The name River...

[mamah2019]

Hey!

What's people's honest opinions on the name River for a boy?!

Is it too popular/ normal these days?

Lovely name, River.
Works as a sophistication test. Anyone who actively disapproves of River as a name needs to open their mind a little and let some sunshine in.

At least they're actual names!!

.... All names started somewhere. All names were "new names" at one point. You sound like one of those people who object to "nickname names" too. God, my grandfather is about 70 and he is more open-minded towards modern names than you are!

It has beautiful connotations and then not so beautiful ones:

"Got look at that filthy river!"
"A body has been pulled out of the River..."

I just hate this competative ' coming up with the most unusual name'
The latest I have heard is 'Tiara'

*God

I think it's a bit daft but if it's either River or something more 'out there' then I would go with River. I know one (boy).

The latest I have heard is 'Tiara'

Tiara is mostly used by the black community btw, quite like 'Precious'.

I like it.

I like it. Makes me think of River Pheonix but also Rivers Cuomo and River Tam (Firefly) and River Song (Dr Who).

I'm surprised by some of the comments - I live in a very small town (NI) and have 3 kids - there is a huge variety of names in school encompassing the traditional British/Irish (e.g Kate, Toby, Cillian, Maebh) to names from other parts of Europe, to inanimate objects/countries/nature names (along the lines of Mercedes, Georgia, India, Rowan).

It seems very closed-minded to assume the only way a person can be taken seriously professionally is to be called something like William or Elizabeth (purely using as an example - nothing wrong with thise names!).

I love it

Do you know that until quite recently, the French insisted that a child’s birth could only be registered if their name was taken from a pre- approved list? I may have the finer details wrong, but I remember that being the case.

I do feel sorry for kids with ‘out there’ names. I know somebody who called their child Melena without realising it’s a medical term for a type of dark coloured bloody faeces.

I absolutely love it. It's not super common, nor is that unusual, not too cutesy, not too stuffy, easy to say and spell, it's a winner all around in my book. Unfortunately I couldn't use it for either of my dc because my DH doesn't like it.

@CountessFrog River is not "out there" though. It's in the top 200 names for both boys and girls now. Approaching top 150. If a parent wanted an out there name these days they'd pick something else

I absolute love the name River and its on my list aswell ☺️

olives are vile things

Worst comment of the thread 😱

Wasn’t there a character on Firefly named River? Of course, she was kind of a crazy person though ....

If River Phoenix hadn't died he would be 50 now . I am sure there were lots of late 80s/early 90s babies named after him - so people in their 30s now. I doubt they are all unemployed because of their name.
I remember a line once in a TV show (can't remember what - possibly something like ER or CSI) were a character had one of these nature names. They were off the age to have been born late 60s/early 70s. Another character said something like "Hippy parents?" and the answer was something like "yup".
And that was it....on with their professional working day doing the jobs they were qualified for.
One of River Phoenix's sisters I believe has a child called Rio. A variation on River. Named for his deceased uncle.

As a pp said, I’d make no comment in real life but the amount of times a new child joins a school I have worked in, with a certain type of name, we do shudder a bit because we can normally predict the behaviour and parents that go with the name. Unfair maybe but it’s true!

My dd started high school recently. In her class there are:

Berry
Princess
Cayman
Fiesta

I had to have a lie down in a dark room.

2 of those are cars!

My dd started high school recently. In her class there are:

Berry
Princess
Cayman
Fiesta

Ooo if you’re going to name your kid after a car, go Porsche not Ford. Was there also a Passat and a 3series?

I suppose Octavia Spencer has done ok for herself.

@Clearthinking

Love it. Lots of Bear and nature inspired names, sounds lovely x I know a Bear and a River brothers twins

I love River. I know a baby called Bear. I work in a preschool and enjoy seeing what names parents have given their small children. There’s a big rise in the “old” names (Ethel, Agatha, Flo/rence and the gorgeous Edwin.). Also one or two noun names like Phoenix which I always loved. One of the children’s brothers was called River. I don’t know how other children would react to it as they get older so maybe he’d need to be confident, but I love it. I do think it is a lot less unusual these days so it’s not weird, but definitely not a common name

If you love it, go for it OP

@bookmum08

Are you possibly thinking of movie The Lost Boys? There’s a line in that movie where someone meets a character called Star and comments that he also had ex-hippy parents and was almost named Moonbeam. Both much worse names than River!

If my next child is a boy, he will likely be River! So obviously I love it. It is definitely becoming popular though.

I've noticed many people on here think anything that isn't in the top 10 baby names is awful. I know most people on Mums Net are from the UK, so I'm not sure if it's just a thing there? - Not meaning this in a disrespectful way but names that are completely normal where I am seem to be so controversial on here.

Omg some of these comments 😂

Come on guys it’s a name. How can you get SO offended by a name. I can’t help but wonder if some of you have very plain named children simply because you weren’t brave enough to choose something more unique.

River is a nice name. In my opinion.

@CountessFrog

My dd started high school recently. In her class there are:

Berry
Princess
Cayman
Fiesta

I had to have a lie down in a dark room.

Would you have got the vapours over Mercedes?