What stereotypes of parents and children: James, Jonah, Jasper?

[PinkOrchidDream]

I'm having a boy! And we've found out today so naturally thinking baby names (and an excuse to actually join mumsnet)

Just for fun what would you assume of the parents per name and which one would you chose?

@doomonic

James has parents who are very conservative. They listen to Fleetwood Mac and Dire Straits.

In 2021? 😆

Yep. They felt safe in the 80s.

James - zero imagination or wants to blend in.
Jonah - might be religious, probably not. Maybe American.
Jasper - posh and/or wants everyone to think they're posh.

James - could literally be anyone. Classless and safe in a good way.
Jonah - can't place this at all.
Jasper - I would assume upper middle class, slightly hipster parents. I think it was one of the children's names in Fay Weldon's short story 'Weekend' (Jasper, Jenny and Jolyon) and that family was a UMC stereotype.

No stereotypes for James as it is so classic and timeless, and popular across the board.

I don't really have a strong feeling about Jonah either because I've never met one. I might expect the parents to be religious but not strictly so.

Jasper I would picture as parents who are middle class, eco conscious and maybe a little bit alternative. Wearing bright colours and reusable nappies. Certainly not negative though, I would put myself in that category too

Yep. They felt safe in the 80s.

My friend chose James for her 1dc, she wasn't even born in the 80s!

Connotations (obviously not all people with a certain name conform to stereotypes!)
James - steady and maybe a bit.....dull?
Jonah - top groups at primary, possibly vegan.
Jasper - cool and arty. My favourite, but can't get beyond this being the name of my ndn's dachshund!

We have a Jonah and some of these stereotypes are true! I would say we were slightly arty types in terms of careers and backgrounds and Jonah himself is very sweet and gentle. We are also church goers. It's been quite a marmite name whereas my daughter has a more common top 20 name and everyone always compliments it. I love Jonah though.

We were aware of the 'bad luck' thing but seems to really only be known by older people and I think the lovely bible story cancels it out! We almost went for Jude, do you like that?

I'd think
James is from a traditional middle class family. He is named after a beloved great-uncle. Good morals. Plays life safe. Will stay within his boundaries quite happily.
Jonah's parents are musical and will encourage Jonah to play an instrument.
He will be popular but quite 'alternative'.
His parents will allow him freedom as he reaches his teen years and will be more liberal than a lot of his friends' parents.
Jasper will be quiet and shy. His parents are quite insular and protective of Jasper.
They are an outdoorsy family who love all things nature. They value education.

Oh my gosh I love all of these! I think the Jonah stereotype probably fits us best. Not UC enough for Jasper I think

We have a Jonah. We aren’t religious and don’t wear patchwork clothes or rear our own animals sadly, although these did make me laugh! I’d say we’re pretty laid back and he’s a very chilled baby with a slightly emo side fringe.

We’ve only had really positive comments about his name. Surprisingly, only one person has mentioned the whale. And we too were aware of the bad luck/jinx meaning, but it didn’t bother us.

Another name we considered that you might like is Joah. We decided in the end it looked too much like a Jonah or Noah typo, but I do still love it.

@Onlinedilema

James; stable relationship between the parents, probably married and own their own home. Not young parents and only intend to have 2 children preferably a boy and a girl but would never show their disappointment at 2 boys. Calm, involved parents. Wear Boden and Sea Salt. Jonah: parents a bit hippy. Went to Glastonbury. Light candles and joss sticks don’t paint their house grey. Instead the house is a bit of a mis match with old furniture everywhere. Garden full of kids toys as they wistfully gaze out at the garden looking for inspiration. Jasper; Jaspers parents are in their 20s and unmarried. They want a more unusual name but not one that opens their child up to endless bullying. They go camping when they can’t afford all inclusive holidays abroad.

Love it 😂

A Jonah is some one who brings bad luck and is a jinx. I'd wonder about parents giving their child that moniker

James - solidly middle class, safe, not liking to take risks, maybe slightly dull

Jonah - following the current biblical trends, likes names that are unusual but well recognised, wants to be a little different from their friends but not too different
Fwiw - I adore Jonas but am not so keen on Jonah, not because of the bad luck association but I think Jonas just sounds so much cooler.

Jasper - upper middle class professionals, likes names like Felix, would have had an Oscar 15 years ago,

I know two little Jonahs. Both their sets of parents post a relentless series of family selfies on FB, and all the adults pose with the most hideous strychnine grins, their mouths unnaturally wide open, in an attempt to show us just how INCREDIBLY HAPPY THEY ARE. Much, much happier than the rest of us. They’re incredibly dull people. So I’m afraid that’s what I think of when I think Jonah.

James is gentle and well behaved, Jasper is naughty but nice. James’s parents are probably less interested in the opinions of others. Jasper’s parents are more exciting. I like both these names. I’d probably pick Jasper as James is so common, I barely even register when I hear it.

I see my thoughts about Jonah's parents are already expressed here: hippies and/or religious and/or American.

James makes me think of smart parents tending to be conservative in their choices. Jasper's parents are also smart, but more adventurous than James'.

I really like both James and Jasper, but Jonah doesn't do anything for me.