idris (love this), Joseph, Nathanael and Solomon.

Girls - Josephine, Meryl (with one 'r'), Mina, Nathalia (but prefer Talia),
Susannah and Talia.

SleepingStandingUp · 08/03/2019 19:28

Gabriel
Idris
Nathaniel
Solomon

Adelaide
Emmeline
Isadora
Lilia/ Liliana
Meredith
Morgana

That's my short list

MollyYouInDangerGirl · 08/03/2019 21:27

Very long list but here are my thoughts!:

Arthur - yes
David - no, very middle aged to me
Gabriel - no
Idris - on Idris Elba yes, on anyone else no!
Joseph - meh its ok
Morgan - no
Nathanael - yes but spelt nathaniel
Rowan - love this one of my favourites
Samuel - meh
Solomon - no

Girls:
Adelaide / Ada / Ida / Ayda / Aida - adelaide yes, the others no
Agnes - no
Celine / Selena - celine maybe, Selena no
Delia - no
Emmeline - love
Esme - I do like it but it seems to be everywhere
Ethel - no no no
Isadora - yes
Jane - no
Jemima - ok
Joanna - no
Josephine - no
Judith - no no no
Judy - no
Julia - no
Lilia/ Lilian /Liliana - no
Lina - love
Mabel - no
Mathilda - yes but spelt matilda
Meredith- no
Merryl - no
Mina - hmm maybe not sure on my thoughts!
Morgan - no
Morgana - no
Muriel - absolutely not
Nathalia - maybe
Noelle - no
Rita - absolutely not
Rowan - love but prefer for a boy
Sabina/Sabine - no
Sabrina - no
Selma - no
Serena - no
Susannah - no
Talia - no
Tina - no

Sorry for the blunt answers OP there were just so many to go through! I think we have very opposite tastes! A lot of the names you like are very much middle aged lady / old lady names to me, and not in a trendy way I'm afraid!

Pinkjellyfish · 09/03/2019 00:11

I actually love Judith! I think names ending in -ith are really beautiful, strong and quite rare, plus Jude/Judy are cool shortenings — but lots people will see it as a more old fashioned name

mrsdavys · 09/03/2019 18:30

Arthur- bit wet
David- like it but ‘dave’ would put me off
Gabriel- wet
Idris- Elba
Joseph- love
Morgan- naughty name
Nathanael- don’t like
Rowan- don’t like
Samuel- don’t like
Solomon- don’t like

Adelaide / Ada / Ida / Ayda / Aida- like Adelaide a lot
Agnes- very harsh and ugly to my eyes and ears...a bit like olga to me
Celine / Selena- I do like Celine
Delia- smith but I like it still
emmeline- no
Esme- no
Ethel- oh no
isadora- lovely and I love Dora
Jane- quite safe but it’s quite nice
Jemima- puddle-duck
Joanna- no
Josephine- absolutely love
Judith- no
Judy- no
Julia- no
Lilia/ Lilian /Liliana- I like Lilian
Lina- no
Mabel- quite sweet
Mathilda- yes to Matilda but no to Mathilda
Meredith- ok
merryl- no
Mina- no
Morgan- no
Morgana- can’t look past the Merlin connection
Muriel- Christ no
nathalia- the H is unnecessary
Noelle- no
Rita- quite nice
Rowan- no
Sabina/Sabine- Sabine is ok
Sabrina- no
Selma- no
Serena- no
Susannah- ok
talia - ok
Tina- no

So Joseph and Josephine, Rita, Adelaide and Delia are my favourites

LegoPiecesEverywhere · 14/03/2019 05:27

My favourites are Julia and Samuel

stellarfox · 14/03/2019 13:21

Some of these are really nice but a few I find a bit dated. My favourites are Arthur, Idris, Adelaide/Ada, Matilda, Serena, Emmeline and Esme

Arthur - lovely, classic
David - bit dated imo
Gabriel - Ok but not my favourite
Idris - great!
Joseph - bit dated
Morgan - dislike
Nathanael - Not seen this spelling before, I prefer Nathaniel. This is a nice name
Rowan - don’t like
Samuel - ok but prefer Samson
Solomon - nice

Girls:
Adelaide / Ada / Ida / Ayda / Aida - Love the first two!
Agnes - nice
Celine / Selena - I like Selena but prefer Serena
Delia - cute but much prefer as a nickname for Cordelia
Emmeline - love this
Esme - lovely
Ethel - ok
Isadora - for some reason it makes me think of a witches name 😅
Jane - nice
Jemima - puddleduck
Joanna - ok
Josephine - nice
Judith - dated
Judy - dated
Julia - dated
Lilia/ Lilian /Liliana - I like Lilian
Lina - Prefer Lena
Mabel - nice
Mathilda - Prefer Matilda spelling. Lovely name
Meredith - like
Merryl - not keen on this at all
Mina - don’t really like but Nina would be nice
Morgan - dislike
Morgana - dislike
Muriel - very dated
Nathalia - not keen
Noelle - not keen
Rita - could be cute
Rowan - dislike
Sabina/Sabine - not keen
Sabrina - ok
Selma - dated
Serena - yes nice!
Susannah - ok
Talia - nice!
Tina - bit dated

Pemba · 14/03/2019 20:23

Susannah is lovely, by far the best of your girls' names. And for a boy, Joseph or Nathaniel (it's normally spelled this way).

Bumblebeesmum · 14/03/2019 20:33

I’m confused by your lists - long flowery names like Emmeline, simple classics like Jane, old lady chic like Mathilda, old lady old lady like Ethel, names I’ve never heard of like Mina and names like Tina!

You must be a very easy to please person!

Pemba · 15/03/2019 02:34

People can like different styles of names or anything else! It is called having eclectic taste and probably means the OP is a more interesting person for it.

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 15/03/2019 02:48

Arthur - not keen , seems 'old' to me though I know it came back
David - Tennant yes but otherwise middle name. Dave, bit common
Gabriel - I like and Gabe as nn, but some twunt might do homophobic slur with it
Idris - Elba, otherwise nope
Joseph - with Joe as nn, popular choice
Morgan - Freeman, otherwise nope, also can be girl's name
Nathaniel - I like it, especially Nate as a nn
Rowan - nice enough, also can be girl's name
Samuel - I like Sam
Solomon - I like Sol but hate name in full

Out of that lot, I'd go for Nathaniel but call him Nate

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 15/03/2019 02:57

Adelaide / Ada / Ida / Ayda / Aida - nope to all of them
Agnes - no, despicable me
Celine / Selena - Dion, Gomez
Delia - Smith
Emmeline - nope
Esme - old
Ethel - really old
Isadora - wizadora
Jane - plain
Jemima - puddleduck
Joanna - old
Josephine - not tonight
Judith - old
Judy - punch
Julia - yes, classic
Lilia/ Lilian /Liliana - kimmy schmidt/frazier; L with sibling matchy
Lina - no
Mabel - old
Mathilda - told such dreadful lies
Meredith - okay
Merryl - streep
Mina - miny mo
Morgan - can be boy's name
Morgana - no
Muriel - you're terrible
Nathalia - yes
Noelle - no
Rita - meter maid
Rowan - okay, prefer it on a girl yes
Sabina/Sabine - yes
Sabrina - no
Selma - no
Serena - ok
Susannah - traditional
Talia - ok
Tina - prefer Martina

RageAgainstTheVendingMachine · 15/03/2019 02:59

Louisa and Nathaniel
Louisa and Joseph

Louisa and Nathalia
Louisa and Julia
Louisa and Susannah

adayatthebeach · 15/03/2019 03:06

Ethel and Jemima 🤢no!

Vestlandet · 16/03/2019 20:08

Thank you all for your answers.
I have managed to shorten that crazy long list down to:
Ada / Agnes / Judith / Julia
Arthur / David / Joseph
Will just have to wait and see which name suits best

OP posts: