Jess Hardiman
A mum-to-be has been slammed by friends after revealing the ‘cruel’ names she and her husband had picked out for their first child.
Baby names often prove to be deeply personal, whether you’re naming your child after a beloved family member or trying to go for something that ties in well to the rest of the family – we're looking at you, Kris Jenner...
But there are also certain trends that crop up from time to time, whether it’s names inspired by popular TV shows or films, or – something we’ve seen recently – more traditional options coming back into favour.
One expectant mum took to Mumsnet to explain how she’d gone for the latter, having picked out an option for a boy and another for a girl.
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However, after opening up about the choices to family and friends, the response has been a bit divided – with some saying the kid would be ‘ridiculed at school’.
Others, meanwhile, ‘love’ the ideas, which the woman said could work for the child when they’d grown up as well.
She wrote: “My husband and I are expecting our first child together in early June this year and we're both a mixture of nerves and excitement.
“We are both fans of traditional names and so have decided on Arthur for a boy or Edith for a girl (we've decided to wait until the actual birth to find out the gender).
“I think these names are really sweet and could work for both a child and adult.”
The Mumsnet user continued: “Both our families have said they love the names, however when I mentioned it to my friends they started laughing and told me it was cruel to name our child something so old fashioned as they'll be ridiculed at school.
“My husband and I don't see where they're coming from but I was just wondering if anyone had any opinions on this?”
In the comments, people were much kinder to the parents than their friends had been, with many saying they loved both names and that they should just ‘ignore’ their friends.
One wrote: “Your friends don’t know much about what kids are being called atm then. Every second baby boy I know is called Arthur atm so I can’t see any being picked on there. Edith/Edie type names are also popular so again, can’t see what they’re talking about!”
Someone else said: “They won’t be ridiculed as there will be lots of children with similar or the same names. Kids won’t see it as ‘old people’ names. Both choices are trendy as well as traditional, party the second wave of traditional names after the Stanleys and the Ivys and the Archies and the Elsies. I know about 4 little Edith n Edies, all under 3. Arthur is very popular too.”
A third commented: “Beautiful names! Your friend is horrid! I have had a few friends who when they tell me the names they have chosen I am a little unsure but I woudl never say anything and within a week it feels really normal anyway! And always suits them really well! I love Edith - I have name envy now!”
A fourth added: “Nothing wrong with the names- not a huge fan of Edith personally. Old fashioned names have made a come back.”