Have we chosen the safest baby names imaginable… and is that a problem?

[MumOnTheRun87]

Hi everyone,
Our little girl was born on Thursday and we still don’t have a name!! We have a shortlist but I don’t know if they are just overdone and boring or if they are just classic, timeless options. Please can we have your opinions on our list and any others you think might suit!

Charlotte
Emma
Beatrix
Naomi

Thank you x

I'm the exact opposite.

Charlotte and Emma are safe and classic but underwhelming to me. Lottie is a bit clotty-lotty, harlot etc, but still absolutely non-eyebrow-raising; those are just my associations. Emma is fine. Just fine, nothing more. It's a plain vanilla name to me.

Naomi I am not a fan of and wouldn't call it boring at all. People who like it seem to love it though.

Beatrix I really like - and think it is neither safe nor boring. I love Beatrice and think it's nice to consider the more unusual Beatrix spelling. To me that's Beatrix Potter - not a bad association at all. A great woman she was!

All beautiful. She will thank you for fitting in.

Love Charlotte & Emma 🥰

I know so many Charlottes I would never choose the name. It's lovely and timeless, but too common IMO. Emma is middling - I know quite a few. Beatrix - I only know one and she's not in the UK, and Naomi - again I think I only know one. Personally, I'd go with a less common name.

I adore Charlotte, to me it's the perfect name, so classy and timeless. Yes it's safe and well known but no way is it overdone, especially not among small kids today. In fact I don't think I've met a single little Charlotte in any of DDs baby groups, nursery, school etc. Lottie/Lotte is adorable and isn't too 'twee' for an adult either, same with Charley.

I'd have used it for DD if it wasn't my sisters name 😁

All lovely. My preference would be:

1. Naomi
2. Beatrix
3. Charlotte
4. Emma

Congratulations on the birth of your daughter and your choice of good names that will never embarass her.

Not necessarily. If you have doubts I would reconsider.

Before I even opened the thread I knew it'd be Emma. Absolutely dull as ditchwater. However, Naomi is really lovely!

I called my son Jack and he wasn’t happy with how many other Jacks there were at his school.

Love Naomi and Beatrix.
Emma is ok, if very safe.
Really dislike Charlotte

There were no fewer than four other girls with the same name in my class of 30 throughout primary, and twelve or so in my year group at my secondary, and while I wasn’t terribly conscious of finding it slightly depressing at the time, I realised afterwards, when I’d moved abroad in my mid-20s, that I’d never learned to respond to my name being called outside my family home, because it was usually someone else who was meant. To the point where I still remember, 30 years later, the moment someone shouted my name on the street and I turned instinctively.

I mean, it’s not a huge problem, but as a shy child and teenager, it probably didn’t help that I felt so generic.

Emma - this is the one I would pick - a lovely, simple classic that you don’t hear so often these days (but plenty of mums in the playground will be called Emma!)

Charlotte - nice but make sure you like both Charlie and Lottie as you can’t control nn’s after a certain age

Beatrix - prefer Beatrice - full name feels a bit pompous sounding for day to day use to me, and Bea is cute but a bit informal for work etc

Naomi - I like it but do you mind the different pronunciations?

Christ, I'd have hated to 'fit in'. I have a fairly unusual name and it's been really fun and so much better than bland nothingness!

I have a relatively magnolia name and I’ve never once thought to be thankful that I fit in. Fit in with who?

I only know one Beatrix, she's 12 years old. Beatrice's I know lots of!

I know lots of Naomi's but they are all aged over 30.

I wouldn't call Beatrix or Naomi particularly safe as they not common for your little one's generation.

All four names you've suggested are lovely.

I love the first three names. Especially Beatrix - what a great name. And Charlotte. Emma would make a good middle name.

Less keen on Naomi, because I like names that can be shortened and it's not easy to do that.

I have 4 school age children all in different classes and as far as I know there isn’t an Emma in any of them. It’s definitely not common where I live.
I’m into my 40’s now and it was definitely very popular then - not just in my area either, as when I went to university there were two in my 6 room flat.
Of all your names it’s my least favourite. I love Charlotte - the fact that according to some it’s too common/royal wouldn’t worry me at all. Beatrix is my next favourite followed by Naomi.

I have an Emma (now 20) - never had any other Emma’s at school and I don’t think uni either. There were loads of Emily’s, Amelia’s and Amelie’s.

She’s really feisty and outgoing and loves her name.

I've got an Emma in her early 20s now. Yes, it could be said to be a bit plain and boring, but it's a good, classic name that suits a professional woman as well as a little Emma. I like the other names on the list too. I'm a primary teacher so my preferences on names are often linked to children that I have taught!

I think they are all nice. Just be sure you’re happy with the likely nicknames. You can’t always stop nicknames. Naomi is especially lovely, but I’ve heard it pronounced a variety of ways. Would that drive you mad?

Beautiful names. I’m currently in labour and have gone down a similar route. Alexander for a boy and Eleanor for a girl. Know 3 babies born this week Scarlett, Nicholas and Elizabeth. You can’t go wrong with the classic names

All lovely. Charlotte particularly pretty. And gives you Lottie or Charlie which are both fun x

Beatrix - will spend her life correcting people who think she is Beatrice.

Naomi - so many different ways of pronouncing this, so will also be constantly correcting people.

Love Emma, and don’t see many babies called that, and love Charlotte/Lottie.

Your choices are lovely.
I'd personally go with Charlotte.
Beatrice instead of Beatrix.
I'm a huge fan of traditional and classic names. You cannot go wrong with them! They look nice written on passports and job applications and sound nice when said out loud. I'm not of fan of trendy or unusual names but that's just me.

Can I also suggest Alexandra, Elizabeth and Victoria?

Agree. Lovely names