My husband’s family has a tradition that boy’s names start with T with middle name [name]Edward[/name]. We just found out we’re having a boy. We had the name [name]Thatcher[/name] picked out, but I just looked it up (as well as [name]Thatch[/name]) on [name]Urban[/name] Dictionary and found some pretty disturbing meanings, mainly with nickname [name]Thatch[/name]. Does anyone know these meanings- would they be a problem? Not sure if this ruins the name for us. Any other good T-name suggestions? I’ve looked through so many sites and I don’t like any other T-names I’ve seen. Can/should we still use [name]Thatcher[/name]?
I can’t imagine this is that widespread. A lot of stuff on [name]Urban[/name] Dictionary is stuff people suggest, more than documentation of actual current use. I’ll admit knowing the history of the word [name]Thatch[/name] (going back to bundled straw for roofs), I kind of had a suspicion what the UD definitions would be. But I mean, I think the term could apply as much to a particularly hairy beard as to what’s on there. Is it possible this will come up? Yes. Is it likely? No. I mainly think of [name]Margaret[/name] [name]Thatcher[/name] and that’s it. You could pre-empt [name]Thatch[/name] by calling him [name]Tad[/name], [name]Thad[/name], or [name]Ted[/name]. These all seem especially plausible with [name]Ted[/name] as a middle name.
[name]Every[/name] name has its problems. [name]Tucker[/name] and [name]Cooper[/name] both rhyme with unfortunate nouns. [name]Plenty[/name] of use though.
NB gives [name]Thatcher[/name] a pretty hearty thumbs up, and they tend to be mindful of stuff.
Good luck as you decide!
I read this post, went on [name]Urban[/name] Dictionary, and can understand why you’re slightly disturbed. However, I have never ever met anyone who uses [name]Thatcher[/name] or [name]Thatch[/name] as slang for anything. Maybe it’s an unfavourable term in certain places? But definitely not where I come from. I actually know a boy named [name]Thatcher[/name] and as far as I know he has not experienced any negative reactions to his name. I think [name]Thatcher[/name] is an interesting name, and it’s great with middle name [name]Edward[/name].
That being said, if you think that your negative impressions will be hard to get over, maybe you should consider other name choices.
Here are some suggestions for you:
“Classic” T names:
[name]Timothy[/name]
[name]Theo[/name] (or [name]Theodore[/name])
[name]Toby[/name]
[name]Thomas[/name]
Occupational T names:
[name]Tucker[/name]
[name]Tanner[/name]
Other:
[name]Tyson[/name]
[name]Tiernan[/name]
[name]Tristan[/name]
[name]Talbot[/name]
Good luck!
I wouldn’t worry about [name]Urban[/name] Dictionary. If you look up common names like “[name]Jessica[/name]”, it always has definitions like “an ugly girl who sleeps with your boyfriend and then won’t shut up about it”.
My husband is a school librarian. He came home not long ago telling me about a student he met named [name]Thatcher[/name] and how much he loved the name. He had never met one before.
I think it’s a cool name.
The sound is somewhat attractive, but it’s an intensely political name to anyone with ties to [name]Britain[/name]. More political than [name]Reagan[/name] or [name]Kennedy[/name] (which are so commonly given as names that the political ties are lessened). It’s that aspect which would put me off far more than any potentially unsavoury associations from [name]Urban[/name] Dictionary. [name]One[/name] of the picture galleries on the [name]Denver[/name] Post today had a picture of a re-elected Republican representative holding his (very cute) year-old son, named [name]Thatcher[/name]. I would assume that any parent giving their child that name were similarly staunch admirers of Ms [name]Thatcher[/name]'s politics.
I would not want to have introduce myself as [name]Thatcher[/name] in [name]Britain[/name], especially not in the north of [name]England[/name]. Many- perhaps still most- regard her policies (with a fair degree of justification) as the second Harrying of the [name]North[/name]. And not just the people who directly lost their livelihoods because of her, but my generation too-- few of us remember [name]Maggie[/name] as PM, but all of us remember what the 1990s looked like, and most of us have a sense of the culture that was lost.
Thanks so much for the input! We’ll probably stick with it, I just hate to set the poor boy up for being picked on. I like the idea of using [name]Tad[/name] as a nickname instead. We knew people would think of [name]Margaret[/name] [name]Thatcher[/name], but I don’t think it would be a big deal around here.