Roy

[RoysMum]

DH and I love the name Roy. We really want to use it for our son and have been settled on this name since 17 weeks when we found out the sex. We have even bought a few personalized things.

But we have had nothing but really horrid remarks from 2 family members which is really getting us down and making us wonder if it really is such an awful name? The rest of our family and friends appear to like it (some even love it) but we are now questioning if they are maybe just agreeing with us because that is the polite thing to do?

(and yes I guess this is why it is best to wait until the baby has been born before naming?)

To the people who say if the parents love it that's all that matters - do you really think that?

In this case, of course!

Roy may not be a name that lots of people love but it's hardly going to be a millstone around his neck. It's an ordinary name, just an unfashionable one.

I know two Roys - one is in his late 20s and the other in his mid 30s, so there are younger Roys around! I really like it, personally, probably because the two we know are lovely so it has positive connotations for me

But how do you decide to press ahead in the knowledge that most people will hate your child's name? At what point do you think 'well we do love it but don't want his name to be a millstone his whole life'?

To the people who say if the parents love it that's all that matters - do you really think that?

Yes because I presume that's why so many children today have what I consider to be very odd names.

But it won't be a millstone. People dislike it because it's plain and old fashioned but in reality if you meet a boy/man called Roy you're hardly going to have a sharp intake of breath over how awful the name is.

I think you're being overly dramatic.

To the people who say if the parents love it that's all that matters - do you really think that?

Yes variety is the spice of life, thank goodness we all have different tastes.

but in reality if you meet a boy/man called Roy you're hardly going to have a sharp intake of breath over how awful the name is.

I dunno- when I was a student I once served a 9 year old called Barry (in around 2011). Once of the other girls overheard his name and for the rest of the summer whenever there was a lull in conversation in the staffroom someone would just randomly say-

“I mean who the fuck calls their baby Barry?”

I'm not being dramatic at all, just wondering when any parent might decide against going with their preference despite the views of others. I'm not specifically talking about Roy, it just strikes me as not a great principle to hold on to.

For example, I met a genuine Peanut recently; that's a good example of WTFery when it comes to 'we love it and we don't care what anyone else thinks.'

People are always going to have an opinion though aren’t they? You can’t change your mind every time someone else expresses their dislike of a name.
I think if OP was suggesting Adolf then I think we would all suggest she reconsiders but if you can have an Albert, Ronnie, Reggie, Stanley, Sidney, Raymond, Wilfred, why can’t you have Roy?
I like that it’s short. I think it’s a solid name. Not wet like Barry or Tim.

But no name has universal appeal. Obviously Peanut is a stupid name but how many people with names like that do you meet? Not many. At the end of the day people have to pick a name they like and then weigh up the pros and cons.
There are loads of popular names that I personally think are hideous but that doesn't mean they're unusable names. They just don't chime with my taste.

Yeah, I agree to a point, I just know that if I posted my child's name on a board where people felt free to be honest and, say, 90 out of 100 people expressed bafflement, I'd maybe think it would be a kindness not to saddle a tiny squishy baby with such a polarising name. I dunno, there's no totally right or wrong way is there, I'm just pondering.

AudacityOfHope But Peanut isn't actually a name though, it's a nut (or a legume or something!) so is a silly thing to call your child.
Roy is a proper well established name, whether or not it's to everyone's taste.

If you like it, go for it. Or another version- Royston, Royce, Rory (which I love). At least Roy is a proper name amongst the Hayden, Jayden, Lilly-Mae's etc. This week alone I have met an 18 month old Ernest, a two year old Cuthbert, a 6 month old Gilbert (Bertie) and his sister Josephine (Josie) and three year old twins Marjorie and Elspeth so the old names are back and the norm. My two have older style names too.

Roy is our builder. He’s 55+

I’d go with Rory personally.

The only image that comes immediately to my mind is the mousey man named Roy from Corrie. And I haven't even watched Corrie for about 15 years. I really don't think it's ready for a comeback. It's not like a cool old man name, it's just quite dated and brings to mind... Well. Roy from Corrie.

Royston,shortened to Roy, great name

Just read your comments and it sounds like you really like it so I want to change my answer and say just go for it! If several negative comments doesn't change your mind then I think you've actually chosen the perfect name. Nothing anyone has said seems to have put you off and so you clearly love it. So go for it! It's not awful, it does make me think of Roy from Corrie, but if I met a little baby Roy I'd probably think of him instead of Roy from Corrie. It's not awful, and to be honest names like this will be back in fashion in what - 5? 10? year? So you'll be ahead of the crowd and can be smug about it! It's better than a lot of names I've seen used and at least he will be the only one in his class.

My ds has a most 'normal' name ever and a member of dh's family still said we couldn't possibly call him that! Yeah, whatever

The secret is to please yourselves and don't discuss it with anyone.

If you like it, go for it.

I think it's an awful name but then there are probably people out there who think my son has an awful name!

Please do not call him Royde. It's the slang term for steroid and I've heard my uncle (with his doctor hat on) refer to piles as roids!

Roy is easy to spell, pronounce. It doesn't rhyme with anything rude.

If you like it, go for it!

Honestly, we got sneery reactions on MN to two of our three dc name. They are similarly 'real' names but not that fashionable. IRL, literally no one ever has been rude or even pulled a funny face at them.

If your relatives start again: 'we're thinking about it and we'll tell everyone when he's born'. Then don't engage. Then text/ email and say 'welcome to the world, baby Roy!'

Blank any rudeness.

Hmm. Yes there's retro cool but there are also in every generation of names a few that don't come back. And it's usually because the sound they make isn't that nice, or there are no good short forms. That's Roy for you I'm afraid. Arthur, Wilfred are back, we're getting little Reggies and Ronalds (Ronnies) but Roy - there's just not much to it really. You can't shorten it, as said above it's not a great sound, harsh and short. Royston also isn't a good long name - it just sounds so much like a place, 'ton' is a terrible ending for a name, very ploddy.

Why do you like it? If you can get to the nub of what you like about it maybe people could suggest alternatives, and then if you still can't find anything you like as much as Roy then go for it?

What is your DS's name?

It's not a terribly offensive name. But it's just not very lovely.

Colin?
Vincent?
Gene?
Victor?
Raymond?
Ralph? (Raff?)

I think I quite like it!

At least it's original in a sea of Archies and Alfie's.

Alfies