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Baby names

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

Original poster

Is Nimrod really that bad?

196 replies

lrpe · 03/09/2021 22:02

We are from Hungary where Nimród is a popular boy's name and we'd like to call our child Nimród. However, I've just learnt that in American slang "nimrod" means idiot, dimwit, stupid, etc. But I've never heard this in the UK.

I wonder how bad Nimrod sounds for a native English speaker in the UK. (We have no connections with the US and our son would grow up in the UK.)

Possible alternatives would be:

László
Zoltán
Vajk (pronounced: voyk)

Are they any better?

Thanks a lot.

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grey12 · 04/09/2021 09:17

[quote Penville]I always thought nimrod meant idiot and apparently that’s Bugs Bunny’s fault 😊

dotandline.net/when-bugs-bunny-beat-the-bible/[/quote]
Thanks for the link Grin

dementedma · 04/09/2021 09:18

Military aircraft is my first thought

OhRene · 04/09/2021 09:39

I would never go with Nimrod. The word is an insult in the UK.

I love Laszlo though.

Coogee · 04/09/2021 09:43

It’s an insult I’ve never heard of. I have heard of the aeroplane though as a relative used to be crew on one.

MordenLarch · 04/09/2021 09:53

Zoltan is an amazing name!

Splashinginpuddles15 · 04/09/2021 09:55

I’ve never heard Nimród as an insult , but like the sound of your other names better .

OhRene · 04/09/2021 09:59

Maybe nimrod is a regional insult. I know up North it was.

Coogee · 04/09/2021 11:01

Zoltan is an amazing name!

Tom Hanks “Big”.

IsabellesMissingSock · 04/09/2021 11:05

Zoltan is brilliant. My work has a large office in Budapest and there's several Zoltans to me. Sounds very strong and powerful in my head!

ButterflyAway · 04/09/2021 11:41

Nimrod is a common insult where I’m from in the U.K. but I didn’t know it was also a name. Will think twice about using it in that way again!

Ageee with PP’s though, László sounds like a beautiful name.

Bobmonkfish · 04/09/2021 11:43

It was a mild insult at my secondary school. Not heard it since. Zoltán is an amazing name! The others are really nice too.

OhRene · 04/09/2021 11:47

@Coogee

Zoltan is an amazing name!

Tom Hanks “Big”.

It's a Zoltar machine (I googled it after seeing it here) but yeah, it's the first thing I thought of.
Coogee · 04/09/2021 11:55

Ha ha!

You’re right, it was Zoltar.

Passmeamenuatthetottenham · 04/09/2021 12:10

Yes, I thought of 'Big' when I saw 'Zoltan' too!

kittenkipping · 04/09/2021 12:27

Congratulations on your baby!

If your son is to be raised in the uk then I'd avoid nimrod for all the reasons already given. And I'd vajk for the reasons already given. I'd also come to accept that if you are in the uk that regardless of the name- if it has more than 1 syllable sometimes even if it only has one syllable it WILL be shortened by many if not most of his friends. So if you can avoid your family shortening all the best, but his British friends / people you meet and even his teachers? I'd argue nigh on impossible .

Laszlo and zoltan are my favourite that's a lie I prefer vajk but just couldn't subject a child to the inevitable bullying it would endure

HeronLanyon · 04/09/2021 14:14

Laszlo is one of my all time fave names. Think I just want to live in 30s/40s black and white espionage films.

Buttercup54321 · 07/09/2021 23:54

Nimrod is insulting.
Zoltan is good

ErrolTheDragon · 08/09/2021 00:39

Elgar/hunter/aircraft. I'd no idea 'nimrod' was now used as an insult, what a shame.

László is good, Zoltán is fine. Vajk would probably get mispronounced and/or misspelled a lot in the U.K.

MrsTerryPratchett · 08/09/2021 00:45

László is great but bear in mind that a lot of systems have issues with accents. Which means on mine (housing) I can't find someone unless I first find their name in an email from that person and copy and paste. I could use keyboard shortcuts but most people don't know them.

It may be better to use Laszlo for most purposes.

Zoltan absolutely reminds me of Tom Hanks and Nimrod was totally an insult in South London growing up.

Lycanthropology · 09/09/2021 23:04

I wasn't aware of Nimrod as an insult, but then again it just doesn't sound like a name, either! It's a plane or a piece of music.

Laszlo is nice, but isn't it quite common? DHs family are Hungarian and there are few Laszlo's in there!

Lycanthropology · 09/09/2021 23:05

*there are a few

AmelieLovesAutumn · 09/09/2021 23:08

Yes it is

I picked this thread up from active, so didn't realise it was baby names, I thought you were going to say your child got told off for using 'bad language' at school'

In England, It's not a name.

HopingForOurRainbowBaby · 09/09/2021 23:12

Err yes

CombatBarbie · 09/09/2021 23:24

Nimrod reminds me of military aircraft so unless your planning on returning to Hungary, I wouldn't use it. I like Laszlo alot.

Zoltan, reminds me of an alien planet, and will be a nightmare if anything is done in alphabetical order at school etc!!

RussianSpy101 · 09/09/2021 23:26

There is a Nimrod in my daughters class. He is known as Nimmy.

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