Can someone explain the term ‘try hard’ in the context of baby names.

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As the title says. I’m reading the threads and someone always uses the term ‘try hard’ to give their opinion on a name. I genuinely don’t know what this means?

it seems to be a derogatory term or even a euphemism?

I get if you love, like, dislike a name. I also appreciate names considered classics or historically posh etc but try hard I just don’t understand.

just curious

I think my own middle name would be perceived as such. It's extremely unique and from a language my family have no direct connection to. From a country none of them are from?!

It's been in the family for a few generations now so my family were being 'try hard' way back in the early 1900s!

I have heard Georgiana described as try-hard. I don't think it is fwiw. I think any well-established name is fine.

I think MN believe that the only acceptable names are very traditional ones.

I think up to a point that is spot on.

No I’ve always taken it to mean people trying too hard to be cool. Not posh. Real life examples being MC middle management people calling their son Bodhi, or that influencer who has a kid called Koazy. Koazy! I think her new kid is called Kove.

That’s not try hard, that’s downright stupid 😂

I don’t know why anyone posts names on MN asking for opinions really. Surely everyone knows that whatever name they choose, some people will dislike it. And that’s fine. I’ve seen my DDs’ names criticised (and praised) on here. I’ve never seen my own name but I’m sure like all names, some people would like it, and some wouldn’t.

I disagree. Some people prefer traditional names. But I’ve seen a lot of criticism of them as really boring.

I think the try hard names are those where the parent insists on using the full version of their child's name every time they yell across a playground or a supermarket. Most people whose child is called Artemis, for example, would yell 'Artie, come here!' or even shorten it to 'Missy!'

But when they insist on using the full version just so that everyone there present can hear that they have an original/classical name for their child - those are the 'try hards'.

Are we pronouncing that like “cosy” or is the start of it more like “koala”?

I think it's Cosy and Cove 😂

BLIGHT?!

Jagger is the perfect example of try-hard. Brother to sister Phoenix - children of Dorit Kemsley from real housewives of Beverly Hills 😁

It’s not “unique”, extremely or otherwise if it’s been in your family for generations.

Unique is not a synonym for unusual.

No idea as only ever seen it written down - I actually asked once if it was his full name and didn’t get a reply, I get the impression they might cringe whenever they have to say it sadly 😬

Also Imogen Horton (another influencer) has given her kids made up names - Oriavella and Renaelia. She admits they’re made up, something about wanting something stunning and unique for her stunning and unique babies. IMO that’s try-hard. But she seems very lovely. Someone thinking you’re try hard doesn’t also mean they think you’re a bad person! It’s not a moral judgement imo.

Honestly it really depends what side MN get out of bed in the morning. They will slag off ‘unusual’ names one day and then the next it will be how unoriginal/boring/awful/dull/chavvy Olivia is.

Sorry it's actually Bligh. Autocorrect 😂

Only ver ver posh people can get away with names like Hubert or Lettuce - if you live in council flat in Barking you're likely to get your kids alienated pretty fast.

Also. I’m not sure it’s a bad thing to try hard when naming a child. There just comes a tipping point where you try a bit too hard and I couldn’t be arsed with people questioning, too much uniqueness, the raised eyebrows etc. There’s a sweet spot to be found! My kids love meeting kids with the same name as them!

Oh sorry I thought it was. I meant if you Google it nobody else ever comes up with that name.

I do wonder if they are their real names!

Yeah to be fair it would be pretty wise to use an alias online.

You’re correct

Jett
Jagger
Jaxxon
Hendrix
Lennox
Phoenix
Nyx
Maverick
Ryker
Atlas/Atticus/Ajax

Names that adults think would be cool but they would cringe having to introduce themselves...

Max-i-miiiiii-liii-an!!! is a classic eg of this!

I love living in Australia (uk born and brought up), where there’s just not the same amount of snobbiness and sneering around names as there seems to be in the UK. I know of children named, amongst others, Rocco (boy), Bowie (boy), Chilli and Scout (13yr old twin girls), Calliope (girl), Ashley (boy), Kimberly (boy), Diesel (boy), Ari (boy), Buddy (boy), Elijah (girl), Bear (boy), I could go on. They are from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. I can imagine that in the UK, a lot of these names would be classed as try hard or, chavvy (🤢), but here they are just normal kids with normal (if slightly different) names who are friends and classmates of our children. And I can guarantee that none of them will have their resumes immediately binned by prospective employers, as I work (in healthcare, emergency services), with lots of adults with slightly out there, or different names, and they certainly haven’t found it difficult to become gainfully employed! (As one of my trainees, Spirit (woman), has found out!