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Baby names

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

Original poster

Is Oliver.... boring??

110 replies

blueberry23 · 12/01/2023 21:11

It is literally the ONLY name that DH and I remotely agree on for DS2.

Neither of us love it.

We have an Alfred which we love love loved.

I feel like we are settling for Oliver as we have nothing else rather than because we love it which makes me sad.

I do like it... just don't love it 😫😫

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namechangedyetagain · 13/01/2023 07:04

When i had one I only knew 1 in real life (apart from Cromwell and Twist). Now they're everywhere in primary school.

Still love it though. Solid dependable name.

Katela18 · 13/01/2023 07:13

Oliver is lovely in my opinion....DD would have been oliver had she been a boy. Her best friend at nursery is now a little boy with that name! (Everyone says ita really heavily used but I only know of this one).

For ds born last year our list was:
Oliver
Magnus
Hamish
Rafferty

We went with Hamish due to ties with DD's name

WandaWonder · 13/01/2023 07:17

It is like my childs name, not in spelling but just a name name

These days it is a bonus with no need to explain or spell

I don't love it or hate it

But I presume it would also become Olly or Ollie?

Penguinsaregreat · 13/01/2023 07:17

I’d use it. It’s classic and timeless.
I suppose it’s boring in the same way wearing a black dress is boring or wearing jeans and converse is boring. Wearing striped, multi couloured clothes and dying your hair pink is regarded as not boring. That’s how I see it. That sort of comparison.

LlynTegid · 13/01/2023 07:18

I would not call it boring, just that far too often chosen and you might not like it being abbreviated.

Purplemagnolias · 13/01/2023 07:23

I suppose it’s boring in the same way wearing a black dress is boring or wearing jeans and converse is boring.

I'd call those styles classic and timeless rather than boring.

The opposite of fashionable or overused, which Oliver as a name seems to be.

thirdtimeluckyorwhat · 13/01/2023 07:24

Yes it is
Arthur
Albert
Keep going till you find a name you do love there's no rush

Purplemagnolias · 13/01/2023 07:26

All the parents of Olivers are obviously going to disagree that it's boring, so you won't get an unbiased response on here.

TroublesomeLuck · 13/01/2023 07:30

This thread does demonstrate the problem with Isaac.... too many people that can't spell it and put Issac

TroublesomeLuck · 13/01/2023 07:31

(Personal experience, and I do love the name!)

sixtiesbaby88 · 13/01/2023 08:06

Gregory is a good name!
Edward/ Edmund/ Edwin/ Eddie/Ned
George
James
Henry
Jeremy /Jem

sponsabillaries · 13/01/2023 09:26

If I may, @blueberry23, I think you are asking the wrong question. It doesn't really matter if MNers think Oliver is boring. The question is, does it matter if you settle on a name that you have lukewarm feelings for when you love love loved the name you chose for DS1? I think it does and you need to keep looking, at the very least for something that one of you loves and the other can live with.

midsomermurderess · 13/01/2023 09:45

It’s not boring, it’s a perfectly nice, albeit very popular, name.

MintyPrincess · 13/01/2023 09:47

Yes

Idratherbepaddleboarding · 13/01/2023 10:01

DS is an Oliver but only ever uses Oli to the point that Oliver doesn’t really feel like his name. He suits it down to the ground but he was one of 3 at his primary school and one of 3 now again in his form at high school.

Idratherbepaddleboarding · 13/01/2023 10:01

*3 in his class at primary school not in the whole school.

RedToothBrush · 13/01/2023 10:06

Yes

And it's ugly and clunky.

RedToothBrush · 13/01/2023 10:10

Penguinsaregreat · 13/01/2023 07:17

I’d use it. It’s classic and timeless.
I suppose it’s boring in the same way wearing a black dress is boring or wearing jeans and converse is boring. Wearing striped, multi couloured clothes and dying your hair pink is regarded as not boring. That’s how I see it. That sort of comparison.

Oliver will date terribly. It's far from Timeless for that reason. It will be the name from this era. It's a classic name that a generation has latched on to. It will die a slow death and then not be used for about a century.

17caterpillars1mouse · 13/01/2023 11:05

It is a bit overdone. TBF though I quite like Oliver, it's Ollie that i find overdone. Ollie is very boring now. Oliver is still quite nice, but he probably won't the the only one in his class at school, if that bothers you.

RuthW · 13/01/2023 12:18

Very, yes

hollyjolls · 13/01/2023 12:24

Yes, painfully boring.

Purplemagnolias · 13/01/2023 12:27

Oliver is overused and will date badly.

Ollie sounds frumpy and twee at the same time, I don't like it at all.

There are SO many great underused classic names, that are much nicer and more memorable, to choose from - have a look at the ons lists of ALL boys names used last year. Lots of great names used about 30-50 times per year (as opposed to 5000 times).

Masterofcats · 13/01/2023 12:46

Oliver is a really nice sounding classic name. It's popular for that reason.Will fit in anywhere and seems solid, has nice meanings with olives. the olive branch of peace etc . Has shortenings and works internationally so an all round good name.
I personally like it and the Oliver's I know all seem really nice boys.
But if you don't love it don't use it.
Keep looking for a name that you do like.

Nugget478 · 13/01/2023 15:39

Edgar goes nicely with Alfred!

Winston
Edmund
Oscar
Stanley

purpledalmation · 13/01/2023 15:52

Rejected by us as there were dozens around us.

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