DH has vetoed my girls names because they’re “too middle class”

[MonicaFaloolaGeller]

I’m gutted!

We have a son called Edward, I’m currently pregnant with no. 2. Pretty much got a boy’s name locked in but still shortlisting girls.

Two girls names I said I loved are Ophelia and Arabella. Both go fine with our surname.

He said no to both on account of them being too posh/middle class. Nothing wrong with the names themselves, just the association (in his mind).

He has a thing about anything he thinks is too middle class (even though he is, by definition, middle class himself.)

Can anyone think of names in the same vein that I would like that won’t offend DH’s ridiculous class sensibilities?

Other names I like are

Alexandra
Evelyn (with a short “ev” like in never)

DH so far has said he likes Orla and Georgia. I’m not into Orla, and don’t like Georgia.

Middle names Mary, Rose.

There's only one spelling I have ever heard for Eleanor.

DD has a friend who spells it Ellena.

@RosesAndHellebores

There's only one spelling I have ever heard for Eleanor.

I have also seen it Elinor

I would think of Elena/Elenna/Ellen’s as a different name

*Ellena that should say

Elinor and Eleanor would be pronounced differently would they not?

No, DD is Elinor, pronounced exactly the same as Eleanor. Elinor is an older spelling of the name.

Surely Elinor is pronounced with a hard "i" and Eleanor with a slightly different emphasis on the "e"?

Most people pronounce them exactly the same, in our experience. I guess there may be a slight difference, occasionally, but very slight.

I work with two Elinors, one in her late fifties, other early thirties. It’s not a made up or “youneek” spelling, it’s Old English I think. They pronounce it the same as Eleanor.

I would pronounce Elinor as El in or unless told otherwise

Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility??

I’ve known an Eleanor, Elinor, Elanor and Elena and they all pronounced it exactly the same way. But I grew up in places without a rhotic accent which I guess makes a difference.

Go with the Eleanor spelling and make it easy for yourself and your daughter

I do think Edward is a middle class name, so not sure why he’s objecting to the girls names, which are lovely by the way. How about Adrienne, Isobel, Claudia, Christina or even Dorothy, which I think is really feminine. Not too many Pamela’s about these days and I love Matilda too. Always thought Diana was a nice name, but I have a friend called Diana, who is always being called Diane, which infuriates her !! I’m with you on Alexandra too.

I'm struggling to work out if your husband wants them to be more working class names or upper class names?!

Don't like joseph. I'd just burst into a rendition of "any dream will do" every time I heard it. Or "go, go, go, Joseph.."

I wanted to call my second daughter Emmeline like the famous women’s rights activist Emmeline Pankhurst but my husband didn’t like it so we compromised and had it as a middle name. Still love the name and the short version of Emmie. Her first name is Katherine which we both liked. There are so many different versions of the name Katherine for nick names too ie Kathy, Katie, Kate, Kat etc.
My hubby also liked Ophelia which does sound lovely but I have to admit I was put off it by the fact that Shakespeare’s Ophelia committed suicide. Silly I know as it’s a lovely name.

Helena. We have one of those named after Ms. Bonham Carter who is posh af. We aren't.

I’m an Eleanor and people regularly spell or say it differently. It can sound different in different accents and depending on where people put the emphasis (e.g. EleaNOR vs ELeanor). I also had a very Yorkshire friend who thought my name was Helena because she pronounced them the same way.

So go with whichever version you prefer, whether that’s Eleanor or Elinor, I get it spelled as Elena sometimes too but to me that’s a different name (El-ay-nah).

@IAmDaveTheSerialShagger

Your husband needs to deal with self esteem issues if choosing a name for a baby triggers him

Don’t be daft! He doesn’t like the names. He doesn’t have to like them. We all have reasons why we don’t like particular names. It doesn’t mean we have self esteem issues.

I have a non-rhotic accent too (modern RP) and pronounce Eleanor, Elinor, Ellena etc as EL-un-uh and Elena as el-AY-nuh

How about Audrina?

The only Audrina I've ever come across is in the title of a trashy Virginia Andrews novel.

Out of all of them Edward is the most middle class name to me, I can imagine most Edwards being posh Eddie not so much.

I wanted Arabella if I was going to have a girl but had a boy anyway.

Edward is as middle class as it gets lol. Arabella is lovely, tell him stop being ridiculous and so self-conscious. If you like a name, you like it. Simple.