Farley or Farlie

[MrsBelle]

We have chosen this name for our little girl but can't settle on a spelling what are people's opinions please?

I think of rusks first, farts second.
But be assured that her classmates will think of farts first and that it will never, ever get old for them. 😔

I honestly think that it should be a rule that if you come on to a name thread and are just plain old rude, you should include the oh so wonderfully perfect names that you've chosen for your children.

Farley if it had to be one.

Sorry I do think it’s an awful name, and that’s nothing to do with it not being in the top 100 as others have suggested! It just makes me think of farts. Marley is nice if you like that sound.

Why are people getting 'farty" from Farley?
One has a T one has a L.
Are people really that hard of hearing 🙄

Yep I've seen them in all the local shops within the last few weeks

I don't agree. If people are asking opinions it's because they'd like to know how the name will be received behind social niceties.

With Farley, unfortunately it's not been a great reception.

Perfectly fine surname, but doesn't seem to work as a first name. Better that the OP hears honest opinions as that's what she's asked

People IRL are likely to be tactful. Here she's getting the spread of genuine opinion.

Someone came on asking about Wilby for a boy a while ago. Again, fine surname but just not a nice first name. Not stopping her using it but if she wants to know the general response, why should people hold back? For me, there's an ugliness about Farley, reminds me of snarl or gnarly and it just sounds like a surname picked at random. For others, they have been reminded of farting. OP has asked, now she knows. She can do what she likes with that info.

All those that say "oh it makes me think of Farley's Rusks" - does that matter?
My food cupboard frequently has food products with the names Ben, Bessie and Betty.
If you meet a boy named Ben do you go "oh like the rice" ?

@Waterboatlass she actually asked for opinions on which spelling people would use, not whether or not people would use it themselves.

I don't think many of your daughter's generation will think of the rusks - they haven't been popular in decades! An old-fashioned reference which will resonate with ages 35+ but I doubt that would impact her much.

I actually have a real soft spot for Farley as a boy's name. It's very rare even for a boy though, about 5 to 7 born a year the past few years. And no girl Farleys. So it is unusual.

Harley and Marley are increasingly popular for both boys and girls.

Plenty of surnames are used as first names.

Farley.

Where did OP ask for opinions. Also why do people freak out if they see a name that’s not typical. Not every little girl is going to be named Olivia or Ella.

OP isn’t asking for opinions though is she, as I’ve alluded to.

I know a little Farley actually, he's a boy and it really suits him.

I'm not a fan of out there or gender neutral names generally, but even I roll my eyes at some of the pearl clutching on this forum. There are lots of worse names out there and not everybody can be called Olivia and George.

What do you like about it, OP? The F, the "ly" ending, the ambiguity? Maybe we can help find some alternatives.

She is inviting them by posting on the board.

About the meaning of the name - in English and Scots, it's a surname derived from a place name that means 'woodland clearing with ferns'.

In Scots there is also a name (Fairlie = pig farmer) that sounds rather similar but probably comes from a different source. Also a simliar-sounding name with a different meaning in Irish (Farrelly = man of valour).

see: www.ancestry.co.uk/name-origin?surname=farleigh&srsltid=AfmBOopETawIE4u3g_LyPcgyDglyrRbd2qMEi-eyo3tYHNiMivxW0cjj

Totally agree.

If you put a suggested name up on the internet for hundreds of thousands of strangers to offer their thought on, then you will be getting the feedback of what 'people you know' are probably actually thinking in their heads, but are politely not saying.
I think it's the whole point of asking strangers.

Except that Ben, Bessie and Betty are all known names, which people who invented/ devised / marketed the product then used to say it was their rice / Yorkshire Pudding / I don't know what Betty makes.

Farley isn't a known forename, so it falls into the same category (for me) as people who name their dc after alcohol , cars, and so forth.

@BBQPete Farley isn't so popular in the UK but it's an established name in the USA (as I mentioned a Judy Blume book from 1972 has a character called Farley)
It's generally more a boys name - but it IS a name.

@BBQPete Betty (Crocker) makes very nice cakes btw !

Uncle Ben, Aunt Bessie and Betty Croker were brand names and were fictional names.
Farley was the surname of the man who set up the company that made rusks.

Yes, that was my first thought! I’m reading this at the moment, but it is spelled Farly. That spelling did jar a bit with me at first.

If they ever go to the US, they'll find the name is associated with Chris Farley of Saturday Night Live.

The name is ranked in the 12,000s in the US, so because of that I personally wouldn't claim that it's an established name.

@mathanxiety yes I don't think it's popular - but it is an actual name.

How could you not realise