Ready for everyone to come at me, but...

[Tucancrossing]

...why on earth do some people not understand that they're naming a person who will be a child for a decade but an adult for the vast majority of their life?!

A friend of a friend just named her baby Ralphie... full name on birth certificate. I actually think it's a very cute nickname for a little one, but real name Ralph, surely?! Imagine being a 45 year old man trying to be taken seriously with a child's nickname 😬

I always "test" the name. Put the prefix "Grandpa" or "Grandma" in front of the name and see how it sounds.
Grandpa Ralph
Grandpa Butch
Grandma Susan
Grandma Brandy Joy
It makes it easier to imagine the staying power of a name.

but there are so many situations in life where you have to give your actual name...

He'll call himself Ralph. In life there are very few situations where you have to give your actual name - and he'll just say "It's Ralphie on my birth certificate but I'm known as Ralph". Many people have to do that because of awful / embarrassing names, they get used to it.

@TheRedTowel

I agree that children should be given the full name and then the choice of their nickname. We have done this with our kids.

My pet peeve is when people clearly don't know the full/formal name and call their kid something ridiculous like Harrison. Everytime I hear Harrison shouted in the park it grinds my gears.

What's, in your opinion, wrong with Harrison?

My little second cousin is Harrison & I think it's quite cute & he can be Harry if he wants later on in life.

Totally agree and I really kept that in mind when naming our children I wanted their names to be suitable for all stages of their lives right upto being grandparents

@toastofthetown

Very few people are going come at you; your view is shared by most people on Mumsnet. The problem I have with this thought is that the -ie/-y nickname as a full name trend is an incredibly popular one, has been for some time and shows no signs of decreasing in popularity. In the top 100 in England and Wales in 2020 are Harry, Archie, Charlie, Freddie, Alfie, Tommy, Teddy, Albie, Reggie, Ronnie, Frankie, Bobby, Sonny, Ollie, Rosie, Evie, Elsie, Millie, Maisie, Hallie, Molly, Lottie and Ellie. And many many more further down the rankings. This means that the 'but what about when they are an adult?' question doesn't really make any sense as there will be literally thousands of adults with these names. Of course names will work for adults because of the volume of adults with those names.

That doesn't mean you have to like them. Personally they aren't the style of name I would choose, but I don't assume that my taste is the correct one. Does the friend of friend know you are ridiculing her new baby's name on an online forum?

I agree. And absolutely hate it! My mother invented awful "y/ie" ending nicknames for me and all of my siblings but at least we had proper names on our birth certificates so we all ditched these vomit-inducing versions by age 10 at the latest. However a child only given the nickname as their actual name is stuck with it. I agree it will become normalised because so many people have done it, but it will still continue to induce a significant level of cringe for those adults and people around them, in many cases.

@IKissedSantaClaus

Harrison is a very normal and not ridiculous name

If it is a surname, then yes.

I find the nicknames which are bestowed worse.
Name - Elizabeth. Ti be known as Bibbi, BingBong, Bazzi, Nessie, NooNoo... etc.

Awful name

This is one of the snobbiest threads I’ve read in a while, mumsnet really makes me laugh at times…hyacinths galore.

No Harrison isn’t my taste, nor is Ralphie but they can use Harry/Ralph if they wish and both sound absolutely normal names.

I have a mumsnet approved ‘proper’ name on my BC which I’ve never been known as. I HATED it at high school when teachers insisted on using it as I didn’t identify with it at all. I would still never ever use it. And guess what, I’ve managed to have a perfectly successful professional career using my cutesy nickname…who’d have thought?!!!

Names are so personal but these threads being all superior and mocking others get my goat. It’s really quite sad. Calling your little darling Frederick or Charlotte does not cement your middle class ambitions.

Why is Ralphie so different to Billy or Jimmy, plenty of older men go by those versions of their name? There are also older men called Archie or Alfie - once again a version of their name - and no-one thinks anything of it. I know an older man whose actual name is Hughie, he seems to cope.

Better than K-a (K’dasha) - yep, it’s real

My pet peeve is when people clearly don't know the full/formal name and call their kid something ridiculous like Harrison.

What a boring world if everyone called their children by the same "formal" names. News flash: people can call their children whatever they like, it's nothing to do with judgemental people like yourself.

Some of these examples are batshit. There's nothing wrong with being a Harry or Charlie as an adult. Stop being ridiculous.

Also some of you should look at the most popular American names and you'd really have a heart attack. I watch teen mom and none of those kids have normal names. Hazelee. Amour. I'm sure they'll be fine.

[quote Tucancrossing]@LadyWithLapdog no, that would be better. This is ral-fee.[/quote]
No I don't think Ray fee is any better 😂. Raif on its own but with the extra bit added on sounds even more ridiculous than a Ralphie.

Harrison is a full name though. It means 'son of Harry' I quite like it.

I went out with a Ralph and he referred to himself as Ralphie. Don't know why but it made me feel queasy. Very childish sounding nickname - not appropriate as a 'proper' name.

Each to their own (within reason). Barring names that are offensive, I can't get worked up about this.

I have a name that is incredibly unused, think mythology, and on MN and IRL people often say annoying stuff like 'Bet you got bullied/don't you hate saying it at work/did you find it hard to get a job/bet you'll want to call your own kids something normal'

1.) Nope I wasn't bullied. FYI, bullies often seek out vulnerable traits in others, your name could be Emma and if they feel you're a target they won't hesitate due to your normal name.
2.) Don't mind saying it at work why would I, no word of a lie I've only ever had issues with it from low key racists and close minded people.
3.) Nope, never struggled for work
4.) Nope, DD also has an unusual name.

Perhaps we need a list of MN approved names...

Agree, it's embarrassing when I see someone name their child something like 'benny' 'river' or 'tyler' or 'tessie', it's sweet for child hood but not very appropriate or professional for work and will not get you very far with certain associated names... However some names above are great as they are more common as the nickname versions and not as the originals, like 'alfie' , 'lucie' , 'harry' etc

@toastofthetown

Very few people are going come at you; your view is shared by most people on Mumsnet. The problem I have with this thought is that the -ie/-y nickname as a full name trend is an incredibly popular one, has been for some time and shows no signs of decreasing in popularity. In the top 100 in England and Wales in 2020 are Harry, Archie, Charlie, Freddie, Alfie, Tommy, Teddy, Albie, Reggie, Ronnie, Frankie, Bobby, Sonny, Ollie, Rosie, Evie, Elsie, Millie, Maisie, Hallie, Molly, Lottie and Ellie. And many many more further down the rankings. This means that the 'but what about when they are an adult?' question doesn't really make any sense as there will be literally thousands of adults with these names. Of course names will work for adults because of the volume of adults with those names.

That doesn't mean you have to like them. Personally they aren't the style of name I would choose, but I don't assume that my taste is the correct one. Does the friend of friend know you are ridiculing her new baby's name on an online forum?

My name is on that list and I'm in my late 30s.

I think it suits me as an adult, and people I speak to say it's a lovely name.
I don't think it's cutesy

I agree. I don't like cutesy girls names either.

@Bigboysmademedoit

Better than K-a (K’dasha) - yep, it’s real

No it’s not.

I'm not sure I agree with Archie. I know a good few elderly rugged farmer types who are Archie so to me it escapes the cutesy association. It's a name that has been used for a long time - unlike Ralphie which I agree is ridiculous

People are so fucking nasty on here sometimes

@halloweenie13

Agree, it's embarrassing when I see someone name their child something like 'benny' 'river' or 'tyler' or 'tessie', it's sweet for child hood but not very appropriate or professional for work and will not get you very far with certain associated names... However some names above are great as they are more common as the nickname versions and not as the originals, like 'alfie' , 'lucie' , 'harry' etc

Lucie/Lucy is a full name and has been for well over 100 years!