Callum

[Paperstraw]

DH and I are considering this name, however we are certainly unaware of how popular or unpopular it is at the moment. We don't really know a lot of babies or kids as we just moved to a different city a few months ago so haven't exactly made a lot of friends with kids.

Have you recently met any babies/kids named Callum? How popular is it now?

Other names we like:

Fraser
Clive
Rogan
Gareth
Brogan
Boyd

And a few others...

I always feel Callum is a very wet name. I was shocked when DN was called that and it really doesn't suit him. Luckily, he is usually called by his initials, or he was the last time I saw him. Ex-SIL unfriended me last year.

I know a few children/teens called Callum and they are all little sh*its, it has put me off the name completely

Callum and Fraser very popular names where I'm from and certainly not "chavvy" (eugh)
If you like that type of name what about:
Innes
Harris
Logan
Caleb
Archie
Cillian
Cameron
Connor

Average popular name here in the yorkshire town I'm in

Fraser and Frasier are pronounced quite differently op. I don't think you'll have any issue there. It's a lovely classic Scottish name.

I don't know any Callum's I'm in SE London. I like the name!

Callum isn't in the least bit 'chavvy', OP, so don't worry about that.

I really wish MN would delete posts that use that word, it's just plain nasty. As is the 'naughty boy name' comment, which is meaningless but equally unpleasant as it seems to be just another way of saying 'chavvy'

Anyway, Callum is great, it's around here in Ireland but you don't meet many. I prefer the Callum spelling to Calum.

As for the rest of the list, Fraser and Gareth are very nice. Clive is too dated, Brogan seems in recent years to have become a girls' name, unfortunately, and I don't like Boyd at all.

Certainly the nicest of the ones OP is considering.

Some slightly odd choices on the list. Callum is a nice name, not chavy or outdated.

It’s nice but I prefer the Calum spelling.

I know about 10 callums nearly all of them are horrible as well, it must be one of those names 😂, I like
Fraser ✔️
Clive
Rogan
Gareth✔️
Brogan
Boyd

I know several lovely Calum/Callums (of various ages). It’s a totally standard Scottish name.

All this MN nonsense about ‘chavvy’ names or ‘naughty boy names’ is just rubbish. And it’s usually rooted in the standard anti-anything-that-doesn’t-sound-either-traditionally-English-or-otherwise-a-bit-posh attitude that’s so prevalent on MN.

All the children I know called Noah are badly behaved and permissively parented pains in the arse. I don’t think it’s anything to do with the name Noah; it’s the specific families I know. And they are exactly the kind of people who’d look down on ‘chavvy’ names.

OTOH, the only Kayden (which must be up there near the top of the MN ‘eurgh, it’s chavvy’ list) is a lovely boy who works hard and tries his best. Same with the only Jayden I know.

So I think we are leaning way more to Fraser now. We're suddenly getting mixed feelings about the name Callum and apparently there could be a bit of a spelling situation every once in a while.

We do love Fraser but are wondering if there are any nn or can it really just stay as Fraser forever?

Could it match the girls names that we like?

Sophia
Sloane
Alexandra
India
Ocean

(It's a weird mix)

There'd be "spelling situations" with Fraser too. It's not a common name in the UK and more people may be familiar with the tv show Frasier.

Fraser is a common name in Scotland (which was part of the UK last time I checked). I’d imagine people are more familiar with Frasers than Frasiers this side of the Atlantic.

Sometimes people might spell it Frazer. Thing us just about any name might occasionally have a spelling issue. It’s not that big a deal. All parts of my name can be spelled in different ways, both my children have names where people will use a variant spelling sometimes. It’s easy to ignore really.

Fraser is a lovely name.

@SporadicNamechange Yes, sorry, I did mean to write England (which is where OP lives) rather than UK

Know of one or two but they are all early 20s.

Fraser is a good name.

I suspect some people think Callum is chavy because it is a Common Celtic name and I've noticed these often come up on the worst dc/chavy lists.
I'm assuming it is unacknowledged racism against the Irish which may even have been subconsciously absorbed and repeated.

It's a lovely classic name, don't hear of many in north west England

Fraser/Frasier is gorgeous!

Brogan and Rogan downmarket (to put it nicely). Boyd is odd, Gareth will probably be shortened to Gaz by his mates. Not keen on Callum, Fraser is the best of the bunch

I'm in the North West and have a five year old Callum. We don't know any others. I still love it. I didn't want him to be one of several in his class with the same name, but also didn't want anything too unusual. His little brother is Zachary, same criteria.

I suspect some people think Callum is chavy because it is a Common Celtic name and I've noticed these often come up on the worst dc/chavy lists.
I'm assuming it is unacknowledged racism against the Irish which may even have been subconsciously absorbed and repeated.

^^thats an interesting take, would never had made the connection

I don't know any littke Callum. Only a couple of grown up ones.

Fraser is nice, yes. Interestingly, the only Ocean I've ever taught was a boy. Just throwing that in there!

Surely Clive is due a come back?
Don't like Callum...it sounds naughty boy name to me. Fraser is nicer.