Do these names have a stereotype?

[MildSpice]

We’ve mentioned Elijah and Malachi (with the mal-uh-kai pronunciation) as top considerations (because I like discussing names before baby is born), and my SIL immediately said that they’re ‘chav’ names. (I think it’s a bit rude to be snobbish about names in this way, but that’s not the main point of this thread.) I have never heard anything negative about Elijah or Malachi before and did not know that they had any stereotype. What do you think?

I know them mostly as names for boys from Christian families.
Typically families from African churches (sorry I don't know the official denomination).
Definitely not "chav" names round my way (I hate that word).

I worked with a young (16 year old) woman who called her son Eli-jaw
Cos it's Elton,John's son's name.
The jaw pronunciation was particularly jarring. Sounded like lock jaw to me

Yes, there's a lot of juveniles/men named Elijah (who come from rough backgrounds) in the prison system.

Both names are chavvy to me, sorry. Malachi is particularly chavvy when it's spelt Malakai and the parents call him Kai. I see that often.

Elijah is a lovely name. Malachi has been ruined for me since seeing children of the corn as a child

I love the name Elijah. One of my DC has a friend called Elijah and they’re not religious, or chavvy.

Not to my taste as I’d consider both to be biblical/religious but they’re not bad names.

Elijah is very trendy right now, but that doesn't make it 'chavvy'. It just means I wouldn't automatically assume someone picking it is religious, as it's a current trend name being picked by lots of different people from lots of different walks of life right now. Ezra and Jude are experiencing similar popularity right name, Noah before them. Again, I wouldn't automatically assume people choosing those names are religious, they're just latching on to a popular trend.

I've never met a Malachi, and I know a lot of children. I have no particular association with the name. Maybe it's the 'Kai' sound at the end, which made her make that comment, but personally I wouldn't link Malachi with Kai at all.

Elijah is exclusively Christian in my head. Malchai is great-Kai for short.

If I had to conjur up a picture of an Elijah or a Malachi it would be a Black boy with religious parents.

Neither are chavvy names to me but I don’t know many chavs, so maybe they are.

I do think Kai is veering that way a bit though.

I'm a teacher in a deprived area. Quite a few Malachis. They're working class lads. The Elijahs are black.

Some people say once a name suddenly becomes popular (if it wasn't before, so not Royal/widely used biblical names-yes I know they may be in the Bible, but as in names like Adam, Jacob, John, Luke, Rachel, Leah, the classic ones that come up in every generation etc) then they call it "chavvy". As in, Eli has been popular over the last decade or so, but wasn't used as much before it. I would not say this, and I really don't think it's fair or nice to say it, and I'm not the only one who thinks this was rude of your sister

I would go with Elijah which is lovely, you have the option of Eli too which is nice.

I would hesitate over Malachi which I know is also a biblical name but it does have a whiff of chav about it unfortunately.

They are religious ( particularly Jewish) names to me

The Malachi I know (in his twenties) is white and not from a religious family, AFAIK.

I’m not sure in what world they’re chav names. I would have thought biblical though, parents must have been religious maybe Christian maybe orthodox Jewish

I would think from a religious African family

Eli is not nice - it sounds like Eel-eye.

I think they’re both lovely names and it would never occur to me to think they’re ‘chavvy’ or ‘ghetto’.

I’ve taught in inner London schools for nearly 20 years. Only known one Malachi, but quite a few Elijahs from all sorts of backgrounds.

People can be so stupid and rude!

Not chavvy, they are both lovely Biblical names

The Elijah I know is white and from a churchgoing Christian family. I haven’t met any Malachis.

Biblical names.
I prefer the more common place biblical names like Isaac, John, Moses, Benjamin, Thomas and Luke.
And Malcolm.

I’m a former Cub leader in rural West Yorks. I’ve had a couple of Malachy, a Malachi and 3 or 4 Elijahs over the years. All great kids actually. No negative connotations for me.

Yes, I think the same. Biblical, possibly Jewish.

Like you, I do hear the "Mal" in names like Malcom and Malachi.

I recently warned an OP that Melody sounded too much like Malady and she feigned zero comprehension on the basis that the pronunciation is "completely different!" 😂

But Malachi is obviously quite different, and the worst he would get is Mal as a nickname - which still has not great overtones I guess.

For that reason, I'd choose Elijah OP - and I think Eli is quite a popular diminutive.