Stanley?

[toStanleyornottoStanley]

We are expecting a boy and Stanley is the only name we agree on - DH 100% loves it; I’d say I’m 80% there but I’m worried it’s not… aspirational enough?

We have (repeatedly and at great length) gone through the top 1,000 boys’ names list, I have maybe 5 that could be potentials but DH is adamant he doesn’t like any of them. Which is fair enough, if a bit reckless!

So I thought I’d put it to the hive mind. Sometimes I think Stan/ley is a kinda cool guy, but sometimes I wonder if the name is a bit… not very special? Hard to explain. Please help!

Why does a name have to be aspirational? Not following you there

Well, we all want to think our child could be PM one day! 😁

Seriously, as I said, it’s hard for me to explain why I’m only 80% there. But that is where I am. For whatever reason (whether I am explaining it well or not), I am not 100% there…

Stanley Johnson's pretty posh if that's what you mean.

To me Stanley is of the Ronnie, Albie, ilk. Although it's a full proper name. I don't think it's reckless because it's not a modern name, it's got a bit of something behind it.

I think it’s a cool name

Lots of Stanley’s about

personally I think it sounds awful, so would never choose it. Granddad name. Who would want to be called ‘Stan’?

Lovely name

I love it.

I'm almost 50yrs old so it sounds very old-fashioned to me and not in a good classic way. In my day it was the kind of name that suited an older man perhaps someone who'd had a bit of a hard life, a frail old pigeon keeper wearing a flat cap and shoes that need mending.

I really don’t like it, but I think it’s fairly popular. If you like it go for it.

I’ve changed my opinion on this name since meeting a very cool teenage Stanley - it now feels vintage but cool (I used to see it as too old fashioned, in a bad way)

I love it op.

I think Flat Stanley and Stan the Eminem song/resulting term… not great associations tbh and definitely not cool!

Stanley just doesn't sound very strong to me compared to some other names of the same genre like George or Winston.

I love it. If I had a third boy, which I won’t, I’d call him Stanley.

In terms of aspirational, in my mind teenage Stanley plays a guitar and is clever, funny and cool.

Hmm, I think it had its renaissance about 10 years ago tbh.
Personally I'd pick something slightly more classic.

"I’m worried it’s not… aspirational enough?"

It's not a princely name but there are some notables:

Stanley Tucci - actor
Stanley Kubrick - film director
Sir Stanley Spencer - painter
Sir Stanley Balwin - British Prime Minister
Professor Sir Stanley Wells

Stanley is also an aristocratic surname ie family name of the Earls of Derby.

Stanley Tucci as much as I love him just never seems like a Stanley.

Stanley was on my short list, it's got something about it. I reckon Stanley is a character, a strong northerner name! My MIL said it was a chimney sweepers name though 😂

We ended up going for a popular German name instead linked to my DHs heritage, but I still love it!

Thank you all, this is really helpful!

I love it, I have one 😃

Would you say the majority of time he’s known as Stan @househelpneeded24?

It's 50/50, I tend to call him Stan, at school he's usually Stanley.

Of course there's the Stan the man option also 😂

I always just hear Dido moaning STANLEY in a wooden way during her “acting” portion at the start of the Stan video by Eminem.

Although Brando in Streetcar as Stanley Kowalski 😍

I've got two boys and I really struggled boy names are hard! We tend to overthink names when we name our own babies, but don't give it a second thought when hearing them. People saying Stanley old fashioned, there's more old names around now and Im a fan!

I know a few Stanleys. Mainly 4+ so think its had its peak. They’re all known as Stan.