Help please- is Autumn Oates a bad name? I hate my surname!!

[Sarahoatesy]

My surname is Oates. Which I didn't mind until looking for baby names.

My 1st born is called Lyra 🤍

Thinking about name for no2 and love the names Winter or Autumn 🍁!

But have a small feeling these look like porridge brands when paired with Oates. My husband thinks I'm overanalyzing.

Autumn Oates
Winter Oates

Please help and be honest.

TIA

I’m agree with you, sorry.
in a hurry didn’t read properly and thought it’s DH who said about porridge oats.

I think Autumn is a lovely name, but sorry not with Oates as a surname. Probably a name that does not come from nature would work better?

I agree that Autumn and Winter don't work with the surname Oates.

I really like the name Autumn and initially I didn't think it went well with Oates but the more I'm saying it, the more I think it's fine!

Yes sadly I think it does sound like a breakfast brand.

I think it's fine. Autumn is a lovely name.
She won't go through life with everyone calling her by both names so I don't think it's as big an issue as you think.

You never know, she may want to change her surname when she marries as well.

it Does sound like porridge.

If you want something of nature how about

Willow
Jasmine
Sky
Lily

I think you have to find a name that can’t be used as an adjective, or you are going to run into the same problem every time.

I agree with this. I changed my name from a noun to an adjective and both rule out certain first names.

edit: I think what's key is how often the word is used as a name compared to how often it is used as a word. So, Autumn and Winter are really common words but Grace, as an example, is a very well established name so it "works"

I think you need to pick a first name that is more obviously a name and not a noun.

eg. Isabella Oates, Lucy Oates, Olivia Oates all sound fine (quite like the O.O. initial I must say; it's distinctive).

If, instead of a traditional name, you pick a word that describes something else, then in conjunction with Oates it starts to sound like part of a sentence and doesn't work.

Rowan
Hazel
Amber
Saffron
Ivy

I used to work with someone who had a very similar name. A lot of clients simply didn’t register that this was the name of a person rather than a company / brand / project until it was actually spelled out to them.

No, I agree that it sounds like porridge. It would set up your child for a life time of teasing. Hope you find a lovely name that you both like.

Yes, unfortunately it sounds like a brand to me.

It does sound like porridge. And also, initials AO I think of the white goods company 😅

Sorry OP but with your surname you need a name that doesn't sound descriptive. Autumn or Winter Oates sounds like a breakfast cereal.

I know two people with the surname Oates and they are both nicknamed and known to their friends as Porridge - so I wouldn’t hold off on using names you love for fear of that association because it may well end up being the case anyway!

I think Oates is a lovely surname but I would stick with definite names as a first name.
Unless you want to go for something like Wyld? 😀

Definitely a breakfast cereal name

I think Autumn is lovely (even with) your surname ❤️

She might not have her surname forever if/when she gets married anyway!

Sorry yes, makes me think of Overnight Oats! Too descriptive.

Hope you can find some other names you love.

Might be best to avoid names that end in a vowel sound as the vowels can kind of run together and make the first name and surname sound like one word iyswim. Two "oh" vowel sounds together (like Willow Oates which someone has suggested) sounds particularly awkward.

One of my children has a name ending with a "ca" sound which is also the start of my husband's surname so we put my surname first (kids have both) to avoid an awkward "caca" sound! It's tricky.

A name ending with a firm consonant sound might work best ie (just suggesting for sounding rather than the names themselves):
Annabel Oates
Elizabeth Oates
Lillian Oates.

Hope that makes sense ...

Yes it doesn’t sound like a girl’s name unfortunately.

I like the name/s but it doesn't sound great together, sorry.

Yes when I first read the name, I immediately thought of porridge. However its up to you.