Mumsnet's most loved baby names

[SmeleanorSmellstrop]

I feel like there are a bunch of names that Mumsnet posters unanimously adore. I have never seen Josephine or Rosa get a negative comment, for example. As for boy names, I think Edward seems really well-loved. What do you think?

@Drunkenmonkey

Betsy is an English name but Elizabeth isn't. Betsi is therefore just as valid a variant as Betsy. At least if you're going to make a sarcastic point, make sure it's correct.

@kirstenBlest I completely see where you're coming from. When a name is mispronounced and becomes mainstream you risk losing the original name entirely. Caitlin is a good example of that.
I could see the same happening to Ciara actually.

It really doesn’t matter though does it? Lots of old English names have been lost to time. So what? You can’t miss what you’ve never known. Times change, hints move on. Caitlin is a lovely name and people have the right to choose whatever name they want for their child. I think this is a really pointless hill to die on.

@Drunkenmonkey

Betsy is an English name but Elizabeth isn't. Betsi is therefore just as valid a variant as Betsy. At least if you're going to make a sarcastic point, make sure it's correct.

@kirstenBlest I completely see where you're coming from. When a name is mispronounced and becomes mainstream you risk losing the original name entirely. Caitlin is a good example of that.
I could see the same happening to Ciara actually.

*things, bloody autocorrect

I think England started using Betsy as a variant first, then Wales put their own spelling twist on it. The fact they did doesn’t offend me in the slightest 🤷🏼‍♀️

[quote KirstenBlest]@Wondermule, I wouldn't try to read it as Welsh though, because it so obviously isn't. I generally try to get people's names right.

oh, apart from when it’s English people of course.
I think that's quite enough. Goodnight.[/quote]
No I meant, it isn’t solely England that mispronounces names and doesn’t know the provenance of a lot of them. Although you would think it from the posts on this thread 🙄

Florence is mentioned on every girl’s name thread usual with mn Flo/Florrie/Flossie. I don’t think it is pretty or classic and IMO will be very much of its time like Noah.

I think England started using Betsy as a variant first, then Wales put their own spelling twist on it. The fact they did doesn’t offend me in the slightest 🤷🏼‍♀️

I've no idea if they did, I only know it from Betsi Clwc Clwc. Leusa has been around a long, long time, so isn't a welshified Lisa.

@Wondermule it's not about dying on any hills! When a name gets changed and lost it is a shame for people from that culture because there is a risk of the languages dying out completely in time, that's why people like to use the original spellings of Irish/Scottish names, to keep the language alive.
I don't really want to be rude, but it's the ignorance in posts like yours that make other nationalities so angry about the English (and I am English!) We're not all like this, honest!

[quote Drunkenmonkey]@Wondermule it's not about dying on any hills! When a name gets changed and lost it is a shame for people from that culture because there is a risk of the languages dying out completely in time, that's why people like to use the original spellings of Irish/Scottish names, to keep the language alive.
I don't really want to be rude, but it's the ignorance in posts like yours that make other nationalities so angry about the English (and I am English!) We're not all like this, honest![/quote]
Huh?? Well as long as people in Wales keep using Welsh names they’re not going to die out are they? What does it matter if they are used in England with a different spelling? It’s a compliment if anything.

Constance
Juliet
Otillie (Sp)

Evelyn
Ophelia

@Awwlookatmybabyspider

Evelyn Ophelia

I like Evelyn but it’s always at the back of my mind that it was a mans name! I also dislike it being pronounced ‘ever-Lyn’.

Most of the names I was gonna say have been said, but the other thing I must say is that MN is utterly OBSESSED with middle names and how they sound with the first name, do they go, are they silly etc etc. As much attention is often given to a middle name as a first name. I can honestly say that other than family, I neither know nor care what anyone's middle names are, they are very rarely ever used, and this MN obsession with a middle name does not seem to occur in real life conversations!

Persephone. Dreadful name. Don't get the love for it. Its spelt Percy-Phone and I can't get past that.

Its spelt percy-phone. I can not read it as anything else. Its one of those stupid names thats pronounced in a ridiculous way.

It’s spelt Persephone & pronounced per-seff-oh-nee

• Per - per
• seph - seff (ph = f)
• one - oh-nee (like panettone)

It is not a “stupid” name just because you are unable to perceive a Greek name being pronounced in a non anglicised way. Do you have the same problem with names from other cultures too? Are they also stupid & have “ridiculous” pronunciations? Would you say the same about a Irish or Welsh name? How about an Asian or African name? Are you unable to “get past” those too?

It’s very disappointing to hear you say something like that as I follow your other threads & I have always found what you have to say engaging. Ironically, your comments are more in line with what I’d expect from a Daily Mail reading Brexiteer.

As a non white person with foreign heritage, I find comments like yours quite upsetting. By all means think a name is dreadful or whatever, but please don’t insult them or brand them as stupid or ridiculous just because they don’t conform to English speaking convention. It’s amazing how insidious comments like this can be.

And it’s not even that unusual a sound, I didn’t think...

Penelope
Hermione
Antigone
Calliope

Shock - other languages have other ways of pronouncing letters and words.

Calling something ‘stupid’ and ‘ridiculous’ because it’s a different language is so ... I’ll be kind and just say ‘sheltered’.

@Tinkity

Persephone. Dreadful name. Don't get the love for it. Its spelt Percy-Phone and I can't get past that.

Its spelt percy-phone. I can not read it as anything else. Its one of those stupid names thats pronounced in a ridiculous way.

It’s spelt Persephone & pronounced per-seff-oh-nee

• Per - per
• seph - seff (ph = f)
• one - oh-nee (like panettone)

It is not a “stupid” name just because you are unable to perceive a Greek name being pronounced in a non anglicised way. Do you have the same problem with names from other cultures too? Are they also stupid & have “ridiculous” pronunciations? Would you say the same about a Irish or Welsh name? How about an Asian or African name? Are you unable to “get past” those too?

It’s very disappointing to hear you say something like that as I follow your other threads & I have always found what you have to say engaging. Ironically, your comments are more in line with what I’d expect from a Daily Mail reading Brexiteer.

As a non white person with foreign heritage, I find comments like yours quite upsetting. By all means think a name is dreadful or whatever, but please don’t insult them or brand them as stupid or ridiculous just because they don’t conform to English speaking convention. It’s amazing how insidious comments like this can be.

There's really no need to take it so personal. The pp was just saying her opinion, if yours is different that's OK but no need to take it to heart..

How dare you suggest i dont like foreign or unusual names. Thats massively rude.

This is one singular name i can't stand because of the way it is written and the way its pronounced

It is allowed to dislike certain foreign names for particular reasons. That does not mean you dislike other names which are less 'English'.

Far from it, i prefer unusual names. But Persephone is a pet hate as a name for me. I can not stand it. I genuinely hope i never meet one.

@23PissOffAvenueWF

And it’s not even that unusual a sound, I didn’t think...

Penelope
Hermione
Antigone
Calliope

Shock - other languages have other ways of pronouncing letters and words.

Calling something ‘stupid’ and ‘ridiculous’ because it’s a different language is so ... I’ll be kind and just say ‘sheltered’.

Its narrowminded to make this assumption actually.

I genuinely hope i never meet one

This made me laugh. You sound ummm.... interesting.

Did you mean you hope never to meet a person who named their child Persephone?

Oh dear Ottilie is thrown around with such joy. It is like a bacterial culture description: Batch 4 has the case of Ottillie.

Heinous name

Emiliy - boringly also suggested
Winter - why?
Sage - again why

@Wondermule "All that happens is your child ends up with a beige name that doesn’t sound very pretty."

Yes, that is what this thread really should have been called

@GoryGilmore

I find the name boards really good for inspiration for naming our pets, we love giving our hamsters/rabbits/dogs pretentious names!

🤣🤣

There's really no need to take it so personal. The pp was just saying her opinion, if yours is different that's OK but no need to take it to heart..

Have you even bothered to read my post? I clearly say that I have no problem with the poster having an opinion or thinking the name is ‘dreadful’, what I have an objection to is something being branded ‘stupid’ & ‘ridiculous’ just because it doesn’t conform to conventional English pronunciation, which as it’s foreign, it wouldn’t do. You have completely missed the point of my post.

Also, please don’t tell me not to take something personally or to heart, that’s extremely patronising. I also don’t need you to validate my feelings by telling me they’re ‘OK’. As someone who has suffered racism & xenophobia in England, I am not going to apologise for my feelings. Until you have walked in my shoes, please don’t tell me how I should feel.

Just to be clear, I know the poster I’m referring to NOT BE RACIST OR XENOPHOBIC, in fact they’re the opposite, but that still doesn’t make their comments acceptable. I know the poster meant nothing by it but comments like theirs are absolutely insidious in society & it’s only something that someone who is “foreign” or an ethnic minority would pick up on & unless attention is brought to it, it will continue.

@Tinkity

There's really no need to take it so personal. The pp was just saying her opinion, if yours is different that's OK but no need to take it to heart..

Have you even bothered to read my post? I clearly say that I have no problem with the poster having an opinion or thinking the name is ‘dreadful’, what I have an objection to is something being branded ‘stupid’ & ‘ridiculous’ just because it doesn’t conform to conventional English pronunciation, which as it’s foreign, it wouldn’t do. You have completely missed the point of my post.

Also, please don’t tell me not to take something personally or to heart, that’s extremely patronising. I also don’t need you to validate my feelings by telling me they’re ‘OK’. As someone who has suffered racism & xenophobia in England, I am not going to apologise for my feelings. Until you have walked in my shoes, please don’t tell me how I should feel.

Just to be clear, I know the poster I’m referring to NOT BE RACIST OR XENOPHOBIC, in fact they’re the opposite, but that still doesn’t make their comments acceptable. I know the poster meant nothing by it but comments like theirs are absolutely insidious in society & it’s only something that someone who is “foreign” or an ethnic minority would pick up on & unless attention is brought to it, it will continue.

🙄

@RedToothBrush

How dare you suggest i dont like foreign or unusual names. Thats massively rude.

This is one singular name i can't stand because of the way it is written and the way its pronounced

It is allowed to dislike certain foreign names for particular reasons. That does not mean you dislike other names which are less 'English'.

Far from it, i prefer unusual names. But Persephone is a pet hate as a name for me. I can not stand it. I genuinely hope i never meet one.

Read what I actually wrote, I have no problem with you disliking any name you want, of course that’s allowed. If it’s a pet hate, absolutely fine. If you don’t like the pronunciation, again that’s absolutely fine. What I have a problem with is you branding the name & pronunciation as ‘stupid’ & ‘ridiculous’ just because it doesn’t fit English speaking convention - that was your whole point. I personally find that to be rude.

Also I didn’t suggest that you dislike foreign names, I asked you the question. Think about your exact comments & now apply them to a Muslim name instead, is that acceptable? To say the pronunciation is ‘ridiculous’? If not, why not?

I’ve read enough of your posts to know that you’re a very smart cookie so you know exactly what I’m getting at. Please don’t be disingenuous by twisting what I’m saying.

@Drunkenmonkey, " I completely see where you're coming from. When a name is mispronounced and becomes mainstream you risk losing the original name entirely. Caitlin is a good example of that.
I could see the same happening to Ciara actually."

It has already happened to Niamh and Orla. They are Neeve and Awla now.

Other ones that have been lost are Sophia and Maria. You won't hear them as Soph-eye-ah and Mar-eye-ah now, but those were the original English way of saying them.