Raymond for a girl?

[Snog]

Pronounced Ray Monde
Anyone like this name?

Don't be silly, OP. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Even Raymonda/Raymondina would be better.

I think it's fair enough. Balzone for a girl (pron. Bal ONZE) is well known.

Although there are some who pronounce it Bal-Zo-Nay, to rhyme with Calzone, but there've only been 43 of them in the USA since 1776.

Oh, wait. I'm getting confused with Balonze for a girl. My mistake.

Ray Monde
Are you on glue? X

No
No
No

Stop mucking about! It’s awful, try hard and pretentious.

@Snog

Since 1880, 632 girls were named Raymond in the USA. It is more usual as a boys name but it can be a girl's name too.

That's 140 years. Something like 200 million baby girls born in that time. 632 out of 200 million.

Since 1880, 632 girls were named Raymond in the USA

I just think it's cool and modern

Conflicting statements.

I don’t like the name Raymond for a boy let alone a girl. Apologies to anyone with older relatives called Raymond, but I think it’s old-fashioned and doesn’t sound nice to my ears. I don’t even like the abbreviation Ray.

So to saddle a girl with it when it’s now largely seen as a boys’ name would be cruel IMO. There are so many nice girls names out there (or unisex names, if you prefer) and names that don’t have that ‘old man’ vibe.

To compare, Tracy was originally a boys name, but it just wouldn’t work for a boy now because it’s basically become a girls name.

Ignoring all that, it’s just an unattractive name IMO whatever the sex of the baby.

It’s a horrible name for a boy but truly dreadful for a girl!

Would you change your own name to Raymond? What's next, Keith or Kenneth?

That absolutely didn't happen with Molly and Evie FFS!

Also some names never 'came back', Medora, Milady, Drusilla, Lubertha all quietly died a death without anyone complaining!

Not cool and based on your reasoning, not at all modern, isn't that your point?

What about Rainman as an alternative ?

@Snog

Very unpopular on mumsnet it seems! I might try on netmums for more opinions

I get it, it sucks when you have your heart set on a name and it gets ruined for you. It happened to me with the name Chester for my son, everyone told me he'd get called Chester the Molester and get bullied so I decided against it. I say this kindly OP, a girl called Raymond will get bullied, by someone at some point for that name. It will be made fun of. I can say with 99% certainty she will not like it. Don't do that to her. Our desire for a quirky, unusual name doesn't come before the child's need for a name they can identify with and not be bullied for.

Raymondina has a nice ring to it. I'm joking btw!!

Howard, except pronounce it 'my parents are annoying'

Raymonda is a ballet. It's set in the Castle of Doris, if you're looking for a middle name as well?

@Snog

I'm not assuming I can control how other people pronounce the name and won't be crying if people get it wrong. I just think it's cool and modern.

Gosh, how different we all are.

For me, it’s like calling your baby girl Gary or Nigel (but pronounced Ni-GELLE’).

I suppose it's a bit like Simon/Simone.

It's truly terrible, but people have been named worse. It's just tiring having a name no-one can say, ask my eldest daughter...

As a couple of previous posters have said, Raymonda /Raimonda is an old-fashioned name for a girl, and the name of a dramatic ballet. But it's three syllables: Rae-mon-dah. The extra letter at the end makes a big difference.

The French female name Raymonde is also three syllables, with the last one quite gentle but definitely there: Ray-mon-duh. You can listen here:
forvo.com/search/Raymonde/

Raymond (that spelling) and Ray-MONDE (two-syllables, and the OP's suggested pronunciation) is a male name. No questions.

As for the USA, a lot of girls are named MacKenzie which means 'son of Kenneth' and is logically nonsense for a female child. So I don't really think USA name habits are much of an example to follow.

And in the 19th/early 20th cent some people did give boys' names to girls for reasons of inheritance etc. Those sort of reasons don't usually apply today.

FWIW in Scotland, Rae was a traditional nickname for Mary.

I'm American and I hate it too, but then, I don't like boy's names for girls and vice versa. My father had a name like that and it caused him a lifetime of being misgendered (everything addressed to "Mrs.", etc.

still think this is a wind up, some one i know has the second name nisa that's sure to become pisser when said child is at school. why do parents inflict this shit on dc they profess to love ??

I did think about calling my son Lillian after my grandma but DH wasn’t keen.
Thankfully he caved for DD and we think Harold (after my Grandad) suits her very well

Anybody else singing Johnny Cash “A Boy Named Sue”?

'Chester the molester'? This thread gets better