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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Ariola

62 replies

DC555 · 06/09/2025 15:20

I met a woman whose baby was called Ariola the other day. Is it just me or is this a bit too similar to the name for part of a nipple…?

The more I think about it the more I wonder if I misheard. Anyone come across one before?

OP posts:

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Blueberry911 · 07/09/2025 12:18

HelpMeUnpickThis · 07/09/2025 12:05

@BarnOwlFlying I really want to challenge you on this. It is NOT the first thing I would think of actually. I have a "forrin" name in a different language that is hugely meaningful and when I hear different names I am curious about that - what does it mean, where is it from etc?

If you see a name like Ariola and all you can think of is nipples then honestly that's you. If you had more cultural curiosity you would maybe think "oh I wonder where that is from, I wonder what that means" etc

I accept that is just me as someone with a "forrin" name as everyone else doesn't seem to see how narrow minded it is to equate "Ariola" with boobs.

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When you say it outloud, it literally means the same as a part of your nipple in England in English. I don't know what you can't comprehend about that, being so cultured and all.

HelpMeUnpickThis · 07/09/2025 12:21

Blueberry911 · 07/09/2025 12:18

When you say it outloud, it literally means the same as a part of your nipple in England in English. I don't know what you can't comprehend about that, being so cultured and all.

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@Blueberry911

Wow you are very rude.

I dont consider myself more cultured than anyone else. I just have a different opinion. Luckily, I can state it without making passive aggressive insults.

SemperIdem · 07/09/2025 12:26

HelpMeUnpickThis · 07/09/2025 12:21

@Blueberry911

Wow you are very rude.

I dont consider myself more cultured than anyone else. I just have a different opinion. Luckily, I can state it without making passive aggressive insults.

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I’m not sure you do manage to avoid making passive aggressive insults, actually. Accusing people of lacking in cultural curiosity when discussing a name that phonetically sounds identical to a word closely (and solely) associated with nipples, is so passive aggressive it is almost funny.

RightOnTheEdge · 07/09/2025 12:33

HelpMeUnpickThis · 07/09/2025 12:21

@Blueberry911

Wow you are very rude.

I dont consider myself more cultured than anyone else. I just have a different opinion. Luckily, I can state it without making passive aggressive insults.

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But it's not very rude to call people narrow minded?

BarnOwlFlying said that most and the majority of people would equate the name with nipples not that everyone would, and the replies to this thread has shown that they are probably right.

It's not narrow minded for people to hear the name and immediately think of the body part with the exact same sounding name.
It's like someone saying their baby's name is Fingurs and saying it's narrow minded to think of fingers.

Onthebusses · 07/09/2025 15:30

If only it didn't mean that. Other names which would be nice if not for their meaning.

Labia
Malaria
Roseola

HelpMeUnpickThis · 07/09/2025 15:51

I did not mean any offence @Blueberry911 and @RightOnTheEdge

I was just suggesting my personal opinion which is that not everyone will immediately jump to the nipple connection.

@DC555 could you try "Aliona" or "Arelia"?

HelpMeUnpickThis · 07/09/2025 15:58

WonderingWanda · 06/09/2025 16:41

@HelpMeUnpickThis thank you for the telling off. Bi am not obsessed with boobs and I don't over sexualise them but the vast majority of teenagers do and secondary schools are fairly brutal places. Have you spent much time in UK secondary schools? I've been teaching in them for the past 25 years and I thought very carefully about what I called my children and their initials because why make their lives harder than they need to be.

@WonderingWanda

I wasn't telling you off?

I am not a teacher but I do have children and 1 in secondary and no I did not choose my children's names based on their future secondary cohort that I had no idea of when they were born. I chose my children's names for cultural and familial reasons. Then I encouraged them to be proud of their names and heritage and the meanings behind their names.

I did all this while not being a secondary school teacher. Just a mum who has a different view. My children seem fine so far.

PurpleChrayn · 07/09/2025 16:12

Nipples.

Original poster

DC555 · 07/09/2025 16:31

Just to say, I’m not considering this name personally. I already have all my DCs. I just came across one recently at a baby class and was a bit surprised. I’m pretty confident I heard correctly (could be wrong of course) and didn’t detect any hint of cultural difference from the mother but I didn’t ask either.

I’d never heard the name before and just wondered if it was a thing. Feels sort of like an attempt to find a fresh take on the Amelia / Amelie / Ottilie / Elodie trend, but maybe a not totally thought through?

OP posts:

Calliopespa · 07/09/2025 17:08

flapjackfairy · 07/09/2025 12:18

There is nothing narrow minded about being reminded of the actual.meaning of a word when you hear it. That is how language works ! You hear a word and your brain searches for the most obvious meaning for it.
And in these days where people call their kids all sorts of weird and wacky names why would you assume it was a foreign name anyway. You would just assume it was a parent who fancied one of those Yoonique type names surely. !

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Yes it is quite literally precisely how language functions.

Calliopespa · 07/09/2025 17:09

RightOnTheEdge · 07/09/2025 12:33

But it's not very rude to call people narrow minded?

BarnOwlFlying said that most and the majority of people would equate the name with nipples not that everyone would, and the replies to this thread has shown that they are probably right.

Show quote history

Fingurs! 😆

Kumquatzest · 11/09/2025 14:03

It's a pretty unfortunate name to have in the UK but there is a French football player of Filipino descent called Alphonse Areola so it wouldn't surprise me if Ariola is a real name from another culture (I don't know which - Wikipedia lists some Americans with Ariola as a surname but none with it as first name).

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