Opinions Pls, as blunt as you like...

[Nancy66]

Having commenting on lots of others choices, I'd be interested in views on mine.

Now that I am finally up the duff, I don't feel quite so embarrassed thinking about names.

Girls:

Violet
Tabitha
Nancy (it's not actually my real name)
Annie
Elspeth
Edie

Boys:

Paddy (not Patrick)
Finn
Johnny
Raphael

Feel free to say if too poncey, too chavvy etc....I'm very thick skinned.

I don't like any of them, sorry.

I like johnny-and annie.

but not the others

I love love Violet or Viola even. Also like Tabitha, its quite common here in Cornwall.

Sorry i don't like the boys names, but Raffy is a nice nickname for Raphael imo.

I like all your girls names except Elspeth, which for some reason I think of as a middle aged name. I wish I had more of an opinion on boys names, but as I have a feeling I'm having a boy and have a shortlist that doesn't even reach 1, I don't know what I like. I can tell you that if I were an 18 year old girl, I wouldn't find any of those boys' names not snoggable.

I am really, really struggling with boys names I have to day.

i've got lot of nephews and: George, Freddie, Archie, Gabriel and Henry are already taken.

Tabitha Violet and Nancy I like

no to Paddy
Johnny if spelt Jonny is ok but bit boring maybe
Finn and Raphael I like too

have you considered
Esme instead of Elspeth?

Rafferty instead of Raphael?

like all boys names - but why not patrick?

like nancy, annie and edie [sedgewick?}

boys names on our list if it helps are

Cassius/Cassian
Reuben
Corin/Coran
Caleb
Roan

and know of
Nico
Luca
Seth
Tadgh
Callan
Fionn (celtic spelling)

which I like but can't use

I like all of them esp violet nancy and johnny xx

I don't like nicknames as given names so would lose Annie, Edie, Paddy and Johnny.
Tabitha is hugely overused near me (many are younger sisters of Matildas - 'Tilly and Tabby' bleugrh)
Not a fan of Violet because of the Elizabeth Bott connotations.
I am not poncey enough to pull off Raphael but you might be.

Nancy
Elspeth
Finn
all passable.

Oh good somebody who is not going to get the ache if I don't love every name onthe list.

Violet - I love it but I would never commit to it because it reminds me of words I don't like, such as violate and violent. If somebody ELSE calls their dd Violet though, I think, ooooh lovely choice.
Tabitha - no, ugly and witchy. REALLY dislike this one.
Nancy - absolutely love this one. I LOVE that sort of American 1950's The Wonder Years Happy Days vibe this name gives me. Back in the days when people still believed in the American Dream. Nancy encapsulates this for me. Plus, I quite like the Nancy Astor first female MP thing. Samantha Cameron and her handbag is a downside.
Annie - Also love this. So cute without being cutesy. Modest, but not boring. Unusual actually. Like Jane nowadays.
Elspeth - hmmm. I sort of like it but it's a bit strict. I like the nn Elsa a lot though. Could that be a nn for Espeth?
Edie - Love this. I would put Edith on the BC too though. Edie is too trendy, I'd USE it, but I'd like to know I had Edith to fall back on. Edith very parisian-sounding. Edeet. Je l'aime.

Boys:

Paddy (not Patrick) - oh, well, I love Patrick. But Paddy too nicknamey. But I like nns, so I'm not sure why I'm not so keen I don't dislike it though.
Finn - like this. LIke FInbar and Fintan and Finlay. There are lots of Finn names.
Johnny - love it. There is a Jonathan who is Jonny in my DD's class. Sounds refreshing amongst all the supposedly unusual names.
Raphael - I like it. Not sure that a MAN would ever think, Raphael, what an excellent name for my son! I've a feeling that I suggested this to my x and he just glared at me. I like it a lot though.

In a slightly similar classic with a beret style, I like Julius, Marcus, Victor, Richie, Frederick (Fritz?!)

Raphael is a lovely name BUT i know at least 4 in my area - all aged under 1. The mums were really upset when they found out. I would also go for Patrick rather than Paddy and shorten it just to give the child the option later in life.

I love Violet and Nancy and Elspeth (name of my much loved great aunt), Johnny and Raphael and Paddy
I always find Annie a bit eeew

I really like raphael but none of the others.

Thanks ladies - useful feedback.

I'm a writer and my OH is in film industry so perhaps we ARE poncey enough to carry off Raphael !!

However the child is likely to be very blonde and fair (as we both are) so it's prob too Latin a name.

I luuuuurrve Elspeth. I know for a fact that my dh would never countenance it

Finn is lovely for a boy

Violet - no
Tabitha - no
Nancy (it's not actually my real name) - still no
Annie - yes
Elspeth - yes
Edie - s'alright

Boys:

Paddy (not Patrick) - no (do like Patrick though)
Finn - s'alright
Johnny - fine as diminutive to John.
Raphael - no

Paddy yes.

Esme not Edie

Finn/Raphael from the boys list
Elspeth/Violet from the girls.

Edith is a lovely name (instead of Edie) as is Elspeth.
Don't like Tabitha (sounds like she'll have a lisp)
Annie and Nancy obviously have good show tunes potential if you can live with people singing Tomorrow or I'd Do Anything every 5 minutes
Violet has Roald Dahl connotations which I can't get past!

As for the boys, I like Paddy but Finn is too common (although Finbar is a great name). Johnny is OK but Raphael is not good. He'll never live up to it.

I know of a boy whose name is Raphael,pronounced Ray-fel...which I like

love patrick as opposed to paddy
love violet

dont like finn - my uncle called his cow finn and when asked why he said "because he wasn't fat!!" cant ever contemplate that name now!!

Ooh yes. I like Edith.

Not Esme.

None of them really grab me to be honest.

I love Anna, rather than Annie.

I love Jonathan as a full name, nickname Jonny.