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 😬

@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 does this mean? That parents don't know their child's actual name??

l like the ie names, they sound friendy.
Each to their own l say.

friendly

@EurghCobwebs

The only baby names I see on MN are either pretentious or chavy names, I like reading the baby name threads and reading the same "original" names being suggested to posters.

So all names are either pretentious or chavvy? I mean that sounds like you have a really narrow allowance for acceptable names.

I’m not keen on cutesy names or very unusual ones because I think they’re harder to ‘wear’ than a plainer name. However, I often see people referring to my kids’ names (one in particular) as dated/dull or ‘meh.’ To me they’re versatile names that would suit any type of person, to others they’re boring and unimaginative. Everyone’s doing their own thing.

Unless it’s a cruel name (stuff like tallulah does the hula/racist connotations) I can’t get too worked up about other peoples kids names. If you call your child Ralphie and he feels he won’t be taken seriously he can change his name. It’s not likely to hold you back for life.

@TerribleCustomerCervix

I’m not a mad fan of nicknames instead of full names on birth certs, but I can see PP’s logic that given how popular a trend it is, there’s going to be loads of adult Tommys/ Archie’s/ Poppys/Maisie’s in 30/40 years.

What does really irk me is when people pick a name that is just so “out there” that is obviously been chosen with no consideration for the poor person who’s going to have to use it for the next 70+ years. There’s a small business I follow on Instagram and the owner has just called her newborn son Bucky. Imagine going through life being called a nickname of a popular fortified wine.

I’d think this child will get more ‘who the hell is Bucky?’ Rather than ‘Ooh like the wine?’

Not a very pleasant sound though and even the actual character isn’t named Bucky.

I have a child who has a 'cutesie' name. We chose that because we didn't like the other , more common abbreviations of the 'full' name, so the name on the BC is the so-called cutesie one. Except that it is a name in its own right as well , just that most people assume it's a nn only. It's sad to see the level of prejudice against this type of name and the way some posters write off children based purely on the name chosen by the parents. FWIW, there were some who did the same when we announced DC1's name. It's a good job that his future employers were not so narrow minded and chose to focus on DC1's talents and skills when they chose to employ. Our choice of name for our child has definitely NOT hindered their success in any way.

I totally agree. I think for female babies as well, it’s anti feminist to give your daughter a name that she could never use to be the president/prime minister with if she needed to one day. If you want something super cutesy then do a middle name but give her options!

Sorry, I must have missed something as I wasn't aware there was a list of suitable names for presidents/prime ministers!!! What a ridiculous post.

Yep, the smug assumption that you choices of names are superior to other people's is a very bad reflection on people indeed.

Totally agree with this statement.

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...

That might be the case in the UK - I can't comment as I don't live there - but where I do live no-one would ever consider any name "not very appropriate or professional for work". Unbelievable. I find it far more embarrassing when I see someone as judgemental as you, I actually cringe for you.

Actually, I should have said "judgemental and superior"

Ralphie is a cutesification of Ralph but the other names like Teddy, Charlie etc are just really regular names.

Teddy is a shortening of Theodore and Charlie of Charles. How is that different?

@Blubells

I agree. All these cutesy names like Archie, Alfie, Charlie, Teddie, Ralphie may suit a toddler but not necessarily a grown man.

Are you telling me you’ve never heard or met an Adult Archie, Charlie, Alfie or Teddie? My grandad was an Archie. Just a few famous men… Charlie Chaplin, Charlie Sheen, Alfie Barbery, Alfie Allen, Alfie Lewis, Teddy Roosevelt…