Names you'd love to use but can't

General Name Discussion
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Hi all. Still relatively new here. I don’t know if this has been done before, but I’m really interested to know, are there any names you would totally name your child but can’t? What are they and why? Here are mine:

  1. Charlie. I am head over heels for this name. [name_f]My[/name_f] parents were going to call my younger brother [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], and I was gutted when they didn’t. It was my Great-Grandads name and he was a war hero, so I’d love to honour him. However, my husband HATES THE NAME. No matter how much I beg and plead, he just hates it. I’d even use it for a baby girl, but he won’t have that either. Sadly we won’t be using [name_u]Charlie[/name_u]. :broken_heart:

  2. Paige. I think it’s gentle, feminine, warm and kind. However, everyone seems to think it’s trashy :frowning: I live in [name_f]England[/name_f] and it’s not really been used here since mid-90s. Apparently it has b*tchy schoolgirl vibes. It upsets me. I can’t bring myself to pick a name that people hate so much.

  3. Stephanie. Adored this name since I was little - I used to call my dolls and barbies [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f], but now it just feels terribly dated, and not in the nice way that [name_f]Edith[/name_f] or [name_f]Agnes[/name_f] or [name_f]Ivy[/name_f] are dated. Is [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f] too obsolete?

  4. Constance. The first time I suggested this, my husband thought I’d said ‘consonants’ and now he can’t get this out of his head! He laughs at it! I think it’s smart and professional. He just thinks it’s pretentious.

And finally
5. [name_f]Sarah[/name_f]. There is nothing wrong with this name at all. So WHY do my family think I’m mad to want it?! To me, [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] is a strong-willed, ambitious, successful girl. I would love a baby [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] but my husband would just never, ever agree.

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Elisabeth for me. [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] just seems like one of the most perfect names, but, unfortunately, I have a relative named [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] that I do not want to honor, and I know she would assume that if I named my daughter [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f] it would be after her. Sadly, that means I have to love [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f], but never use it.

Also, [name_m]Colin[/name_m]. I adore [name_m]Colin[/name_m]! [name_f]My[/name_f] favorite book as a kid was The [name_f]Secret[/name_f] Garden, and I fell in love with the name [name_m]Colin[/name_m]. However, I have a cousin named [name_m]Colin[/name_m], and we are very close, so it would be weird for me to give the name to a son of mine. [name_f]My[/name_f] aunt just has great taste in names, I guess.

Those are the two that come to mind right away, but I’m sure there are others that I love but won’t be able to use. (Probably even more to come once I get married! :grimacing:)

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Hi there.

I don’t know what’s wrong w/Sarah! I think it’s nice. Not super exciting, but perfectly nice.

I agree that [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f] is dated, but I don’t think it’s awful at all either. I wouldn’t be disappointed to meet a little [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f], even though it’s not my cup of tea.

I have a handful of names that I can’t use…

Charlie-Also on my list! I think it’s just the most friendly lovable name. But dh has an uncle name this. And he’s like not the kind of uncle that you want to name a kid after.

Colm-I go back & fourth on this one. It’s just my favorite boy name. It’s so beautiful & calm feeling. But it’d be constantly mispronounced in my neck of the woods (midwest U.S.). And it really only sounds good w/an Irish accent.

Nolan-Oh, just my husband hates it. :angry:

Patrick-Well, there’s another not so pleasant uncle called this. Plus, it’s the name of my little nephew. He’s a step nephew, so was named by his mother before she met our family & the aforementioned unpleasant uncle [name_m]Patrick[/name_m].

Seamus-This is another nephew’s name. I love it, but am at least glad to have one in the family.

Aine-See [name_m]Colm[/name_m]. :joy: It’s not my all time favorite girl name, but I do love it & would be hesitant to use it in the U.S.

Felicity-[name_f]My[/name_f] dh says it’s a stripper name?!

Josephine-I love it, but just can’t get into [name_u]Joey[/name_u] or [name_u]Josie[/name_u]. And I feel like they’re some what unavoidable.

Lilia-[name_f]My[/name_f] mom named her cat this. But she’s a lovely little [name_f]Lili[/name_f], so I’m not too upset!

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[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] is top of our list. Thankfully that’s one that DH and I actually agree on. :grin: She’ll most likely be [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_f]Verity[/name_f] or [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_u]Valentine[/name_u].

I also have a cousin called [name_m]Colin[/name_m]! It’s a fine name :slightly_smiling_face:

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I must admit, when I was younger I could never pronounce this name. A good friend of mine had a little sister called [name_f]Felicity[/name_f], although she was known as [name_f]Flossy[/name_f]. But I could never wrap by tongue round the name and always ended up saying facility. Now whenever someone says ‘I need to use the facilities’ (ie. toilet) I think of [name_f]Felicity[/name_f] :eyes:

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My grandmother’s name is [name_f]Constance[/name_f] so it’s severely dated for me, surprised when I look up the social security stats and see it was still in the top 1000 in the nineties! [name_f]Stefanie[/name_f] is my mother’s name and doesn’t feel dated to me but I understand why some people may feel that way (I prefer [name_f]Stephanie[/name_f] to [name_f]Stefanie[/name_f] but I could never tell her that!). I’ve always loved [name_u]Charlie[/name_u] and [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] too!

For Me:

Rosalie/Primrose: I’ve always loved both of these names but we already have a [name_f]Rose[/name_f] in the family! Might be able to get away with [name_f]Primrose[/name_f] if she goes by Prim (which would be my preferred nickname anyway).

Elsa: I’ve loved the name since before Frozen came out, and though I don’t mind the association with the film, my extended family would give me a hard time about it.

Luciano: More nervous to use on this one. I love this and [name_m]Emiliano[/name_m], more as middle names, but romantic names aren’t common where I live and my kid would probably resent me a little :confused:

Aubrey: Again, hesitant. I’ve loved this name for a boy for years! However, as it is strikingly popular for girls, I’m not sure I have the guts. [name_f]My[/name_f] current #1 for boys is [name_u]Eden[/name_u] right now, which I feel I can better get away with, though I’d love the confidence to pull [name_u]Aubrey[/name_u] off!

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Well, it is lovely that you get to use it, even if I can’t. It’s such a beautiful, timeless name. :blush:
[name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_f]Verity[/name_f] & [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_u]Valentine[/name_u] are both charming!

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I completely agree. I can never say this name. I had a coworker named [name_f]Felicita[/name_f] recently, and though we worked together for over six months, it took me a minute just now to remember how to say her name. Some of us just called her Feli. We used to make fun of our boss for pronouncing it “fell-uh-see-tuh”

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@katnissevergreen

Luciano is such a fun choice! I never see it on lists, but I really like it & don’t think that it’s too much. And you could do the nn [name_m]Leo[/name_m], [name_m]Luc[/name_m] or [name_u]Louie[/name_u]. :slight_smile:

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I wish I could use [name_m]Reuben[/name_m] (personal association), [name_u]Miller[/name_u] ([name_u]Miller[/name_u] Lite beer), [name_f]Joy[/name_f] (personal association) and [name_m]John[/name_m] (personal association).

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Catherine
[name_m]Felix[/name_m]
[name_u]Rowan[/name_u]
[name_m]Frederick[/name_m]
[name_m]Hugo[/name_m]

Family member’s names or too close to their names.

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Lucy
[name_f]Rosie[/name_f]
[name_f]Olive[/name_f]
[name_f]Dorothy[/name_f]
[name_m]Otto[/name_m]
[name_m]Fitzwilliam[/name_m]
[name_m]Linus[/name_m]
[name_u]Freddie[/name_u]

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Samuel & [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]

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Amy. If I do end up having kids, I’d want them to have [name_f]Indian[/name_f] names if they looked [name_f]Indian[/name_f].

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  1. Declan: it’s my cousin’s name and as much as I wouldn’t mind honouring him, I also don’t intend to
  2. Sophie/Elizabeth: just far too overused, but I love them both
  3. Jude: this will likely be taken as an honorific name for my aunt, whom I really do not want to honour
  4. Louise: similar to [name_u]Declan[/name_u], it would end up looking like an honour name for someone I would be okay with honouring, but the issue here is more that my mom would likely be offended by me “honouring” my neighbour’s mom and not my own mom (not my fault her names aren’t my style!) :grimacing:
  5. Pretty much every Japanese and very Hebrew name out there, I love them but I am neither Japanese nor Jewish so I would feel wrong using them
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I love [name_f]Mercedes[/name_f], but not the car association.

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Basil - I think my parents might actually disown me if I did.

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I think I’m hardwired to love every name that I can’t use. There are names that I had never liked but suddenly my cousin is using it and I’m upset that I can’t anymore haha.

Living family names (or names that are too similar for me): [name_f]Polly[/name_f], [name_u]Maxwell[/name_u]/Maximilian, [name_f]Cassiopeia[/name_f], [name_f]Theodora[/name_f], [name_u]Romilly[/name_u], [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_f]Nancy[/name_f], [name_u]Ezra[/name_u], [name_f]Daisy[/name_f], [name_u]Levi[/name_u]

Names that are popular or aren’t even popular but I swear I know every single person with this name: [name_f]Eloise[/name_f], [name_f]Alice[/name_f], [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f], [name_u]Ruby[/name_u], [name_f]Genevieve[/name_f], [name_u]Asher[/name_u], [name_m]Theodore[/name_m], [name_m]Silas[/name_m], [name_u]Charlie[/name_u], [name_u]Arlo[/name_u], [name_m]Henry[/name_m]

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I like the name [name_f]Clementine[/name_f] a lot but I can’t use it because it’s always been the name at the top of my best friend’s list. I’ve known this for about 20 years so it’s not up for discussion, I would literally never do that to her.

Similarly, [name_f]India[/name_f] is a name I like but a friend has had her heart set on for years so it’s a no go.

Sebastian is a name I like but someone I cannot stand called her son that name and now its just completely unusable :joy:

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Such an interesting question & I have loved reading the responses. Have to say love [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_f]Verity[/name_f] & [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] [name_u]Valentine[/name_u] both are beautiful choices!

So I’m approaching six months pregnant and my daughter is due on [name_f]February[/name_f] 9th which is very exciting but naming is hard especially when the name you had your heart set on cannot be used. I have honestly loved the name [name_f]Rose[/name_f] for years & years. [name_f]My[/name_f] grandma’s mum was [name_f]Rose[/name_f] and she used to tell me stories about her that felt so inspiring. She was a brave woman. Then I watched titanic and fell in love with the character [name_f]Rose[/name_f] she was so beautiful and so in love the whole romance of the name made me fall harder. [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is so glamorous and romantic it’s a family name along with being my favourite flower. Then I met my baby’s father a man I fell completely in love with and I just felt that I would have children with him. His mother a courageous woman who loved her boys so much gave up her life in Uganda to come to [name_m]Britain[/name_m] to give her children a better life and died so tragically was known as [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. The name [name_f]Rose[/name_f] having so much meaning to him made me just feel certain that I would have a daughter called [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. I had my moments of doubt when a close friend named her daughter [name_u]Peyton[/name_u]-[name_f]Rose[/name_f] but still the berries convinced me to use [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. I was so set on [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. Then I spoke to my baby’s father and he said he’d find it too upsetting to say his mother’s name all the time and yep my hopes of having a daughter called [name_f]Rose[/name_f] were gone. I don’t want our daughter‘s name to cause him upset so I’ve dismissed [name_f]Rose[/name_f] and all her variants. It’s so disappointing but I have to say goodbye to [name_f]Rose[/name_f] being my daughters first name. I’m honestly so envious of all the parents with daughters named [name_f]Rose[/name_f] :rose:

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