why are people obsessed by whether names are 'chavvy' (nasty expression)..

[MaryAnnSingleton]

..can't you just choose a name you like - doesn't anyone have a mind of their own anymore ?

Needspace, what do the parents of the two Francescas call them?! Presumably a nickname each?

"a perfectly normal (and yes I think nice) name". Exactly Clara. That's what the whole of MN have said but she knows best of course, and continues to go on and on about it, and bring it into discussion on other peoples threads!

in scotland the register can refuse to register a name if it's inflammatory/contentious/silly etc

people should really just say "common" when they say "chavvy"

because, in general, that's what they mean

(wrt baby names, anyway)

EJ, you are being a little silly. You are not going to get the whole of MN to agree on a name. Everyone's perceptions/associations are going to be slightly different. It doesn't matter what any else thinks FGS.

Two reasons to obsess:-

1. If you have ever lived through having a name that people laughed at, you would not ask this question. Nothing to do with 'chavvy', everything to do with going to school and finding either 5 other people in your class with the same name so you end up being called constantly by your surname or by some other attribute (eg 'sarah-shorty'), or (even worse) no-one in the whole town with the same name, as a consequence of which you get the rip taken out of you every day by your classmates.... do you really want that for your kids?

2. A rose by any other name does not smell as sweet. Read 'Freakonomics' - there is a whole chapter on names; your name does reflect on you, and does affect your chances in life, according to the research (although I would confess that some of the research therein is a bit light on 'cause and effect')

Whilst it would be lovely and warm and cuddly to think that the person matters and not the name, I think you have to accept that we live in a real world where such things do affect people's judgements. Just as people's weight and the style of their clothes leads to judgements too when they shouldn't.

I would rather my child go through life without preconceptions loaded upon them but it won't happen, so the best I can do is to choose what type of preconceptions my DC's get loaded with.

Remember too names that would have been giggled at a generation ago have made a come back so who knows those "chavvy" names you so hate now may be your grand children's names

Come on, we are all snobs at heart! Whatever background and social 'class' we come from, we want to identify our kids as coming from too. So, I'm not working class, I wouldn't give my kid a 'working class' (chavvy?) name.
It's disingenuous to pretend that we don't think that way. There's a reason working class people tend to use a pool of names, as do middle class people, etc.
I don't like a LOT of the names I the kids I work with give their babies. I won't name any but they are typical working class names. I grew up in a mainly middle class area (village) with your Annabels, Harriets, Thomas's etc. I want a name that identifies my kids as mixed heritige but also from my social background. I am seriously just being honest here, and I think most people, being honest, would admit they feel the same!

mrz agree entirely - when I was wee I used to laugh at one of my mothers best friends as her name is Beatrice - Beetroot to me
am now considering it as a serious contender for dc if a girl lol

VS thank you lol have you picked your names then?!?

That Francesca thing made me laugh out loud! FWIW, it's my name and I hated it for at least 15 years and now I like it. Struggling with the practicalities, though - like DH's name for a boy but how would that work? Can you really dictate how your child shortens his/her name?

...because I love Walter for a boy but not Wally. Is it cruel, though? Candid stepmother seems to think so (suspect she would piss on any name we suggest...)

walt is nice though?

its my mother who's hated all the names my girls have and most are family names!!! no pleasing some people

it's such a drama choosing a name. I spoke to my mum and she said the same thing! 30 years ago my parents picked a name that they both liked and went with it. It is, unfortunately, a very common name of 30 years ago but they liked it and it wasn't popular on the army base where I was born so they went with it! I don't think you will ever win but I don't like the use of the word 'chavvy' as, imo, it just sounds rude.
some of teh names I have had in mind are on the 'hate' list but that doesn't stop me liking them!

Awful, awful word! Never use it and jolly well hope my children never will either. I think such terms should be banned on websites like this.

I prefer to use the word popular, rather than chavvy or common. I think if a name becomes very popular it is called common and therefore chavvy, which is a bit derogatory. I am as guilty of this as the next person (perhaps even more so, if a name appears in the top 100 list, I'm NOT using it) so please don't think I'm on my high horse here. Common (as in popular) is not a bad thing for everyone. I've posted a similar opinion before - if a name is popular, it is therefore, by general consensus, a nice name. I prefer more unusual names and realise that they may not be to everyones taste, but its my decision at the end of it. I post threads requesting opinions because a) they make me laugh, and b) they can throw up some lovely alternative suggestions. Call your kids what you like and take everyone elses opinions with a pinch of salt & a giggle

Kat2907 and squiffy, good posts.

This is not my observation by the way, I read this.

Working class people do not have histories that make them happy. Stories of a struggle to survive or to make ends meet are their past history. Subconsciously or consciously, they want to cut off the past and feel that future is their 'ticket'. So they are drawn to names with a modern feel, names with no associations (as yet).

Middle-class or upper-class people as the American book would say, revere the past, they glory in their own ancestry. Their past has been good to them. Why would they not want to honour their grandfathers and great grandfathers? And use proper, classic, old-fashioned names. (The kind of names their staff would hate )

Don't shoot the messenger. CK Evans put it much better than that.

I dislike the term 'Chavvy' I would never judge a child by their name. A name is a name! Why shouldn't parents be able to name their child the name that they love without it having a label?

There rae names I don't really like, but not because they are chavvy or posh or anything else, I just don't like them!

But I have to add that it would never make me think that I won't like a child with a name I don't particularly like iyswim

That makes me a lot of sense Madamecholet.

I would never judge a child to be chav either on the strength of its name.

Nor would I use the term chav in front of mychildren as one poster 'jolly well' suggested. My children wouldn't know what that meant! I don't go round categorising people in to chav and non-chav all day long!!

It is because I don't like to see any child labelled as chav, that I would try to be helpful and steer posters away from names I sense might be the Madisons of tomorrow.

It is only ever the name that I would label, never the child. I thought that would have been obvious!

of course it is madame
I think people band the word about without realising its quite offensive

if you're posting on here asking opinions re a name choice you're always going to get a mixed bag of opinions so have to expect some people not to like it

Message withdrawn

And you see, when I was young "Chantal" was considered posh.

(And no I'm not called Chantal)

It's an interesting theory about the different classes, but completely fails to take into account working class pride in their heritage, which IMO can be extremely powerful.

I called my daughter Rebecca when there was no-one I knew except an 80 yr old aunt with tha name. I loved it so much (and still do)but there were LOADS of Rebeccas in her years at school.

Names are like that....they come and go.

I think it's ok to think Oh my goodness to yourself of your nearest and dearest but very rude to actualy say it to someone who chooses that name. We all know that we brood over things like that...or maybe it's just me!