Cecil, clement, hector...?!

[Ttforty]

Thoughts (unvarnished) much appreciated please on

Cecil
Clement
Robert
Hector
Edmund
!

Robert and Edmund yes.
The rest - in the name of God, no!

No. Sorry but no. I mean Robert is fine of course, though a little dull.

Cecil makes me think of Cecil Rhodes which is problematic. Although I like the name.

Clement - I’m ambivalent about this one

Robert is unbelievably boring and the shortenings (Bob/Bobby) are twee.

Hector - so cute

Edmund - also cute

I like them all and know both a little Clement and a little Clemens.

I prefer Cecil pronounced as "See-sl" (I think may be the American way?) rather than "Sessil".

Had DD been a boy, she would have been Edmund Robert.

Yes! I was wondering if other posters were too young to remember this. Got the theme song going in my head now .

Oh I totally agree. But people seem to think they can...

@madamweb Why are you assuming that people 'think they can'?

What evidence do you have that people who like such names don't genuinely like them?

Cecil is a very Edwardian name in my head.
Surprised no one has mentioned the classical connotations of Hector - he was the greatest of Troy's warriors and a loving father and husband.
You need to think about how names will be shortened - Clement will be Clem (which to me is a girl's name) and Robert will be Rob/Robbie/Bob/Bobbie

Edmund is cute

Other names include in the same vein…

Wilfred
Willem
Jocelyn (Joss)
Jonty
Benedict
Robin
Ralph
Thibault
Tristan
Rupert
Drew
Guy
August
Jasper
Arthur
Amory
Jacob

Yeah... I don't get it either. I got told once that it would be child abuse to call my son Gilbert. We did call him that and he's four now and loves his name as do his teachers as he's the only one in the whole school 😂

I have names I don't like as well. The sound of Betsy really grates on me but I'd never tell someone not to call their child that simply because I think it's an ugly name.

My personal rule is that if it's a genuine name with an etymology using a legitimate spelling then it's fair game to be used and I'm not going to yuck on someone's yum.

What I might say is 'It's not my cup of tea as I don't like diminutives as first names but there's nothing actually wrong with it. Have you considered Elizabeth so she can choose to go by a different nickname in the future if she wanted?'

Where do you live that people feel the need to have 'unremarkable' names?

Cecil makes me think of Cecil Vyse in A Room with a View

Hector - makes me think of the words hectoring and hectic. Even with the Greek link, I don’t find it a pleasing name.

quite like Robert and Edmund although like a PP I think of Turkish delight and the lion the witch and the wardrobe.

but I wouldn’t think that if faced with a little Edmund of course

I like Edmund and Hector the best.
Robert is fine.
Cecil and Clement are city names, though fine..

Others ..
Bruce
Rupert
Gavin
Zelman

Cecil - limp
Clement - - might work with the right person
Robert - guaranteed good, albeit they'd have to insist on Robert and never Bob
Hector - truly awful
Edmund - Edward is far superior