Thoughts on the names Freddie/Fred and Lily for b/g twins?

[Oscarssmum]

I’m due b/g twins in 2 weeks and we’re thinking of calling them Freddie/Fred & Lily. What are peoples thoughts? I appreciate they’re popular names…but Fred I’ve just always loved and Lily is after my Nan.

Middle name James for boy and struggling with Lily (on the list are Emilia, Amilia, Elenor, Eloise,Olivia…open to options!)

Thanks!

The Archers is the most famous, longest-running radio series in the world. It’s no use saying “my /my children’s generation won’t have heard of it,” because chances are they will. My 20-somethings will listen to it sometimes, and even young people grow up and might end up listening when older. However, I still think using Freddie and Lily is OK. They are standard normal names. I much prefer Frederick, though, with the option of Fred or Freddie.

Perhaps worth considering that Freddie and Lily are now about 20 - so that might indicate that those names for babies now might be a bit old fashioned.

@Snowiscold

Quite the opposite! I was a little concerned about just how popular they both are at the moment, but have decided not to worry about that.

I'm the same age as you and I've never heard of the archers.

I love both names. I am one of those that likes a long name with a nn like Freddie/ Lilly, probably to do with the profession I work more substantial names seem important. But I am probably being a snobby cow (I'm really not!)

@PartyOnKale

Shula would make me think Archers because I know of no other!

That's true. I wonder where they got that from.

@campion

WhatAWasteOfOranges

The Archers is an old lady thing, so you’re right not to worry about that!

Nice segueing of ageism and sexism there!
You might be a bit wide of the mark though:

According to ­audience figures released by BBC Sounds, The Archers was the second most requested ­programme on the app among under-35s

Anyway OP, there's another set of twins on their way in the current storyline who are being dubbed Pinky and Perky on another thread

I never listened to it till I was in my 30s but my kids, 20s and 30s, grew up listening to it so even though they probably never listen to it now they will certainly know who Lily and Freddie are.

Immediately thought of the Archers. As to it being an old lady thing , DNiece had been inculcated to The Archers since the womb and has introduced several of her uni mates to the joys of Ambridge - they listen while they're cooking their supper.

Yup Archers here too. I've listened most of my life. Not sure how much it matters but there will definitely be an awful lot of people thinking or saying the same thing to them which could get very irritating throughout their lives.

ancientgran

PartyOnKale
Shula would make me think Archers because I know of no other!

That's true. I wonder where they got that from

The story goes that Phil and Jill shuffled a load of lettered wooden bricks and came up with those names! Before my time but evidently the Fifties were more wacky than we realise!

Lovely names - sod the archers no one under 60 listens to it

Erm, I've listened to the Archers since I was 27, and before that knew all the characters' names because it was always on. Spent a long car journey recently explaining the omnibus storylines to my 18 year old niece.

So, expect a few comments but it wouldn't put me off. They are lovely names and it's not like you are calling them Grant and Phil.

@campion

ancientgran

PartyOnKale
Shula would make me think Archers because I know of no other!

That's true. I wonder where they got that from

The story goes that Phil and Jill shuffled a load of lettered wooden bricks and came up with those names! Before my time but evidently the Fifties were more wacky than we realise!

Thanks. Not before my time and I don't remember it being that wacky I do remember everything seeming to be in shades of grey and then the 60s happened and it was all in colour.

@flippertyop

Lovely names - sod the archers no one under 60 listens to it

Even though people on here have told you they are much younger than that and listen to it. I suppose you probably know more than they do.

@APileofLogs

I thought of the Archers but I don't think that should be a deal-breaker. I know twins called Viola and Sebastian and you don't get much more "twins from fiction" than that.

People don't normally listen to Shakespeare 6 days a week though.

I also thought The Archers (NZ listener here!)

I bet their friends won’t know about it but lots of people will mention it to you when you say the names.

Archers was my immediate thought too

I'm very close to your age, OP, and thought of The Archers immediately! I've stopped listening but have multiple Millennial friends who listen to it...

Yep, read the thread title and thought the Archers. Definitely not just an old lady thing - there's a long running series of threads on Munsnet discussing it...!

Lovely names for twins, but I think you mean but be under estimating just how many people will think The Archers.

I think why the Archers connection wouldn't be an issue for me is the names are both so popular and fit together well stylistically. If it were Balthazar and Cordelia then I'd avoid, but for two of the most popular names in the country if they were my favourite names I wouldn't have a soap opera which isn't in the public consciousness very often (the last storyline which broke out was Helen and Rob six years ago) put me off.

And to add to that, it's not a dreadful connection. The worst that will happen is people will say 'oh, like The Archers' and you'll say 'no, Lily was my grandmother's name'. And they'll only be referred to collectively for a short time. When they move out to university and the workplace, most people around them won't know what their sibling's name is.

@toastofthetown

I think why the Archers connection wouldn't be an issue for me is the names are both so popular and fit together well stylistically. If it were Balthazar and Cordelia then I'd avoid, but for two of the most popular names in the country if they were my favourite names I wouldn't have a soap opera which isn't in the public consciousness very often (the last storyline which broke out was Helen and Rob six years ago) put me off.

I agree with this, although I think The Archers is very much in the public consciousness, and it's not just the over 60s who listen and know what's going on. I'd say stick with Freddie and Lily, OP. Not everyone they meet will make an Archers reference.

Those of you saying you've never heard of it, maybe you would recognise the theme tune? It's called Barwick Green. The audience was in the tens of millions back in the 1950s when it was new and most people in the UK didn't have TV. That changed and the audience fell a bit, but as others have said there are millions of us, and plenty of people who know all about it from growing up with it on in the background or having a relative/partner who listens.

Also, as the Archers threadstarter, I'd like to invite all the posters who listen over to our long-running series of threads in the Radio Addicts topic. Here's the current one, which has a day or two left to run. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/4420580--Archers-thread-133-Woolley-socks-it-to-them-Discuss-The-Archers-and-its-Woolley-thinking-and-plotting-here Spoiler free! (We have a separate thread for spoilers.)

I have a Frederick who we call Freddie/ Fred, more often than not now he tends to be Fred.

Even MIL who hated the name and insisted she would always call him by Frederick (pronounced Fred-er-rick rather than the way we say it which is ‘Fred-Rick’) calls him Freddie. It really suits him.

Freddie/ Frederick is popular but that’s never bothered me, I don’t know what the obsession is with naming your kid something they’ll have to spell out to everyone forever. I have an unusual name (that is an actual name, just not used a lot at the time when I was born) and I’ve always hated it!

I started listening to the Archers as a student and still listen, I'm in my thirties. DS is 3 sings the theme tune and asks to listen to 'the farm story' (have to be careful as not all storylines are appropriate but he likes the ones with animal sounds mostly or Jazzer's motorbike). So don't count on future generations not being aware of it.
Freddie is a convicted drug dealer and Lily had an affair with her married teacher and dropped out of uni to sell kitchens, both traumatised after their father fell from the roof of their stately home.
An everyday story of country folk....

flippertyop

Lovely names - sod the archers no one under 60 listens to it

Erm, despite 3 pages of many posters telling you otherwise

I started listening to the Archers on maternity leave. DD (25) now listens to it because one of her colleagues has it on in the staff room at lunch time.

At the moment, Freddie and Lily are quite bland, but Freddie has served time in prison (or in a youth offenders institute?) for selling drugs and Lily is living with Russ, whom she met when she was at school and he was a teacher.

The snag is that you don't know what sort of storyline might be associated with them in the future.

(The Archers twins are Lily Rosalind and Frederick Hugo, btw).