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

499 replies

MonicaFaloolaGeller · 06/06/2021 23:56

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.

OP posts:
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KisstheTeapot14 · 09/06/2021 12:31

Eloise

Esme

Evelyn

Lucy

Edith

Daisy

Heidi

Sienna

Mol70 · 09/06/2021 12:35

Ugh. Reading this from the west of Ireland. I had often heard that the U K is far more class conscious, these comments conform that.

OP..you did the hard work. You pick the name.

JellyFishy13 · 09/06/2021 15:38

Imagine going to a playground where 10 girls are playing and shouting Anna / Kate / Mary. At least three will be looking at you. And only - yours - one will not be dissapointed. Go with your preference. I love Ophelia!

Victoria319 · 09/06/2021 16:26

Ugh, why do people get so funny about baby names? When I was pregnant and we found out we were having a girl I knew immediately that I wanted to call her Olivia. (I thought I was being clever as I knew NO Olivias! It was 2011. Olivia was the no1 girls name that year and I think has been in the top three ever since.... doh! So I didn't get the 'individual' name I was going for Blush )

BUT, more to the point. When we told my mother in law that we were going to call the baby Olivia, she got totally riled, like angry with both of us, and kept saying it was too posh, too middle class, it was a horrible name, she hated it, our child would be a snob etc etc. Oh God, she made me so upset and angry!! I told her so too! 🤷 I never warmed to my mil much because of that and (thankfully?) she ended up falling out with my husband a few years later so we don't have anything to do with her now!
I am SO glad I didn't listen to her and named Olivia the way we had chosen, as it suits her completely. She is know as Liv or Livvy also. Her middle name is Rose, and as there is another Olivia in her class (of 32, largest class in village school of under 200!) she prefers to go by Olivia Rose at school rather than Olivia surname initial.

I don't know how I would have reacted if it had been my DH vetoeing my favourite name tho. I expect I would have been sad. I do remember I presented him with a list, and said these are my favourite names, tell me which ones you like. And Arabella, Isabelle and Amelia were my other top ones I believe.

DH did want to give her the middle name Nancy (after his grandmother) and I vetoed that. It's not that I didn't like it, I actually do, I just didn't feel like it went well with Olivia tbh. AND it was a bit ridiculous set of initials with our surname.

Funnily enough Edward has always been my pick for a boys name. It's my DHs middle name, and a family name for me too, so it would have been lovely to use, but we've not been blessed with a second child and DD is nearly 10.

So DH picked Olivia off my list as one of his favourites, and I think he vetoed Arabella. And was okayish with the rest. He never came up with any name suggestions himself though!!

Perhaps you could make a list of names you like for your DH, say 5 or 6, and give him 2 absolute vetoes and 2 'favourites' and 2 maybes, and ask him to rank them?

BUT then get him to write down some names he DOES like. He can't be vetoeing all your ideas and not contributing any of his own. That's not on at all.

And ask him what his problem is with your kid having a 'middle class sounding names anyway, whatever that is? Shouldn't we be stopping each other from judging people at face value or on the basis of their names nowadays? I'm a Victoria, I've never liked to be a Vicky, and I find it the height of rudeness if I introduce myself to someone as Victoria and they immediately call me Vicky. They may as well call me Bob. It's just not my name! But the number of times I have been called, to my face, a snob, posh, demanding, rude etc etc etc because I've asked people to use my name correctly.... honestly, I couldn't even tell you! Less now, probably because of the times we live in but also I think it's less so as I get older. It happened SO much in the work place when I was late teens/20s. In various different workplaces too. And I was SO reticent to ask people to use my name correctly, and never ever would have been rude about it. But got told I was!
Whereas nowadays I'm a lot more confident and probably AM a bit rude when I tell people off and make them use my actual name, and yet people usually grovel and apologise. It's a funny old world isn't it??

Sorry for the long post. 😅 I have issues with names! I think it's important to use people's names properly, and I think it's a serious business naming a child. A serious responsibility!

So if I were you, and there's a name you're especially fond of, keep pushing your hubbie on it. Explain why you're so fond of it. Ask him to explain why he isn't in more depth. If he can't, then tell him how special
the meaning and long lasting your desire to use it has been. He may not understand that yet.

Or he may be like my husband and just a big dope!! He did announce our daughters birth on Facebook by writing 'welcome to the world OLIVE Rose' after all ..... yep, predictive text my friends... such a pratt. Hahaha. Worst part was, I got all these messages from friends and whatnot saying how much they LOVED the name Olive and how different it was. And when I corrected them and said it was Olivia most of them were all disappointed and like 'oh, well, that's OK too I suppose....' lol.

So you can't win. There's always going to be someone who says something that annoys you about your kids name, or makes a stupid comment about it (like my mil!). If your DH hasn't got a name he himself is set on, or any other strong opinions, then I would keep trying to win him over with the names you like.

Again, sorry for the essay like reply! Us Victorias are known for them.... xx

Localocal · 09/06/2021 17:55

Cordelia?
Cecilia?
Isabella?
Lilliana?
Lucinda?

pollymere · 09/06/2021 18:06

They are not middle class. They fall into the category pretentious upper class to me (sorry). You would be setting them up for teasing I suspect. Isabella or Rosabella would be lovely. I also love Rosalina.

LittleMissH13 · 09/06/2021 18:29

I had 2 boys so never had the opportunity to pick a beautiful girls name. I find boys names quite boring but I do have a Joseph too which I love.
I feel for you that you can’t have one of the names you’d always wanted. My personal favourites are Connie, Sienna and Imogen. One of my friends named her child Margo which I think is quite a unique choice. Good luck Flowers

BessMarvin · 09/06/2021 18:48

@Deborino

Elizabeth is timeless (my youngest daughter's name) we don't know any other Elizabeth's My eldest is Jessica. Although I hadn't heard of any Jessica's 34 years ago there's lots of them now.
@Deborino your daughters are called Elizabeth and Jessica? I guess the books weren't around when they were born but I imagine they heard a few jokes in the 90s?
TatianaBis · 09/06/2021 18:49

@pollymere

They are not middle class. They fall into the category pretentious upper class to me (sorry). You would be setting them up for teasing I suspect. Isabella or Rosabella would be lovely. I also love Rosalina.
If you’re going to be preoccupied with class at least get it right.
JeanClaudeVanDammit · 09/06/2021 19:00

DH hated most of my suggestions and I hated most of his. The reasons why don’t really matter, the middle class thing is a bit of a red herring. You have to find something you both like, IMO, even if it means you both compromising a bit.

MrsKoala · 09/06/2021 19:05

My H vetoed Edward (my great grandfathers name and my dad's middle name) because he thought it was too working class!

imamearcat · 09/06/2021 19:06

Adelina?

user64325 · 09/06/2021 19:16

That's funny because Orla and Georgia are distinctly more middle class than Arabella and Ophelia!

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 09/06/2021 19:40

Edward is a classless name (and possibly more common across classes in the early 20th Century) but I would say it's very MC. Derivatives such as Teddy less so. I've known Georgias from all backgrounds. Orla is surely only a name used by those with Irish heritage?

Dizzybet74 · 09/06/2021 19:47

Not sure if anyone else has suggested Leonora?

TeaSoakedDisasterMagnet · 09/06/2021 19:58

@MonicaFaloolaGeller

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.
You could use Alianore
LesleyA · 09/06/2021 20:16

Abi
Means fathers joy

Victoria319 · 09/06/2021 20:20

Just thought. Twilight. You can't have an Edward AND a Bella of any sort ie something that could be shortened to Bella, Annabella, Isabel/la, Arabella etc. All gorgeous names, but people will just assume you're a Twilight fan and kids could be made fun of given the characters are a couple rather than siblings :/ xx

HairyToity · 09/06/2021 20:37

Ophelia and Arabella are too frilly for me.... How about Harriet or Eloise?

HalzTangz · 09/06/2021 20:42

@MissCruellaDeVil

So he vetoed the girls name but not Edward, which is one of the most middle class boys name I could think of. Tell DH he is being ridiculous and the names are lovely.
Exactly this, Edward is definitely a middle classes name
HalzTangz · 09/06/2021 20:47

Your names are nice.

I also like

Serendipity
Finnlaye
Eloise
Jalle (pronounced Halley)
Roxana
Anouska

FierceBarrie · 09/06/2021 20:48

@pollymere

They are not middle class. They fall into the category pretentious upper class to me (sorry). You would be setting them up for teasing I suspect. Isabella or Rosabella would be lovely. I also love Rosalina.
Rosabella and Rosalina? They sound cobbled together and fall very much into the camp you’re deriding.
TellmewhoIam · 09/06/2021 21:47

What about an old film star name?
Clara, Louise, Rita, Jean, Joan, Vivien, Grace, Deborah, Marilyn, Katharine, Bette, Leslie

TellmewhoIam · 09/06/2021 21:49

Josephine? Daphne?

Teenagehorrorbag · 09/06/2021 22:04

I thought Arabella in the Enid Blyton books was the nasty one? That's the vibe it gives me, anyway....

It's not fashionable now but I always loved Samantha. Then the 'model' Sam Fox came along in the 80s and put me right off - but enough time has passed now I think.

When the time came I was keen on Jemima for DD but DH said we already had someone with the initial J. Men......Grin

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