Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

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

1 2

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

Baby names

Most common boy name suggestions on MN

39 replies

eatentoomanygrapes · 08/04/2022 07:56

I've noticed that, especially with boys names, the same suggestions come up time and time again. I wondered if this means this list is going to be our UK top 10 very soon...

You can't ask for name suggestions on MN without these coming up:

Jude
Rowan
Isaac
Finley
Kit
Theodore
Ezra

Is this list particular to Mumsnet? Or is this indicative of wider trends?

OP posts:

Thanks

Share

Report

Electrox · 08/04/2022 08:12

James is always suggested as a middle name.

I agree there's a definite MN style tendency.

Thanks

Knightbuss · 08/04/2022 08:20

These are definitely all on the rise! I meet so many little Theodore/Theo/Teddy lately.

Thanks

Electrox · 08/04/2022 08:58

Atticus
Orlando
Seth
Jasper
Luca

... are all very MN. I've never met anyone with one of these names.

Thanks

Mustardmusings · 08/04/2022 08:59

Kit definitely on Mumsnet. Never met a Kit.

Thanks

SummaLuvin · 08/04/2022 10:00

Whenever Myles/Miles is mentioned MN just about die over how wonderful it is. This might just be my confirmation bias because I just don't understand the appeal at all, so I notice every time.

Thanks

Sickofnosleep · 08/04/2022 10:02

@Mustardmusings

Kit definitely on Mumsnet. Never met a Kit.

You mean Christopher nn Kit

and I never meet one!

Thanks

antibacterial · 08/04/2022 10:03

@Sickofnosleep 😂

Thanks

antibacterial · 08/04/2022 10:09

IMO - Mumsnet on the whole loves names like Lucinda, Helena, Caroline, Sarah
For boys mumsnet tends to love James, Patrick, Daniel

I'd put many of them in the category of underused classics. I think mumsnet will soon turn against the likes of Jude and RoMan/RoWan as they're too trendy and I don't think mumsnet tends to like that.

Names like Ottilie or Camden, mumsnet will tend to hate.

Obviously this is just my own observations and mumsnet has a huge number of commentators from a wide range of view points so not every mumsnetter will love Louisa and hate Ottilie , but many seem to. (I love both by the way)

Thanks

AuntieStella · 08/04/2022 10:10

I agree about confirmation bias!

I like hanging around in the Baby Names topic (as I'll never have a baby of my own again to name, but like playing with names)

I don't get the appeal of Miles/Myles either as to me it's a really boring name

I do know in RL - Kit, Jasper, Luca, Jude, Ezra, Finley, Theo (many, many Theos of all ages!)

As always, solution is at your fingertips, post more and different styles of names.

(As an aside, I enjoyed posting once when OP gave some names she was thinking of, and I hated them all, so suggested others I hated in the same way. OP said she thought I'd made marvellous suggestions, and I was so pleased. There are so many ways to think about names!)

Thanks

lljkk · 08/04/2022 11:09

I find it astonishing ppl even ask for name advice. Not trying to diss, but honestly, no way I trust the collective MN hive mind to choose something so personal.

I've met young Jasper, Luca & a Theo !!

Thanks

Synchrony · 08/04/2022 11:16

I find Maeve mentioned on here a lot.

Thanks

SummaLuvin · 08/04/2022 11:20

I find it astonishing ppl even ask for name advice. Not trying to diss, but honestly, no way I trust the collective MN hive mind to choose something so personal.

I completely agree in the sense that I don't care in the slightest if MN have the same preferences as me and DH - I wouldn't want their 'approval' on names, I find them generally quite dull and conservative compared to my taste.

However, I do think the hive mind and varying backgrounds and experiences mean it can be a useful checking tool to make sure I don't inadvertently choose a name that could be problematic, or at least make the decision with all the information. E.g. Pippa being slang for penis in Italy - I had no idea at all, but as travel is important me and DH this would be a factor, other people might not care.

Thanks

antibacterial · 08/04/2022 11:59

@lljkk @SummaLuvin I think the opposite, I find it really helpful to hear what the mumsnet hive think. Because you know what's important to you. If mumsnet say they think a particular name is downmarket or chavvy sounding - then I know I don't care about someone thinking that about a name I pick - so I can listen to that opinion but decide that's not a relevant factor or consideration for me. If mumsnet say a name is trendy or they feel it's overused or similar in sound to a very popular name then yes I do listen to that and then seek out the statistics to check. Mumsnet come up with so many considerations that I'd never thought of, it's so useful.

Thanks

JayAlfredPrufrock · 08/04/2022 12:02

Balonz

Thanks

Amber17 · 08/04/2022 12:07

@lljkk

I find it astonishing ppl even ask for name advice. Not trying to diss, but honestly, no way I trust the collective MN hive mind to choose something so personal.

I've met young Jasper, Luca & a Theo !!

I don't have any small children in my wider family and not many of my friends have had children yet, so MN is a useful barometer of what's currently oversaturated in nurseries and what isn't.

Of the names in the OP, to me Jude and Kit are in their 30s!

Thanks

stickybear · 08/04/2022 12:24

Quentin always pops up on every single boys' name thread, which puzzles me as I've never met or even heard of a single Quentin in real life (not including Quentins Tarantino and Blake obv)

Thanks

MinoucheSapphic · 08/04/2022 12:33

Many of those names are trending in popularity. It's not just a Mumsnet thing. Check names.darkgreener.com/
I think people are simply more likely to suggest trending/somewhat popular names than obscure/cultural names or dated names. E.g. if someone's looking for boy name ideas on Mumsnet, I'd be more likely suggest the likes of Jude/Isaac/Theodore rather than Vitaliy/Arkadiusz/Guilherme or Barry/Keith/Ronald. That means that everyone's choosing from a pretty small pool of names, so the same names are bound to come up again and again

Thanks

toastofthetown · 08/04/2022 12:56

I find Mumsnet tend to suggest names that weren’t popular when they were at school as though name trends haven’t moved on since then. Arlo, Felix and Hugo are nice underused names… Tastes seems to skew conservative / aspirational. Middle names seem to be a direct choice between James and Alexander.

I think there is value and asking randoms what they think of a name, as your child will have to tell it to everyone person they meet so having a basic barometer of views is useful. Not that you have to take into account any of the feedback, but for example parents might swerve on the name Myra if they were had been aware of the Hindley connection. Having more information is always useful. I’ve been hanging around name forums enough to know how my top choices are widely viewed, but I love names so enjoy having conversations about them.

Thanks

URMyStarship · 08/04/2022 13:20

Isaac and Finley were popular in my London circles when my DS was born 18 years ago.

I think posh, twee babes like Kit and Pip are very MN, though .

I’ve never met a young Rowan and think it’s incredibly wet , so the MN love is mystifying.

Thanks

URMyStarship · 08/04/2022 13:20

babes = names

Thanks

KirstenBlest · 08/04/2022 15:20

I think Reuben is a popular one on here, along with Roman, Rowan and Rory. Reuben is often written as Ruben or Rueben. Reuben is ok but I think it's a bit wet-sounding.

There is usually a need to have a BC name for when little Ted/Theo/Finn/Kit is a High Court Judge., Head of MI6, PM or whatever

Thanks

WeasilyPleased · 08/04/2022 22:58

Sebastian and Lucy always pops up on here. I notice because to me they are horrible due to personal associations.

Thanks

Lilaclavenders · 09/04/2022 13:35

Sebastian and Quentin often come up....

I only know a couple of young ones, so they're both not that popular in real life.

Thanks

BertieBotts · 09/04/2022 13:37

Jude was being suggested on here 14 years ago when I was pregnant with DS1 :o

Thanks

KirstenBlest · 09/04/2022 13:49

Sebastian is very popular @Lilaclavenders

Thanks

Flip

1 2

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.