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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Why shouldn't I use these names?

55 replies

manhattenrain · 18/08/2021 08:57

This may be a strange request but I'd like to know any bad associations or reasons I shouldn't use the following names:

Eli
River
Levi

Tess
Juliet
Ivy
Mila
Scarlet
Esther
Sabrina
Wren
Eve
Hazel

Hopefully this helps me cut out some names.Grin

OP posts:
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Haggisfish3 · 18/08/2021 09:00

Sabrina I think of Sabrina the witch. Otherwise all fine.

FlorenceNightshade · 18/08/2021 09:03

Sabrina the teenage witch for me too! Levi jeans. But obviously there may be people in your life with these names that may influence you/your DP

Constellationstation · 18/08/2021 09:06

Levi was the name of the Staffordshire bull terrier in East 17

Mischance · 18/08/2021 09:08

All look great - except Sabrina, which I associate with the glamour model with the large boobs who was around in the 50s and whom my Dad fancied rotten!

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 18/08/2021 09:10

Levi (Bellfield)

The rest although they’re not all to my taste are fine

Balonzette · 18/08/2021 09:14

Eli - should use! Strong and biblical and cool
River - shouldn't use because it's a bit naff and has a child-of-a-z-list-american-celebrity vibe
Levi - should use - see comments for Eli Grin

Tess - should use! Beautiful, somehow a bit vintage feeling but also fresh and fiesty and sweet all at once
Juliet - should use. Pretty, classy
Ivy - shouldn't use. Getting popular to the point of dull - becoming another Evie/Ellie/Lily type name that's getting boring
Mila - shouldn't use - see comments for Ivy
Scarlet - should use! I love the sound of it. And Scarlett O'Hara is cool
Esther - should use! Brave, smart biblocal heroine, what's not to like? Also means star which is lovely
Sabrina - shouldn't use. No nice shortenings. Sab? Not great
Wren - should use. Vintage and pretty
Eve - shouldn't use. Will blend into a sea of Eve/Evie/Avas
Hazel - should use. Pretty, fairly unusual but not unheard of nature name

SingingWaffleDoggy · 18/08/2021 09:15

For me the associations are:
Sabrina- Teenage witch
Levi- Jeans
Esther- Rantzen
Juliet- Tragic
Scarlett- Johansson (Beautiful)
But if they’re names you’ve chosen for sentimental reasons none of them are that strongly linked that it would be more than a fleeting thought….. Except Sabrina!

mrsrichardsglasses · 18/08/2021 09:15

Eli always makes me think of snakes but I don't know why. It just sounds sinister to me.

manhattenrain · 18/08/2021 09:18

I wasn't sure about Sabrina but it's definitely off my list now! Smile

OP posts:
AliceMcK · 18/08/2021 09:29

Eli - biblical, but not necessarily bad
River - Phoenix, again not a bad thing, loved him in stand by me.
Levi - jeans

Tess of the d'urbervilles
Juliet - Romeo & Juliet
Ivy - very nice
Mila Kunis
Scarlet - Cluedo, woman
Esther - Ranzen
Sabrina - witch and possible pole dancer
Wren - love it
Eve - feminine and pretty
Hazel - watership down, but it’s nice

Chachachawoo · 18/08/2021 10:05

I always think of ten tonne Tess. No idea where it's from but we used to laugh about it at school when we reading Tess of the d'urbervilles

And Levi Bellfield isn't a nice association but not sure it is a prominent association.
Also wouldn't use River bc of River Phoenix

Janaih · 18/08/2021 10:09

I like them all, good choices. However despite being a lovely strong biblical name, I always think Esther is a bit lispy to say.

LadyDanburysHat · 18/08/2021 10:09

Eli - it's not really a full name. Prefer Elijah
River - love this
Levi - jeans

Tess - of the D'urbevilles
Juliet - okay
Ivy - v. popular right now
Mila - love this
Scarlet - good name
Esther - old fashioned
Sabrina - teenage witch
Wren - bird
Eve - good name
Hazel - boring

Abhannmor · 18/08/2021 10:47

The Wren is my favourite bird. And King of birds according to legends. The others are good. Although Levi - and Noah , Eli etc - somehow remind me of gun toting bible bashers in the Appalachian mountains!

Cbeebiesrehab · 18/08/2021 11:12

Just commented on the ones I wouldn’t use.

River- to me is a bit ‘want to be unique’ but in reality I know a lot of Rivers (both male and female)
Juliet- nice as a full name but would worry she would become ‘Jules’ (would push for Lettie)
Mila- pronunciation difficulties?
Scarlet- would get called ‘Scar’ (again-would push for Lettie)
Sabrina-witch

TigerBilly · 18/08/2021 12:17

Witch Hazel.

PricklesTheHedgehog · 18/08/2021 12:22

Eli - ok
River - bit naff
Levi - ok

Tess - nice, but isn't it a diminutive of Theresa?
Juliet - love this - bear in mind some people say JU-liet and others Juli-ETT
Ivy - nice
Mila - no, sounds like a milkshake mix
Scarlet - 'scarlet woman' - not for me
Esther - lovely
Sabrina - no
Wren - sounds like a surname to me
Eve - lovely, but there are many
Hazel - nut - so no from me

Bythemillpond · 18/08/2021 12:26

If I were to pick then River for a boy and Scarlet for a girl

The other names have either too many connotations or are a bit meh

Chunkymenrock · 18/08/2021 12:31

Mila reminds me of milia (white spots) and sounds ugly: MEAL-a. The others all seem OK to me and I love Hazel and Juliet.

Usuallyhappycamper · 18/08/2021 12:35

Well you have picked really lovely names, so that makes it hard! The only one I don't like is Wren. You don't pronounce the W, so it just sounds like Ren. Not a nice sound and reminds me of Ren and Stimpy.

Pemba · 18/08/2021 12:44

Sabrina is beautiful!

Wren, which has come out of nowhere to be very fashionable right now, is not attractive as a name. Why a wren, rather than sparrow, starling, pigeon? Doesn't even sound mellifluous as a word. Dull

Ivy has also become very popular but it sounds very old-lady ish imo.

All the rest are fine. Tess and Juliet are beautiful, as is Eve (though that's over popular I suppose).

hugocat · 18/08/2021 12:53

We used to say 'Scarlet the Harlot' at school

Allwillbefine · 18/08/2021 12:57

Eli - I like this.
River - Phoenix. Makes me think of druggie deaths
Levi - Bellfield. Or jeans.

Tess - lovely
Juliet - I like this too
Ivy - really nice
Mila - a bit ‘nothing’
Scarlet - wouldn’t use. It’s a lovely name but only works well on girls with dramatic colouring. I know a lot of insipid looking little Scarlets and the names doesn’t suit them at all.
Esther - ok
Sabrina - teenage witch.
Wren - it’s a bird, not a name.
Eve - lovely but very overused for the past 15 years
Hazel - nice, uncommon without being weird.

CabbagesGreen · 18/08/2021 12:57

Levi -jeans
Mila - reminds me of Milia which are annoying bumps on the skin but this might just be me!
Scarlet - fever
Sabrina - the teenage witch

GintyMcGinty · 18/08/2021 13:01

Eli - meh
River - pheonix, bit hippy
Levi - jeans

Tess - lovely, good classic name
Juliet - lovely, good classic name
Ivy - bit old lady
Mila - Kunis
Scarlet - O'Hara
Esther - Rantzen, also a bit older lady
Sabrina - Teenage Witch
Wren - little brown bird - meh
Eve - lovely, good classic name
Hazel - bit 1980s but not as bad as some on the list