What happened to normal conventional names?

[VelvetLace]

An acquaintance who is due slightly after me has just announced on Facebook that she will be naming her baby girl Charm. I originally thought it was short for something else but no. It's just the word Charm. I'm not saying that everyone should name their baby something incredibly dull, but why have full-blown dog names become so common for human beings? Has naming babies just become a creativity contest? I see a lot of conventional names being asked about and considered on MN, but I'm seeing the opposite with people that I know offline. DH and I were discussing this last night.

I’m a big fan of Annunziata and Renata!

I’ve just remembered that I actually DO know a Boudicca. Boudicca Fox Leonard. She’s a journalist. She goes by Boo. She’s in her 30s I think.

I suggested Breaca as a name for our daughter but my husband didn’t like it 😅

I’d rather see a Charm than another Charlotte or something equally as boring

I know a Justice

In my daughters class there are 3 Amelia/Emilias and 4 Olivias (and about ten eva/evie). They are ok names but come on, that is so dull. If I had a baby right now and had to call her one of those, or Charm, I would pick Charm in an instant.

I used to know a Confidence. She was very confident! Loved it.

Love Annunziata!

This is so accurate about MN. The contrarianism can be exhausting. These people know damn well that they do not genuinely like this name and think that it's a good choice. Normally they hate on any name that's not 'classic'. They just want to disagree with the OP for the sake of disagreeing. 😩🥴

I met a gentleman named Debonair and a woman called Rosebud. I had a student in class once, “Nasscia” pronounced “nausea”. Poor child.

You've stumped me with "admiral" . I presume you mean "particularly admirable" but I could go with "admiral" as a verb. It's cool.

I always wonder how the now child will feel about their unusual name when they become adults. “Today, we’re welcoming MP, Charm McKendrick. Introducing her will be Mayor, Brandi Holmes, and surgeon, Biscuit Wilson.” Not offensive names, but they could lead to employment or bullying.

My sister is a civil registrar and one day a few weeks ago she had five birth appointments and all five babies were called Noah. Two of them with no middle name.

At least Charm is a name in that it serves the purpose of a name because it’s something that identifies her.

Im sorry but I feel the opposite if
we are going to sneer at more way out names I internally eye roll at yet another Olivia / Eve / Amelia / Emily/ Isabel. Run of the mill and nothing special ruined by over use. Boring.

Hahahahahaha 🤣🤣🤣

I thought of my friend Charmaine.

Charm reminds me of toilet rolls

I have a 17-month old and, in the baby groups I attend, the vast majority of the babies have what I consider pretty 'traditional names. James is by some distance the most common boy's name we come across and Mabel, Elsie or Grace by far the most common girl's names, all lovely but hardly unconventional! I can only speak for the area we live in but I do not think that my sample group is less representative than yours or could be used to argue that people all give their kids such 'old-fashioned' names these days any more than one could extrapolate from your friends' name choices that everyone is giving their kids wacky names now.
i am a firm believer that, if you love a name, whether that be James or Jupiter, you should use it, regardless of what other people think and that asking for opinions from anyone, even family and close friends, is always a bad idea. There is no name which will be universally popular, and it cannot be wrong to give your precious baby a name you have chosen with care and love, even if someone else turns up their nose at it! I would have advised your friend not to announce the name until their beautiful baby is here and the name is a fait accomplis. By that time people are usually too polite to comment negatively and they will learn to love the name because it belongs to your perfect little one!

most random names are actually lovely and normal after a bit of time getting used to them. The ones I have a problem with are “blue’ which isn’t a great name anyway: but then it’s spelled ‘bleu’ like French word. No one is going to read that kids name correctly their entire life , why do that to a child?

Isn't that the name of toilet rolls?.

Yes I wish we could go.back to the names from a hundred years ago. They were far nicer.

Given that, by far the most common girls' names in our baby groups are Mabel and Elsie, I think you have your wish.

@Everlore ah I'm not up with the names people are choosing. I thought it was all Kyle and Jenna these days so Mabel and Elsie are really lovely to my ears.

I have never actually met a Kylie in real life, of any age and it has never featured on the list of top 100 baby names in the UK, so I am unsure where you got the idea that it had ever been a common UK baby girl name, let alone recently!

She said Kyle.

Charmaine?