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.

Not too keen on any of the girls names, but my next DS is going to be Finn, if I can convince DH. I love it, makes me think of gorgeous looking surfer types, no idea why!

I like Violet and Nancy.

Johnny is OK.

Like them all except Paddy (which I would go for if it was short for Patrick ).
Tabitha is my .girls name dh wont let me use, I love it

Girls; not keen on Tabitha, I love Violet, rest are fine.

Boys; names are fine. If you're not Irish you may get lots of comments on Paddy though. I love Raphael.

I like Jonny Finn and Tabitha. DH will not let me have Tabitha Grrr!

Patrick is nice with nn Patch

Girls:

Violet - A bit too staid for me, but pretty all the same
Tabitha - cute, reminds me of a cat though
Nancy (it's not actually my real name) - love it, love constance with nancy as a nn
Annie- get your gun.... needs to be Ann(e)/Anna/Annabel, shortened to Annie IMO
Elspeth - love it, use it as a nn for DD at times
Edie - mcredie, no

Boys:

Paddy (not Patrick) - no.
Finn - quite a lot of them around, i'd fnd a longer name and shorten it
Johnny -DP's name, not sure everyone suits 'johnny' though, so would yuse Jonathan and shorten it
Raphael - teenage mutant hero turtles

Girls:

Violet -lovely
Tabitha - for some reason its more a pets name to me but that is prob my prejudice
Nancy (it's not actually my real name) - I like it -quite old fashioned and
Annie - bit girly as an actual name pr
Elspeth - fave of lot I think
Edie - nice

Boys:

Paddy (not Patrick)-nice but inevitable questions re irish connections
Finn -like it
Johnny - quite nice when you're a kid but not sure if john/jonathan might be better if you want a "serious
Raphael -quite good but always slightly worried about names for boys that veer from teh simple given their propensity to be little shits playful with each other re stuff like that

sorry re Annie -agree with poster who suggested annabel/anna shortened

Don't like Tabitha (it's a cat name) of Violet (Violet Beauregarde - Charlie & the Choc. Fact.) but love the other girls names, especially Edie.
Don't like any of the boys names, sorry.

I like Nancy

Violet makes me thing of Violet Elizabeth Bott 'I'll thcream and thcream until I am thick'!
Patrick is nice but I wouldn't shorten.
I like Jonathan in full.
Annie is nice but I would give Anna as the proper name.
Not all boys could cope with Raphael!
Tabitha is a cat to me.
Hate Finn .
Nancy and Elspeth OK

Violet - Hmmm - well I don't really like the colour or the taste or Parma Violets although the flower itself is pleasant enough. Wouldn't choose it personally.

Tabitha - Love it!

Nancy - It is appealing and there aren't too many around

Annie - Cute - quite 1950s vibe about it - And I have met plenty of grown women who can carry it off without compromising their gravitas

Elspeth - Euurgh (sorry)

Edie - Was my grandmother and she always hated it (and was resentful that she had no middlename to fall back on. But if you are French I think Edith is v. cool.

Boys:

Paddy (not Patrick) - Fine - Just put a full version on the BC - doesn't have to be Patrick - can be Podraig or some such other variation if you have an aversion to Patrick itself.

Finn - Love it!

Johnny - Again use a full name - John or Jonathan and abbreviate

Raphael - Brilliant name and I went to school with a very blond one who was known as Raff which I thought suited his scruffy, naughty charm

Girls:

Violet - no, swings to the side of twee
Tabitha - no, as above
Nancy (it's not actually my real name) - too on trend for me
Annie - like it
Elspeth - scottish wifey connotations for me
Edie - liek the sound of it, not sure about edith

Boys:

Paddy (not Patrick) - like patrick, not paddy
Finn - like it
Johnny - like it (the simplicity of them)
Raphael - oo no, very elaborate

Like all of those except Elspeth and Johnny.
Violet and Tabitha my faves.

Thanks everyone - Esme is good suggestion will add that to list.

Our surname is O'Connell, so Paddy prob is a bit too Oirish.

Aah - well with a surname starting in O you may also want to avoid Tabitha or any other a ending names. a-o is a little tricky to say.

What about Maeve? Maeve O'Connell runs well.

I have not heard of the sur name O'Pray before. Is that Irish?

I love Patrick.

My cat's called Violet.

Tabitha and Johnny are both excellent