Opinions on Brontë

[Nearlywed2038]

Hello mumsnet!!

Currently expecting my first daughter, after 2 boys (Ralph and Henry).

Both my fiancé and I absolutely love literature and like the name Bronte, as a middle name for baby girl but, is it tacky?? 🙈

I do really love the name and it pays a nice homage to one of my favourite writers, but I can’t help but feel it’s a dog name..

Opinions/first names to go with it, thanks everyone :)

No, OP. I should’ve quoted @Rinkydinkydoodle who mentioned reading books.

@TheLifeboat that's interesting, never knew that. So it's a francophilation [?] of Prunty!

He did a good job of making a very ordinary surname sound glamorous. I wouldn't use it as a name. Nms, but heard worse.

No one is entirely sure, but the main theory is that Patrick, engaging in a little understandable self-reinvention at Cambridge (where being a poor Irish sizar (servant to more well-born undergraduates, with nothing but his intelligence to recommend him, wasn’t exactly easy), and being a Nelson fan, borrowed from Nelson’s new Sicilian (umlautless) dukedom of Bronte.

There’s no evidence he ever went home again, or stayed in contact with his family. Schoolmates of Charlotte’s remembered her as having an ‘Irish accent’ years later, though hard to know how accurate that was.

Round here she’d get called Bronty. Brontosaurus? I’m not keen I’m afraid. I love literature too but just no.

I absolutely love it.

I really like it, however, I had a horse called Bronte, so I can't help but feel it's a horse's name.

I read fairly recently that the Brontes had spent their short lives drinking water that was contaminated by the nearby overfill graveyard and the village privvies, which may have contributed to their array deaths.

Wuthering Heights is my favourite book but I think I'd assume anyone who named their child Bronte hadn't actually read the books. It's so naff and obvious. A bit like all the Darcys knocking around that I can guarantee their parents haven't read P&P.

May I just be ‘that person’ to point out that the diacritic at the end of the name is a diaeresis, not an umlaut?

It's never occured to me that the girl's name Darcy/Darcey has any connection to the character Mr Darcy though 🤷‍♀️

Yep, I've only known 2 Brontes and both were from Australia!

Haha yes I know what you mean,
this thread has put me off of Brontë slightly but with my other two boys I’ve incorporated mine and my other half’s favourite authors, people do probably think it’s a little bit naff but I love it either way and I don’t think it’s to obvious unless they ask the reasoning for the names.

Henry’s middle name is Austin after Jane Austen
Ralph’s middle name is Thomas after Thomas Hardy.

Not keen but I have heard a lot worse.

I love the literary connection but I really dislike the name for some reason! I used to ride a horse called Brontë though so that may be colouring my opinion!

I personally think it’s quite tacky, and doesn’t go with your other child’s names.

I have a 24yr old Brontë and still love the name. She really likes it too and always has done. Our Irish, American and Canadian relatives pronounce it Bront-ay but we and she and all English people pronounce it Bront-ee. DD is used to both pronunciations.
My DD knows one other who is the same age as her. We, and she are in London. So I'd obviously say go for it.
If it matters, yes it does get misspelt sometimes but so does my name so it doesn't bother us.
She's definitely not 'tacky' whatever that means in terms of names; she's a successful young woman with her own flat (mortgaged) in outer London, works for a great organisation and has a fabulous partner and is intelligent, funny, streetwise, well travelled and beautiful inside and out!

Great middle name! I'd have been more hesitant about using it as a first in your case, since siblings Ralph and especially lovely Henry are more commonplace (I'd expect a Bronte to have brothers named Heath or Byron etc) - but as a middle it's perfect.

I've never understood why people pick middle names just because they sound nice to them (hence the generic Rose, May, Grace etc), that's more what first names are for imo. I think middle names are supposed to have meaning, especially since they generally aren't used every day so it doesn't matter if they are a bit different- I say go for it with honouring Great Aunt Gertrude, Dad's fave rock star or Mum's fave author !

Not sure if it is pretentious or tacky. 🙈