Names you might have chosen

I would probably call them different names, but we are talking nearly 50 years ago.

Our ideas on names, like most things, change over time.

I had very different criteria for choosing my boys' names. But, in retrospect, we made good choices.

1. In-laws staunch Catholics
2. Names should be pronounceable in several languages
3. Names should not be too old- or new- fashioned (easier for boys)

They all have names of Catholic saints, one named after my father ( and he is VERY like him, too), one after DH's grandfather. There were always a sprinkling of others in roughly the same age group with the same name, so they didn't stand out as odd.

If I had continued in the same vein, I would have had a Benedict and/or a Constantine.

For a girl, I would have liked Daphne, but DH, despite his classical background, wasn't too keen, and favoured Jasmine.

When I was expecting my second child, we liked the name Felicity, but found that child no 1's rendition of this was " Facility ". We decided against it.

I doubt we would have changed the names we gave them, although when we gave DS, the name we gave him we did not realise that, along with Paul and Steven they were the most popular boys names (which we also considered) of their year and period, so had we known that we might have reconsidered.

DD got a family name, plus her paternal grandmothers name - and would always have been so named.

However, I always liked the name Jonquil, not sure why and that would have been in the running had we had two daughters, as it was we had one of each. If DD, our second child, had been a second son, she would have been called Matthew, again a very popular name, although, again, we didn't realise this.

DS has the name we always had in mind for him, but if we had had another boy, he would have been Alexander. As it was we had a girl, and would have called her Elizabeth, had there not been an Elizabeth in the family already. Angharad (one of his grandmother’s names) was mooted and discarded as being lovely but a bit of a mouthful! I do like it, though, and Freya, too.

My son was named after my exh favourite singer. We gave him a middle name but when he grew up he excised it from everything as he hated it. My daughter was going to be Jennifer, however once she was born, it didn't suit her at all so we called her something else.

My son and daughter were named after favourite actors I know not original! I gave them both shortened versions of their name as they would probably have been addressed that way anyway. They both really do suit their names so I think it was the right choice.

Whatever the name I would have chosen I always felt it should see a child through from pram to boardroom/building site! i.e. Stephen - Stevie - Steve. There are some modern names I can't stand but won't offend anyone and I think that names change from generation to generation. I was in a shop once and there was the cutest little girl with curls who was called Ada. Ada to me is a name from my gran's generation i.e. 1890s.

I’m still pleased with the names chosen for my son. If I had had a daughter her first name would have been Felicity.

Names we didn't quite get to use but liked...
We had five children and each have two names so have "used up" our favourite 10! This is what we may have chosen if we'd had more babies and they had "suited" them.

Nathaniel
Ged
Morgan
Gethin
Finn

Saffron
Eithne
Aoife
Yasmin

We came very close to using the first 2 girl's names but they didn't suit our babies once they were born. Our second child nearly had two of the boys names but his older sister's preference was for the two we used instead (we let her pick from two "pairs" of names).

I still like the names we did use by the way.
And actually also like these ones.
One of our granddaughters has my name as a middle name. I would not have chosen that. Another has a middle name I wouldn't have chosen - however in the end if you love someone the name really doesn't matter does it?

My D has a name we all including her really like.
My second child was going to be Caroline but she turned out to be he and is called a name we also all like.
My D’s middle name is mine as is her D’s but I wasn’t fond of my H’s name, shock horror, so he has a family name, James for his middle name and my GS has the same for his first name.

Clovis for a boy
Emmanuelle for a girl

I always liked the name Louise but did not have a girl.
My favourite boy's name was discounted as my cousin used it a few months before my son was born.
My DH's favoured Peter but discounted it as Princess Anne used the name.

Max, Billy and Jessica happy with the names we chose…
Cassie
Skyler
Jet

If I had had a girl she would have been named Elizabeth Jane, mainly because I like those names, and partly because she is a character in "The Mayor of Casterbridge" which I liked.
I would still choose the same names for my sons.

We didn’t get to have any boys, just 4 girls but we have several grandsons and great grandsons and they all have nice names, mostly pretty traditional ones. No concocted ones, thank goodness !
We had another cat we called Declan , don’t mind that either.

We chose names that couldn't be shortened, for our sons. The girls' names, liked at the time, were Dawn, Jade and Layla.

My oldest son had a name that couldn’t be shortened. For years, my family added -ie and lengthened it instead. Drove me mad.

My youngest son hates his birth name and always has, so since he was a small child, he’s gone by something else. Given the chance. I’d have called him a different name, definitely.

When my 2nd son was born my OH brought in the two eldest to visit,we had named the new baby Ross and when DS1 saw him wrapped up with just a faint cast of ginger hair he commented that he looked like a fishfinger!!! every time I looked into the crib I saw a fishfinger looking back at me so OH and I had a hasty change of name before the registrar came to register the birth,we did however get the name Ross for our 4th DGS .

I have always hated my own name, but someone told me it is gathering favour as a second name. It’s short and I can actually see the attraction of using it in that way nowadays.

My daughter’s first name was the girl’s name I had chosen when I was at Primary School. Her second name is a beautiful name and I love it still. Her third name is my sister’s name. If I had known the name Araminta, I would have loved that. Elder son’s first name was chosen when I was at Primary School. His second name is one OH and I like. His third name is a family name on my side. Younger son has three names which we both love. In fact when I was expecting him, OH and I, with son and daughter sat in the garden and chose names. They have three Christian names each as OH and I felt deprived only having one! None of the three have our names and our granddaughter has three very unusual names. In fact her first name is generally a boy’s name, her second name is French and the third name is an informal military term.

Ladyleftfieldlover

My daughter’s first name was the girl’s name I had chosen when I was at Primary School. Her second name is a beautiful name and I love it still. Her third name is my sister’s name. If I had known the name Araminta, I would have loved that. Elder son’s first name was chosen when I was at Primary School. His second name is one OH and I like. His third name is a family name on my side. Younger son has three names which we both love. In fact when I was expecting him, OH and I, with son and daughter sat in the garden and chose names. They have three Christian names each as OH and I felt deprived only having one! None of the three have our names and our granddaughter has three very unusual names. In fact her first name is generally a boy’s name, her second name is French and the third name is an informal military term.

Our son. Had a lovely girlfriend called Araminta (Mnty for short).
It is a beautiful name.
Our two grandchildren have very unusual Egyptian names, our 3 children have very traditional names, I wouldn’t change them.

I was moved to tears by my 2nd son's choice of Iris as a second name for his 3rd daughter as it was my mother's name. In Germany, too. "old" names have made a comeback. Iris is unusual here but not unknown.

(And everyone has an Auntie Ida somewhere on the family tree just like in the UK.)

A further boy's name that I might have chosen which fits the criteria I mentioned above would have been Valentine. But I don't think I could have coped with 6 boys!