Rebel and Rogue

[stupidnames]

Name changed for this as I don't want to be identified.

My cousin is pregnant and has just discovered she is having twin girls. All lovely. But she has announced their names are going to be Rebel and Rogue. And I am absolutely horrified. Sounds dramatic but especially the name Rogue which for me is someone who regularly breaks the law. I feel sorry for whichever baby is going to be landed with this name and who will possibly be ridiculed at school.

Am I in the wrong for having such a visceral reaction to this? I want to say something diplomatic about this but how?

I think they’re fine 🤷‍♀️

@Vroomfondleswaistcoat Definitely Rumour. She was in my child's class so I saw it when they posted the Christmas card name list.

No she isn't joking sadly. I hope she changes her mind though. Her DH is very laid back and will probably go along with what she decides.

It sounds fun...

No OK it doesn't, but I'm sure she'll realise by the time they arrive.

I know a young teen called Rogue, although he is a boy. A bit out there as names but not the worst I’ve seen/ heard, she might change her mind anyway.

Omg! Imagine having a name like Rebel or Rogue on your resume. I can't imagine that increasing your chances in the job market.

They’re very trendy. The sort of names I see on lots of tik tok baby name lists. I don’t like names that are words though, I just think they’re setting kids up for bullying.

Even Zowie Bowie started using his other given name and his, and his father's, real surname.

And he grew up in, and works in, pretty bohemian circles. I doubt whether he's ever had to send in a CV.

This is why I think it's selfish. They might be trendy but they are going to make the children stand out and to be a potential target for bullying. My cousin is going to have to teach them to have a strong voice in order to defend these names.

I don't think Zowie Bowie leads an ordinary life. However Rebel and Rogue will be growing up in a very bog standard English town. The same town my cousin and I grew up in and had the piss taken out of our second name as it rhymed with something rude. Let's hope kids in their class will be more accepting.

I don't think Zowie Bowie leads an ordinary life.

That was my point. And yet even he swapped Zowie for Duncan.

Shockingly shite. What a muppet.

I don’t think kids in 10 years time will know what rogue means
Eh?

If your cousin is Rhianna, then yes she could get away with it. Otherwise, absolutely no!

Ah I get you. I didn't know that. Yes that's a very good point. If anyone can carry off a zany name it would be him. Not 2 kids from an average town though they will have each other so safety in numbers maybe?

Kids with these 'butch' names seem to turn out weedy

Frank Zappa’s children had very unusual names bar one.

Moon Unit, Diva Thin Muffin, Dweazil, Ahmed, if I recall correctly. Ahmed was the winner out of that bunch of names!

Edited to add - Duncan Jones has always been legally named Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones. He was known as Zowie Bowie as a small child though.

There was no point in name changing, you outed yourself

Intrigued someone got a class list for Xmas cards.. Our Head told us they weren't allowed to. Though not sure what use is the 11 names of the dc you see twice a day written down could be used for.....

A friend has cats called Rebel and Rogue. They also have a Luke.
Huge Star Wars fans. I think they are all boys.

She'll cave and call them Jezebel and Bathsheba. Guaranteed.

Tell her to "test them out" by going to Starbucks and ordering a coffee using one of those names. If she's too embarrassed to say her name is rebel/ rogue then maybe it will make her think again.
Otherwise I'd probably immediately nick name them bell and ro/rue 🙈

Is your cousin of sound mind?

If they turn out to be rebels and rogues then they’ll live up to their names.

I'm pretty sure they will - the concept of a 'rogue' exists throughout fantasy and videogames and is referred to as such. Dungeons and Dragons is massively popular with teens and it's the name of one of the player classes.