My friends say my husband and I have chosen 'cruel' names

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My husband and I are expecting our first child together in early June this year and we're both a mixture of nerves and excitement. We are both fans of traditional names and so have decided on Arthur for a boy or Edith for a girl (we've decided to wait until the actual birth to find out the gender). I think these names are really sweet and could work for both a child and adult. Both our families have said they love the names, however when I mentioned it to my friends they started laughing and told me it was cruel to name our child something so old fashioned as they'll be ridiculed at school. My husband and I don't see where they're coming from but I was just wondering if anyone had any opinions on this?

11 pages of replies & only the initial post from the OP. I'd be amazed if this is a real post - probably a journalist trawling mumsnet again

@DangerousAlchemy I name change very regularly on here but I am fed up taking the time to give heartfelt genuine advice on here and the op disappearing from the thread. Sometimes it’s light stuff like this thread and other times it’s areas I am very knowledgeable on through my career. The last half dozen threads I’ve contributed to the op has never got back to the thread after the initial post. Not bothering anymore, it’s a complete waste of time.

It’s common for the OP not to reply on a baby names thread.

Love Edith that was my saved name but I had a boy. Would have shortened to Edi as a nick name.

Arthur and Edith are quite popular.
That said, they were last popular 90 years ago so many will know old fogies with those names.
Personally, I don't like Edith but not because it is hateful just not my preference. I like Elspeth, Elizabeth, Meredith so I don't know why Edith is not attractive to me??
Arthur I like.

Keep the names, ditch the ''friends''...

@LemonAlice it's so frustrating isn't it?

@Smoothlines she started a thread where she was asking a question though? I think it's the height of rudeness personally to disappear like this & I have no idea why people are even replying still....

This is why you don't discuss names outside of MN!

Both really lovely names, were both on our list, can both be shortened if you / they wish in future (we had Edie for Edith and Art for Arthur) . Also, they are pretty popular names now.

One thing to remember about traditional names is that they stand the test of time! There's a reason they keep coming back into 'fashion'

Lots of children with those names in our quite posh middle class school!

You're picking names that are currently very trendy. Arthur is as about unusual as Harry at this point. I presume your friends don't know that many kids and that's why they find the names a bit stuffy and old fashioned. I don't think this makes them the worst people in the world. Just a bit tactless.

Pick the names you like and stop looking from validation from family and friends.

Great names!

Luckily your family have responded well, because you have walked right into parenting minefield #1 : do not discuss names in in advance.

As any MN thread will demonstrate each and every name will have fans and haters. Once a baby is born excitement overtakes fussy opinions, or people are well behaved enough to STFU.

Both very popular at the moment. If you use Arthur he is likely to be one of about three in a class. Edith less so. Of you don't mind that then go for it. They are certainly not old fashioned, completely the opposite.

My daughter is called Edith, she is a fun 7 year old who is intelligent, inquisitive and well loved by her friends. At home, she is known as Eddie and that's what my dh, myself and my parents call her. At school, she prefers Edith and we have had nothing but compliments on her name. My mil thought we named her after Lady Edith in Downton Abbey but my dh and I loved the name, when my dh and I were discussing names, we wanted something that could be beautiful but wouldnt hinder any future jobs prospects and sounded good being shouted in a playground for example. In her school year, there is several George's, Issac's, a Barney and my friend who was a childminder had an Arthur, Rupert and Ezra plus several Ivy's, Lillie of all spellings and all those children were lovely.
The old fashioned names are coming back but they can also have fun nicknames that suits their personality. I would ignore your friends and enjoy your beautiful baby. I'm always reminded on mumsnet, your baby, your choice!

They're lovely names, better than the made up hideousness of Neveah etc 😬

Plenty of Arthur’s and Edith’s in schools, lovely names. We didn’t tell anyone our name choices for #2 until he was born and we’d decided, every single name we shared for dc1 got criticised by someone.

Arthur is lovely! Personally may go for Edie rather than Edith - but do what YOU feel. I was nearly called Heather - which was a name I associated with an unpleasant person at school..
Then went to Uni and best friend was called Heather! Whatever you choose your new arrival will grow into it, and it's YOU as parents will shape what that name means to you- and others. Once knew someone who called their boys Nimrod and Isenbard. Arthur and Edith are a long way from cruel!!

I've got 2 friends with boys called Arthur but both much older so it might be going out of fashion now? But can't imagine he would be laughed at, or Edith.

Superb names. Completely normal and suitable for us non chavvy people of the community waiting to be shot down

Arthur seems mire around now as is Edith. I think you should choose names you love.

Your choice , great names , what kind of friends are they .
no ok to laugh at names u have chosen, your friends don’t sound nice tbh

Clearly your Friend hasn’t seen the top 100 names list recently - Arthur, Maeve, Betsey, George all VERY VERY popular!
I think they are both lovely names and both have lovely nicknames and can’t be rhymed with anything mean (as school kids often do).
I am due with my 2nd soon and learnt from my first to not share names with people as everyone wants to put their 2 cents in! We have my DH family moaning about the middle name - at the end of the day, it’s the name I will be using everyday and it has to have meaning for us as our family unit! Stick to your guns OP and congrats and good luck with rest of your pregnancy!!

Your friends are rude. Almost every male baby I meet these days is called Arthur, and Edith fits the current old lady name trend too: they’ll be plenty around. Choose what you want and ignore them. (Unless of course you don’t want a ridiculously popular name - then think again!)

Great names, both of them.