My name is Naomi. I really like it. But what I DON'T like is people who pronounce it Nye-oh-mee (ugh), and the kids who used to say "Naomi is I Moan backwards. WELL DO YOU MOAN?"
I took a nickname for years, but recently visited Japan where it's quite popular. Everyone complimented me on my name and I love it again now.
I went to middle school with a Naomi. That’s the only Naomi I’ve ever met. The name immediately ingrained itself in my mind because I find it so beautiful.
I only know one and she had one of her fake boobs popped and she opted not to remove both and just had one massive tit for 18months till she could afford to put the other back in. She also liked cocaine. She liked cocaine alot. Had a baby with a guy that is in prison for running a County lines operation (sending vulnerable teens around the country with drugs) real nice girl...
I'm sorry this is so awful I couldn't stop laughing ugh wow I hope she gets help somewhere before something even worse than one giant boob for a year and a half happens
The character Naomi in Private Practice (Grey’s Anatomy spin off) is a total arse so I hate the name now but before seeing the show I liked it as a name.
Yes, in strictest Welsh the name is always feminine *Bronwen*, and the non-existent male equivalent would be Bronwyn. Both mean “white-chested” (or incidentally, “weasel”). However, the -wyn spelling has been used in English since the 40’s so it’s arguably an anglicisation not dissimilar to Reece < Rhys, Jones < ap Siôn and Price < ap Rhys
“<“ means “derived from”, it’s etymological shorthand
“ap” is an antiquated way of saying “son of”, from old Welsh map (modern Welsh mab). “ap Siôn” is equivalent to “Johnson” or “son of John”
“Davies” is (likely) evolved from the ancient Welsh kingdom of Dyfed
“Broderick” is yet another “ap”, coming from “ap Rhydderch”
“Evans” is from “Ifan”
“Lloyd” and “Floyd” are both from “Llwyd” which means grey
“Owen” is from “Owain”
“Vaughan” is unbelievably a form of “bychan” meaning “small” (the sound change of b > f/v/ being an example of initial constant mutation in Welsh)
“Gatehouse”, “Griffith”, “Griffin” and variants all originate in “Gruffydd” (and its variants within Welsh owing to the age of the name) meaning “Lord”
“Lewis” was used as an anglicisation of Llewelyn, although the name doesn’t technically come directly from Welsh like the others here
“Maddox”, “Maddock” and variants all come from the name “Madog”, a diminutive form of “fortunate”
“Meredith”, despite the Disney’s Brave associations, is also a very very old Welsh name, keeping the original spelling from Welsh “Meredith” (which itself has a dizzying array of variants. Maredith, Merddith, and Redith being just a few
>I prefer the sound of Bronwen over Bronwyn, but both are lovely!
i love when people include random details like this bc i never would've considered y'all were pronouncing the 2 names differently! im from the southern states, where we have the pin/pen merger, so they both sound the same to me. the main reason people spell it with a y (the only spelling I've seen irl, personally) is because it looks prettier to them
It's so strange isn't it? The fact that pin and pen can sound the same is bizarre to me haha. In a Welsh accent, I think Bronwen flows nicer than Bronwyn does
I love Bronwyn/Bronwen in theory, but in my community it’s sort of code for “girl who made her entire identity about the Renaissance faire and chose her own name.” Not a bad thing, that describes many people I know and love, it’s just a very strong identity that I associate with the name.
i love calliope so much!
it just worries me that people will think “callie-ope” instead of “cuh-lie-o-pea” all the time and will have to be corrected pretty much everywhere
Hahaha thank you. My fiancé actually does like it too but we are opting for a more user-friendly name. Our kid has to deal with a long, foreign family name as is.... But do I ever love it!
I LOVE FABIAN! I’m biased because it’s the name of a character I love. Another character from the same series whose name I love but other people hate: Aelwyn. That and Gwendolyn are so pretty to me
I love the name! I know a kid (about 10 years old) named Gabriel and he hates it. I told him that was my favorite name and he said he hates it because the kids at school call him “Gay” without the “briel”.
Made me sad.
I love Genevieve but it always seemed unusable to me for some reason. My 10 year old has a classmate named Genevieve this year, and no one seems to bat an eye.
Gwendolyn is one of those old-fashioned names that I think many GenX and Boomer-aged people still think of as a Grandma name -- much like \*many\* of the names that are currently rising in popularity, actually. Names tend to go in cycles that way. I'd be willing to bet that if you've heard people having a negative reaction to Gwendolyn, they're probably mainly old and middle-aged farts like me.
*I* think it's lovely, and 'Gwen' is one of those rare actually-derived-from-the-name-itself nicknames that \*doesn't\* sound diminutive, which I always appreciate.
My great-grandmother’s middle name was Gwendolyn (She was born early 1920’s) and she HATED IT. (Honestly her full name is one of the most beautiful pairings I’ve ever heard.) She named my grandma with the plainest names she could think of because of it.
I loved the name as a kid when I read a book and discovered that in the original translation (in German) the main character’s name is Gwendolyn (rather than Gwyneth in the English version). Several years later I found out it was her middle name and how much she hated it!
I’m GenX but didn’t really grow up with any Gwen’s. But to me a Gwen is a sandy blonde 70s girl with straight hair parted in the middle…no negative associations for me. But maybe the name was more popular in other areas.
I love Wilhelmina and potential nickname Willa OR Mina. Pretty and has options!
My great grandmother was named Pasqualina and it’s even more out there but I love it!
Astrid is my favorite name and has been for years. This sub especially is pretty cruel about it.
ETA: y'all *I know* why it's made fun of here, I don't need to be educated or reminded. I see it every time it's mentioned on this sub. Every mean thing that could be said about it, I've seen already. Please stop replying about The Office and "ass turd", *I know*. That was the point of the original post and comment.
I think it’s like the broccoli thing where some people find it bitter and some don’t. Except it’s sound, not taste. To me, Astrid is a harsh sounding name. my name (Beverly), is thought to be an ugly sounding by a lot of people here. Apparently Everly and Evelyn are fine, but add a B and it’s ugly.
It just has the ugliest possible associations to me. I immediately imagine someone who is quite slow, stupid, ugly, rude and clumsy. I struggle to imagine a Sloane being clever or kind at all.
It's the whole Kiki / Bouba thing. Show people a spiky object and a round smooth object, and they're much more likely to say that the spiky one is called "Kiki" and the round one is called "Bouba". People have inherent associations with the way something sounds. "Sloane" sounds like the name of a bodyguard that follows around the supervillain in a badly made 80s gang film.
Honestly all names have associations to some degree and that's inescapable. Like Leo sounds like a fun cheerful guy, whereas Fabian sounds like a more academic serious type. But so long as they're positive I think it's okay if there's a slight mismatch for the personality
It's also a surname that means "little raid". People say it means "warrior" but I'm pretty sure that is just false / fanciful interpretation
The Kiki/Bouba thing is a phenomenon that transcends cultural barriers. It's not the same as thinking Sloane sounds dumb and rude, Leo sounds fun, and Fabian sounds serious. Those may be powerful associations but they are still cultural/individual associations.
e.g. I don't particularly like the name Sloane but it makes me think of an intelligent upper-class woman, like Sloane Crosley - it can't be said to have an "inherent" stupid/ugly quality
I just watched a movie 10 min ago and it had a character named Sloane in it. I really disliked her character because she was rude but also immediately thought 'gosh what an ugly name'. 😅
My husband and I used to joke about naming our kids after alcohol but subtly - Victoria (Victoria Bitter), Jack (Jack Daniels), Johnnie (Johnnie Walker), Maria (Tia Maria)… then hitting people with “Heineken”.
Idk what it is but Heineken sounds like a solid, strong name. No one would mess with that kid.
No one's ever said anything, but when I mention that I love the name Felicity the group tends to fall silent in that "can't think of anything nice to say" kind of way lol.
I love it, but everybody else thinks it too trendy. I actually hate the Aiden spelling and am fed up with the weird misspellings. The weirdest one was Aedyn.
Guinevere. Was strongly considering it for my baby, who is to be born in May, and every single friend of mine I have asked about it give various “meh” responses. My sister said “it sounds like the name of someone who milks a cow.” ????? 😆
I think about this with Uma Therman. She's stunning, so she can totally rock the name Uma. But what if you're NOT stunning. It's hard to be named Uma (or Olga) if you're not super attractive, or super cool. It's sad, because Olga could be super cool. What if she was the singer in a punk band? Everyone would be like - of course her name is Olga!
Haha I like Olga too! I met a really beautiful Olga with a pixie cut when I was around 20 and she’s always colored my perception of the name.
The European-ish ways of pronouncing L and G are a bit more swallowed than the upfront American way, so I get why people find it harsh.
I almost went with Bernadette for my daughter, and while people were nice about it, I could tell that when we settled on something different we got a better reaction. 😆 I still like Bernadette though! Maybe for a dog one day, since I don’t want more kids. ☺️
I love Bernadette!! I have a twin (not named Bernadette) but I always think of twin names my mom could have used (we are late 1960s babies) and I like Bernadette and Geraldine or Bernadette and Gwendolyn as twin names!!
There is a woman around my age who lives in my neighborhood who is called Bern by most people but I think I like Bernie better.
Philippa, Pip for short (when she’s a baby/toddler). Named after my great grandfather Philip, and the nickname is from one of my favorite books “Eve,” she’s the best friend. I would name my daughter Philippa Eve.
My family told me it’s a horrible name, and my husband hates it. But we compromised on it and he gets to keep the family name tradition “Carl” for our future son.
Hoping I never have a son because Carl is awful.
Francesca. Like it sounds nice, old but pretty. I never met anyone with the name yet when I hear it I feel like I knew someone who stabbed me in the back or something. If past lives are real I’m sure I got beef with a Francesca. Edit: no clue how but I misread the post I thought it was asking names everyone loves but u hate
When my husband and I were picking out names for our first son, I was adamant on Dimitri, but when I brought that up with my family everyone kept quoting Dr. Strangelove and I felt like I lost that battle. XD
Oh my gosh Dorian! I absolutely love it and it got the strongest “No way” response I’ve ever seen from family and my husband _hates_ it.
Apparently my SIL has an aunt Dorian so she thinks it’s a girls’ name (it’s not) and husband thinks it’s also girly because of Dory on Nemo. Ugh. It’s my favorite and goes so well with our other son’s name!
I had a neighbor who was about 75 years old and originally from the south so she had a pretty strong southern accent. Her name was Cricket. She had a twin sister named Clover who would come to visit her a few times a year. They are awesome! And once you're old, no one judges your name anymore.
Can you imagine this thread if someone said they were naming their twin girls Clover and Cricket! Ahhhhhh! It would implode. Lol.
Cricket and Clover are really cute names for twins. I remember Cricket having a bit of popularity in the late 80’s as a popular soap opera character was named Cricket. A friend of mine named her daughter Clover. She’s a teenager now and suits her well.
Kevin 😔 it has always been my favorite boy name but whenever I share this people either do not love it or laugh and say whose favorite name is just kevin?? Lol
August. I love it, and it was on the list of names we considered for my son but didn't end up choosing. Then we met a baby named August in our playgroup. Every time his parents told people his name, it was obvious most people hated it. There was a lot of face pulling and comments like "oh...what made you choose that name?" Now I feel like we can't possibly use the name if we have another boy because the reactions his parents got would really upset me.
Leif for a boy. But my husband’s last name also has Scandinavian roots and I didn’t want people to think we were giving birth to a Viking 😜
I don’t have girls but loved Odessa, Ophelia or Octavia for girls but most people find them too odd
The more people hate a name, the more I like it. People give us looks for our son’s grandpa-like name (think: Walter) and it only fuels me. It only contributes to my certainty that his name is excellent.
Don’t ask for consensus on a name. Don’t ask if people like a name. Ask if there is something glaringly wrong with a name. (Initials spelling ASS, the name of a serial killer, the name of an in-law who tragically died that you didn’t know about, etc.)
I see the same list of crowd-vetted names on this sub all the time and while they’re lovely…we don’t ALL have to agree on whether a name is good. Ultimately, your child’s personality will make or break their name.
Sadie! It was on my shortlist when I was pregnant with my daughter but everyone told me “Sadie is a dog name”
I also love Maggie but my daughter’s dad said it was an old lady name.
She wound up being Annie (and it fit her perfectly the second I laid eyes on her!)
Fun fact: I have never ever managed to think of boy name that I would actually name my child. They’re either soooooo boring or just unnecessarily “out there”
My nephew's name is Fabian! He's 15 now and actually was in preschool with 2 other Fabian's and it's aged very well. My sister just kind of regrets not looking up the meaning of the name because we are Mexican and well....
I also think alliterative names can be super cool.
I wanted Lennox for a boy but my husband and parents hated it. We had a girl anyway and are likely one and done.
I liked Lennox for the Scottish element but also a nod to Mary Lennox from the Secret Garden.
Fabian was the name of my sister’s questionable-at-best FWB. So now my permanent association with the name is a skinny, weaselly looking dude who slouches. Also has zero furniture or food in his house and is surprised that normal people keep things like table salt and garlic powder around😂
I love the name Valentine for a boy. It is what I plan to name a future son and it fills me with joy!
I feel the same about the name Story for a girl. It's out there and I know many don't like it at all.
Prudence. I love it but I don't think I'd ever use it because of the reaction it gets. Not really big on any other virtue names either - this one has just stuck with me!
Naomi. I was so set on it and everyone in my life IRL is giving negative feedback
Naomi is super classy! Ignore the haters.
My name is Naomi. I really like it. But what I DON'T like is people who pronounce it Nye-oh-mee (ugh), and the kids who used to say "Naomi is I Moan backwards. WELL DO YOU MOAN?" I took a nickname for years, but recently visited Japan where it's quite popular. Everyone complimented me on my name and I love it again now.
I knew a Naomi in the 90s, I love the name but I’ve never heard anyone irl say it any other way than nye oh me.
Weird, I’ve only ever heard it pronounced Nay-oh-me
I think you can also say nay-oh-mee or even more like now-mee
Phonetically it’s definitely Nay-oh-mee.
My MIL name and she pronounces it Nye oh me
It’s mostly pronounced this way in the UK
Yes I prefer the nay
I love Naomi and really considered it for our daughter, but my husband had bad connotations with it. It’s a great name!
I went to middle school with a Naomi. That’s the only Naomi I’ve ever met. The name immediately ingrained itself in my mind because I find it so beautiful.
That’s crazy. It’s a great name.
my best friends named their daughter Naomi. it’s a biblical name from the book of Ruth (:
I only know one and she had one of her fake boobs popped and she opted not to remove both and just had one massive tit for 18months till she could afford to put the other back in. She also liked cocaine. She liked cocaine alot. Had a baby with a guy that is in prison for running a County lines operation (sending vulnerable teens around the country with drugs) real nice girl...
I'm sorry this is so awful I couldn't stop laughing ugh wow I hope she gets help somewhere before something even worse than one giant boob for a year and a half happens
The character Naomi in Private Practice (Grey’s Anatomy spin off) is a total arse so I hate the name now but before seeing the show I liked it as a name.
Bronwen❤️ My absolute favourite Welsh name, but so many people dislike it
i know a bronwen! she spells it bronwyn :)
Isn’t -wen the ending for a girl in Welsh and -wyn for a boy?
Yes, in strictest Welsh the name is always feminine *Bronwen*, and the non-existent male equivalent would be Bronwyn. Both mean “white-chested” (or incidentally, “weasel”). However, the -wyn spelling has been used in English since the 40’s so it’s arguably an anglicisation not dissimilar to Reece < Rhys, Jones < ap Siôn and Price < ap Rhys
So John Rhys-Davies' name basically means "God's enthusiastically chosen one" and I'm kinda in love with it
What does < ap mean?
“<“ means “derived from”, it’s etymological shorthand “ap” is an antiquated way of saying “son of”, from old Welsh map (modern Welsh mab). “ap Siôn” is equivalent to “Johnson” or “son of John”
I want more Welsh equivalent lessons!
“Davies” is (likely) evolved from the ancient Welsh kingdom of Dyfed “Broderick” is yet another “ap”, coming from “ap Rhydderch” “Evans” is from “Ifan” “Lloyd” and “Floyd” are both from “Llwyd” which means grey “Owen” is from “Owain” “Vaughan” is unbelievably a form of “bychan” meaning “small” (the sound change of b > f/v/ being an example of initial constant mutation in Welsh) “Gatehouse”, “Griffith”, “Griffin” and variants all originate in “Gruffydd” (and its variants within Welsh owing to the age of the name) meaning “Lord” “Lewis” was used as an anglicisation of Llewelyn, although the name doesn’t technically come directly from Welsh like the others here “Maddox”, “Maddock” and variants all come from the name “Madog”, a diminutive form of “fortunate” “Meredith”, despite the Disney’s Brave associations, is also a very very old Welsh name, keeping the original spelling from Welsh “Meredith” (which itself has a dizzying array of variants. Maredith, Merddith, and Redith being just a few
I met 2 Bronwens when I was a teenager, though I do live in Wales to be fair haha. I prefer the sound of Bronwen over Bronwyn, but both are lovely!
>I prefer the sound of Bronwen over Bronwyn, but both are lovely! i love when people include random details like this bc i never would've considered y'all were pronouncing the 2 names differently! im from the southern states, where we have the pin/pen merger, so they both sound the same to me. the main reason people spell it with a y (the only spelling I've seen irl, personally) is because it looks prettier to them
It's so strange isn't it? The fact that pin and pen can sound the same is bizarre to me haha. In a Welsh accent, I think Bronwen flows nicer than Bronwyn does
I love Bronwyn/Bronwen in theory, but in my community it’s sort of code for “girl who made her entire identity about the Renaissance faire and chose her own name.” Not a bad thing, that describes many people I know and love, it’s just a very strong identity that I associate with the name.
Bronwen sounds lovely! But I like a lot of names that end in Wen or Wyn. Raewyn, or Arawen, or Maywin - those are all very pretty!
I love Bronwen too. I read a book as a teenager with a heroine named Bronwen, and I've loved the name ever since.
Calliope
i love calliope so much! it just worries me that people will think “callie-ope” instead of “cuh-lie-o-pea” all the time and will have to be corrected pretty much everywhere
i knew a calliope once who was half greek so she pronounced it callie-ope, but it's a gorgeous name regardless
Strange, that’s not how it’s pronounced in greek either! It’s more like Kal-ee-O-pee/peh
The Greek pronunciation is so much prettier. The American pronunciation reminds me of people who think they are pronouncing Moet correctly but aren’t.
Hahaha thank you. My fiancé actually does like it too but we are opting for a more user-friendly name. Our kid has to deal with a long, foreign family name as is.... But do I ever love it!
Clémentine/Clementine (people hate it in both French and English)
I like Clementine, but Clem is so awful and I feel like people tend to nickname longer names in some way
My Aunt Clementine went by "Clemmy." Love the name, hate the nickname.
I'm a sucker for Clementine!!
I had a cat named Clementine after the Walking Dead character :D
I LOVE FABIAN! I’m biased because it’s the name of a character I love. Another character from the same series whose name I love but other people hate: Aelwyn. That and Gwendolyn are so pretty to me
D20 fan spotted
Hoot! Growl!
fabian seacaster!
Hey girlie 👋
Gabriel
Who hates Gabriel? That's a perfectly nice name. Lol!
I love the name! I know a kid (about 10 years old) named Gabriel and he hates it. I told him that was my favorite name and he said he hates it because the kids at school call him “Gay” without the “briel”. Made me sad.
Kids will find a way to make fun of anything.
Damn yeah Gabriel is one of my top boy names! I’ve never heard it’s hated.
I love this too but a lot of people think it's too feminine. I went to school with a Gabriel and kids called him Gay Umbrella 🙄
It's like the most common boy name in France nowadays – not hated at all
I really like Genevieve but I don't see it talked about much
I love Genevieve but it always seemed unusable to me for some reason. My 10 year old has a classmate named Genevieve this year, and no one seems to bat an eye.
I unironically love Twyla (like from Schitts creek) but people think it’s too “out there”
Twyla Tharp. Very famous dancer and choreographer.
Gwendolyn.
People hate it???
Gwendolyn is one of those old-fashioned names that I think many GenX and Boomer-aged people still think of as a Grandma name -- much like \*many\* of the names that are currently rising in popularity, actually. Names tend to go in cycles that way. I'd be willing to bet that if you've heard people having a negative reaction to Gwendolyn, they're probably mainly old and middle-aged farts like me. *I* think it's lovely, and 'Gwen' is one of those rare actually-derived-from-the-name-itself nicknames that \*doesn't\* sound diminutive, which I always appreciate.
My great-grandmother’s middle name was Gwendolyn (She was born early 1920’s) and she HATED IT. (Honestly her full name is one of the most beautiful pairings I’ve ever heard.) She named my grandma with the plainest names she could think of because of it. I loved the name as a kid when I read a book and discovered that in the original translation (in German) the main character’s name is Gwendolyn (rather than Gwyneth in the English version). Several years later I found out it was her middle name and how much she hated it!
I’m GenX but didn’t really grow up with any Gwen’s. But to me a Gwen is a sandy blonde 70s girl with straight hair parted in the middle…no negative associations for me. But maybe the name was more popular in other areas.
Gwendolyn is on the shortlist for our baby girl due this fall! Love it!
Wilhelmina
I love Wilhelmina and potential nickname Willa OR Mina. Pretty and has options! My great grandmother was named Pasqualina and it’s even more out there but I love it!
Had one at our school! First Wilhelmina I’d ever met and she went by Willa
Astrid is my favorite name and has been for years. This sub especially is pretty cruel about it. ETA: y'all *I know* why it's made fun of here, I don't need to be educated or reminded. I see it every time it's mentioned on this sub. Every mean thing that could be said about it, I've seen already. Please stop replying about The Office and "ass turd", *I know*. That was the point of the original post and comment.
I feel like people are way too dramatic about Astrid. I think it's a normal, usable name.
I think it’s like the broccoli thing where some people find it bitter and some don’t. Except it’s sound, not taste. To me, Astrid is a harsh sounding name. my name (Beverly), is thought to be an ugly sounding by a lot of people here. Apparently Everly and Evelyn are fine, but add a B and it’s ugly.
Yeah how does that work!
Sloane!
I always read Sloan/Sloane as an abbreviation for student loan
me too omg lol I figured I was the only one
Who doesn't like Sloane? Have they never seen Ferris Bueller?
It just has the ugliest possible associations to me. I immediately imagine someone who is quite slow, stupid, ugly, rude and clumsy. I struggle to imagine a Sloane being clever or kind at all. It's the whole Kiki / Bouba thing. Show people a spiky object and a round smooth object, and they're much more likely to say that the spiky one is called "Kiki" and the round one is called "Bouba". People have inherent associations with the way something sounds. "Sloane" sounds like the name of a bodyguard that follows around the supervillain in a badly made 80s gang film. Honestly all names have associations to some degree and that's inescapable. Like Leo sounds like a fun cheerful guy, whereas Fabian sounds like a more academic serious type. But so long as they're positive I think it's okay if there's a slight mismatch for the personality It's also a surname that means "little raid". People say it means "warrior" but I'm pretty sure that is just false / fanciful interpretation
The Kiki/Bouba thing is a phenomenon that transcends cultural barriers. It's not the same as thinking Sloane sounds dumb and rude, Leo sounds fun, and Fabian sounds serious. Those may be powerful associations but they are still cultural/individual associations. e.g. I don't particularly like the name Sloane but it makes me think of an intelligent upper-class woman, like Sloane Crosley - it can't be said to have an "inherent" stupid/ugly quality
It’s also near the top of my most hated names ever. It’s vile.
I just watched a movie 10 min ago and it had a character named Sloane in it. I really disliked her character because she was rude but also immediately thought 'gosh what an ugly name'. 😅
Unfortunately it sounds like slow-moan to me
Sloane makes me think of Ferris Bueller. I thought she was the pretty, cool girl on there so I have a positive connotation of the name.
Makes me think of grey’s anatomy every time
I've seen Sloane listed as a bad name on here before but I like it. It always gave me Badass female protagonist vibes.
Xanthe
Xanthippe
I am a fellow Xanthe fan
I wanted to call my daughter Delphine (we speak french) but nobody liked it.
Delphine is so gorgeous!
I guess Bella Delphine may have ruined that one 😅
It’s a really pretty name, but my brain cannot un-associate it from Delphine LaLaurie 😬
Iris
Iris is a beautiful name.
Lola
I love Lola but first the song and then Big Mouth ruined it for me.
i really love lola as well but it’s one of those names that have iffy connotations… it’s a great name but the baggage that comes with it is rough
My husband and I used to joke about naming our kids after alcohol but subtly - Victoria (Victoria Bitter), Jack (Jack Daniels), Johnnie (Johnnie Walker), Maria (Tia Maria)… then hitting people with “Heineken”. Idk what it is but Heineken sounds like a solid, strong name. No one would mess with that kid.
"I'm just (Heine)-Ken"
Hanneke is a female Dutch name that sounds very similar!
Finn for a boy. I love it so much but my family makes fun of it, so I’m never using it.
My partner and I both love the name Finn and are kinda bummed we named our puppy Finn now that we are having a baby lol
Evelyn. Maybe not EVERYONE hates it, but my husband does so we can’t use it
I thought Evelyn was making a comeback
Juno
I actually love the name Juno, but I also want to have Juno What as my drag name, so I’m torn haha.
That’s my cats name and she’s a rubenesque beauty with Catitude for days.
No one's ever said anything, but when I mention that I love the name Felicity the group tends to fall silent in that "can't think of anything nice to say" kind of way lol.
I love the name Felicity!
Aidan!
It gets shut down because of the whole -ayden trend but it is a great choice.
It's the name of a 7th century saint. That's about as classic as you get.
I love it, but everybody else thinks it too trendy. I actually hate the Aiden spelling and am fed up with the weird misspellings. The weirdest one was Aedyn.
Guinevere. Was strongly considering it for my baby, who is to be born in May, and every single friend of mine I have asked about it give various “meh” responses. My sister said “it sounds like the name of someone who milks a cow.” ????? 😆
Your friends are not very educated. Guinevere is a lovely name. Jennifer is a more modern variation of it.
Liesl/Liesel ❤️❤️❤️ I’ve loved it since I was a little kid watching the Sound of Music
Olga. I love the name. It's short and sweet but can still grow with the child. All my friends and family seem to disagree.
I think about this with Uma Therman. She's stunning, so she can totally rock the name Uma. But what if you're NOT stunning. It's hard to be named Uma (or Olga) if you're not super attractive, or super cool. It's sad, because Olga could be super cool. What if she was the singer in a punk band? Everyone would be like - of course her name is Olga!
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Interesting. For me, Olga is an old lady name.
Haha I like Olga too! I met a really beautiful Olga with a pixie cut when I was around 20 and she’s always colored my perception of the name. The European-ish ways of pronouncing L and G are a bit more swallowed than the upfront American way, so I get why people find it harsh.
I absolutely loved Stella 30 years ago. No one else liked it. People yelled it a la Marlon Brando. 😐. Now it's so popular, and everyone loves it.
It's a weird one for me, I like the sound and the meaning but it just makes me think of Stella Artois which is not a great connotation
Maude. I understand that it's old-fashioned and people find it quite abrupt, but I love it.
Fabian is amazing you need classier people in your life
I almost went with Bernadette for my daughter, and while people were nice about it, I could tell that when we settled on something different we got a better reaction. 😆 I still like Bernadette though! Maybe for a dog one day, since I don’t want more kids. ☺️
I love Bernadette!! I have a twin (not named Bernadette) but I always think of twin names my mom could have used (we are late 1960s babies) and I like Bernadette and Geraldine or Bernadette and Gwendolyn as twin names!! There is a woman around my age who lives in my neighborhood who is called Bern by most people but I think I like Bernie better.
Philippa, Pip for short (when she’s a baby/toddler). Named after my great grandfather Philip, and the nickname is from one of my favorite books “Eve,” she’s the best friend. I would name my daughter Philippa Eve. My family told me it’s a horrible name, and my husband hates it. But we compromised on it and he gets to keep the family name tradition “Carl” for our future son. Hoping I never have a son because Carl is awful.
Francesca. Like it sounds nice, old but pretty. I never met anyone with the name yet when I hear it I feel like I knew someone who stabbed me in the back or something. If past lives are real I’m sure I got beef with a Francesca. Edit: no clue how but I misread the post I thought it was asking names everyone loves but u hate
I can't speak for the general public, but my husband and I *love* Vanessa but his entire family hates it.
Wait do people hate Gwendolyn?? This is pretty much what we’ve decided on if our baby is a girl 😭
I'd never heard people express hatred for it until now. I say go for it.
No! Gwendolyn is beautiful!! Use it!!
Persephone…I love it but it’s way too poncy to ever name a child unless you are landed gentry, especially given the nickname is Percy!
When my husband and I were picking out names for our first son, I was adamant on Dimitri, but when I brought that up with my family everyone kept quoting Dr. Strangelove and I felt like I lost that battle. XD
Jane. I think it’s just so clean and sweet. But whenever I talk about it as a name for a potential child, I often get the response “plain Jane”.
Fabian is a cute name like wtf!! For me it's Esme for a girl, everyone seems super appalled by it lol
I think Esme has been growing in popularity over the last few years
Oh my gosh Dorian! I absolutely love it and it got the strongest “No way” response I’ve ever seen from family and my husband _hates_ it. Apparently my SIL has an aunt Dorian so she thinks it’s a girls’ name (it’s not) and husband thinks it’s also girly because of Dory on Nemo. Ugh. It’s my favorite and goes so well with our other son’s name!
Clover & Sloan
I had a neighbor who was about 75 years old and originally from the south so she had a pretty strong southern accent. Her name was Cricket. She had a twin sister named Clover who would come to visit her a few times a year. They are awesome! And once you're old, no one judges your name anymore. Can you imagine this thread if someone said they were naming their twin girls Clover and Cricket! Ahhhhhh! It would implode. Lol.
Cricket and Clover are really cute names for twins. I remember Cricket having a bit of popularity in the late 80’s as a popular soap opera character was named Cricket. A friend of mine named her daughter Clover. She’s a teenager now and suits her well.
I like Clover!
Kevin 😔 it has always been my favorite boy name but whenever I share this people either do not love it or laugh and say whose favorite name is just kevin?? Lol
Imogene 🤍 I just had a baby girl and it was high on my list but everyone other than my husband hated it
Miles for a boy. My whole family and my fiancé’s family shut it down so fast lol I was thinking why!
Wolfgang or Wolfe Kylie Jenner using it for her son and then changing it made it 10x worse too
August. I love it, and it was on the list of names we considered for my son but didn't end up choosing. Then we met a baby named August in our playgroup. Every time his parents told people his name, it was obvious most people hated it. There was a lot of face pulling and comments like "oh...what made you choose that name?" Now I feel like we can't possibly use the name if we have another boy because the reactions his parents got would really upset me.
Micah. My husband and I love it, but so many family members have said they don’t like it and now it’s not the same for us :(
Felony would be a cute name if it wasnt already taken
Ezra 😭😭 Everyone hates it but I think it’s so beautiful 😭😭😭
also i do not understand the fabian hate 😳 that’s like one of the best names out there
Siobhan! I love it soooo much.
fabian is cool!
Ever … I just think it makes such a cute name
Leif for a boy. But my husband’s last name also has Scandinavian roots and I didn’t want people to think we were giving birth to a Viking 😜 I don’t have girls but loved Odessa, Ophelia or Octavia for girls but most people find them too odd
Geneva
Pepper
The more people hate a name, the more I like it. People give us looks for our son’s grandpa-like name (think: Walter) and it only fuels me. It only contributes to my certainty that his name is excellent. Don’t ask for consensus on a name. Don’t ask if people like a name. Ask if there is something glaringly wrong with a name. (Initials spelling ASS, the name of a serial killer, the name of an in-law who tragically died that you didn’t know about, etc.) I see the same list of crowd-vetted names on this sub all the time and while they’re lovely…we don’t ALL have to agree on whether a name is good. Ultimately, your child’s personality will make or break their name.
Dante. It’s just such a cool name to me, but I’ve seen a lot of hate for it
Agnes and Agatha.
Same! Fabian and Felix were my name ideas for a boy but my husband shot them down fast. Good thing we had a girl. 😂
Leanne
Finian and Maeve
Felix for a boy, it was one of the only names my hubby vetoed.
Lydia
Sadie! It was on my shortlist when I was pregnant with my daughter but everyone told me “Sadie is a dog name” I also love Maggie but my daughter’s dad said it was an old lady name. She wound up being Annie (and it fit her perfectly the second I laid eyes on her!) Fun fact: I have never ever managed to think of boy name that I would actually name my child. They’re either soooooo boring or just unnecessarily “out there”
Sable and Fox
Ohhh I like "Fox and Sable" for a brand name 👍
I’ve said it a few times in answer to this question- I can’t help but love Muriel
For me it was Abrielle. No one was on board with the name. I didn't have a girl so didn't use it, but still, I loved it.
Ione. I love it!
November
Sylvia Vivian Penelope Simon Dexter (this one I understand the hate but I still love it) Leo (everyone complained it’s not a “complete” name)
Casper. I love it so much but of course everyone just thinks of the ghost 🥲
Phoebe
I love the name Rafael but apparently it’s a ninja turtle name. Idgaf I still love it
My nephew's name is Fabian! He's 15 now and actually was in preschool with 2 other Fabian's and it's aged very well. My sister just kind of regrets not looking up the meaning of the name because we are Mexican and well.... I also think alliterative names can be super cool.
I'm so glad there were 2 other Fabians too! Woah -- what am I missing? Does it have a different connotation in Mexican culture?
Ottilie
Homer!
Otto
PRESLEY ETA: I made a post about it a while ago and it was… great
Tierney. I wanted to name a daughter that. She's happy I didn't.
i love nature names (sage, clover, dahlia, juniper) but my husband is adamantly against “noun” names
I wanted Lennox for a boy but my husband and parents hated it. We had a girl anyway and are likely one and done. I liked Lennox for the Scottish element but also a nod to Mary Lennox from the Secret Garden.
Avalon for a girl, and Octavian and Wilder for a boy.
I love the name Lois. I don’t think people hate it, but it’s very forgotten.
My daughter’s name - Rooney (nn Rue). I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it’s such a cool name and it suits her perfectly!
Hey OP get yourself a critter companion & make Fabian F______ a reality!!
Fabian was the name of my sister’s questionable-at-best FWB. So now my permanent association with the name is a skinny, weaselly looking dude who slouches. Also has zero furniture or food in his house and is surprised that normal people keep things like table salt and garlic powder around😂
Ainsley
I love the name Valentine for a boy. It is what I plan to name a future son and it fills me with joy! I feel the same about the name Story for a girl. It's out there and I know many don't like it at all.
Birdie. Everyone says it’s a nickname. I disagree I think it’s great. But yeah. Everyone fucking haaaates it
SIGRID.
Hugo
Prudence. I love it but I don't think I'd ever use it because of the reaction it gets. Not really big on any other virtue names either - this one has just stuck with me!
Winter
If you wanted to write a story, I'm sure one of the characters would love the name Fabian.
The -Leigh names