Couple Picked Traditional Names For Their Baby, Start Doubting Them When Friends Laugh At Them
Interview With Expert
We all have different preferences regarding which names we like and which we do not, and it comes into play the most when we’re tasked with naming another person.
However, some people are so sure of their opinion that they push it to the point where the person making the decision starts questioning themselves. For example, this woman who wanted to name her future baby an old-fashioned name got laughed at by her friends, who said it would be cruel. With a seed of doubt in her mind, the woman came online to seek advice. Scroll down to read the full story!
More info: Mumsnet
Everyone has different preferences, but some people have no respect for opinions that don’t match their own, even if it comes from their friends
Image credits: Glauber Torquato (not the actual photo)
A woman and her husband love traditional names and decided that they wanted to call their upcoming baby Arthur or Edith
Image credits: Heiner (not the actual photo)
The couple’s families loved these ideas, but when the woman shared them with her friends, she was laughed at
Image credits: BooksBooks
The friends said that the names were cruel because they were old-fashioned and would make her child a target for bullies, which created doubt in the woman’s mind
The OP and her husband are due to become parents this year in early June. They didn’t know the baby’s gender yet, as they decided to find out at birth, but they both like traditional names and want to go with Arthur if it’s a boy or Edith if it’s a girl.
Both of their families also love and support these choices. However, when the author shared their ideas with her friends, she got laughed at. They told her that naming a child with such an old-fashioned name is cruel and would subject them to bullying at school.
While these comments didn’t change the OP’s or her husband’s preferences regarding the baby names, they definitely brought some doubt into their preexisting mix of nerves and excitement. Thus, she came to ask for netizens’ opinions.
People participating in the discussion unanimously stood with the poster. They said that names like Arthur and Edith are beautiful, easy to pronounce, have good nicknames, and are actually quite popular among kids nowadays. Some also questioned if the people that the OP hangs out with are really her friends, as their reactions were quite horrid.
Image credits: Josh Willink (not the actual photo)
But seeds of doubt are not always that easy to get rid of. That is especially true when it comes to such a big and important matter like naming a child. So, to bring a little bit more certainty to this situation, Bored Panda reached out to Jacqueline Hurst, a Certified Life Coach, Master NLP Practitioner, Certified Health and Weight Coach, and author.
The expert began by delving into why some people are so set against traditional, yet not unusual names. “People’s preferences for names like Arthur and Edith can vary due to factors such as societal trends, personal experiences, and cultural influences,” Explained the life coach, adding, “Some individuals may prefer modern names because they associate them with uniqueness and contemporary values.”
But no matter whether you like them or not, downright dismissing these names and saying that giving them to a child is cruel is quite ignorant and close-minded. “Embracing old-fashioned names can celebrate tradition, honor family heritage, and foster a sense of connection to the past.”
Jacqueline also shared that, as a life coach, she encourages people to adopt an open-minded mindset, recognize that naming preferences are very subjective and deeply personal, and appreciate the beauty of diversity in names.
Image credits: Pixabay (not the actual photo)
According to the expert, there are more benefits that come with having an old-fashioned name. “These names connect individuals to their cultural roots, fostering a deeper sense of identity and belonging.”
While the popularity of names like Arthur and Edith is once again on the rise, there are other pluses that come with traditional names that might not be as popular at the moment. “Less common names make individuals stand out, leading to greater memorability and lasting impressions.”
Jacqueline summarized her thoughts by saying that while an individual’s name can strongly impact how they’re perceived during first encounters, in the end, it is not the determining factor of their success. “Success is determined by an individual’s actions, choices, and abilities. A person’s character, skills, and achievements are far more crucial in determining their success than their name alone.”
Ultimately, naming a child is a decision that rests on the parents and them alone. While it may not determine the kid’s whole life, it’s no small thing, and it’s absolutely okay to share your opinion when you know it’s wanted, even if your beliefs clash. However, laughing in the person’s face when they tell you about something they like is, as some commenters of the post said, horrid and a sure way to lose a friend.
What did you think about this story? What do you think about naming children traditional names like Arthur or Edith? Share your thoughts down below!
The commenters wholeheartedly disagreed with the woman’s friends, calling their response horrid and assuring her that the names were popular and beautiful
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As long as it won't be anything like Aydeith or Arethurionas, I think it won't be any problem
If some people can shamelessly call their children Gonorrhea, Kaithleigh or Legolas, I don't see why an old fashioned name should do any harm. Heck, I'd have been called Arthur if I was a boy.
wait, they're naming their kids GONORRHEA??? do they have no idea what gonorrhea is?
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Edith and Arthur are lovely. These people's friends are probably into the "Braighden and Kenziegh" baby naming parenting trend.
Arthur is literally the name of a king (fictional or otherwise, a king nonetheless) and Edith is a beautiful name for a maiden. Both name ooze elegance and a sense of royalty. I think OP's friends need an MRI scan or maybe a lobotomy for thinking those names will be a source of ridicule in school and OP definitely needs new friends. If anything, Brayleigh, Braxtyn or whatever else these dingbats may think is normal may actually be the source of ridicule later on. Or perhaps that's part of their twisted plan all along... SMH...!!!
TF are they talking about. Those names are not old fashion at all!
Yes, this. My sister called her son Ludwig. I just swallowed my comments...
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Your friends sound like the kind of people who would spell those names arghthaugh and eedeighth so you probably shouldn't listen to them
I love Edith! My youngest has an "old-fashioned" name (because it was an ancestors name that we fell in love with) but it can be shortened to a very common boy's name. (He does not like the nickname, and prefers the full version.)
Don't tell anyone what you are going to name your baby. Family and friends react differently if they find out the name once baby is born than when you're pregnant. It's like they think they can change your mind before the baby's born. No one has to know your baby's name before it's born. Years ago no one would have.
Yeah my sister tried that sh*t with me, saying she was going to call him by his middle name or the nickname. But when my mom and I kindly pointed out her daughter's initials (for the names she had picked out) would be A.$.$. I was told I was being an @$$hole.
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Those aren't that old fashioned. Try Gladys, Muriel or Bertha. For a boy; Aloysius, Bert or Mortimer
or how about Aethelred or Unferth? I mean THOSE are old-fashioned.
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People don't realize, when you are naming your baby; you are not naming a baby. You are naming someone who has to grow up and live an adult life (get a job, pay bills, open a bank account) with that name. Names like the ones op picked out are great because they can be shortened into something sweet and childish (arthur-art edith-edie) but as adults they can still have adult sounding names.
I think most people do realise that babies grow up into adults, and also realise that the baby's name needs to work for when they're an adult. But why shorten Edith or Arthur? They're both solid two syllable names that don't need any messing about with.
Load More Replies... Much better than the absolutely dumb names or names with illogical and stupid spelling many children are being saddled with!
Your friends probably want them named Laquancha or Kingy-D.
Arthur and Edith are great names! Arthur is becoming more popular thanks to the DC movie verse - Arthur Curry aka Aquaman, and I'm not sure Edith/Edie ever went out of style. Screw those rude friends!
If Edith was good enough for Mme. Piaf and Ms. Head, and Arthur for Mr. Godfrey, Mr. Garfunkel, and Mr. Ashe, who are the naysayers to gripe? It isn't THEIR child, so they need to butt all the way out.
I think if you're considering older (but fairly normal) names, you should look up the recent popularity of similarly older names. My daughter's name is an old-fashioned Biblical name, but there's also 3 other girls in her grade with the same name. My son's name is an old-fashioned Irish name, but again is pretty popular. Culture is also relevant. A name might be perfectly acceptable in, say, Norway and be considered silly in the US.
Arthur is popular nowadays because of RDR2’s main character Arthur Morgan. Now Edith was my grandmother’s name so I can’t really say that’s a good name since I automatically think of my grandma when I hear it, but I wouldn’t make fun of someone if that’s what they choose to name their child. I know a girl who instead of being normal and naming her child “Arya” she decided to go with “Arhiah”. I don’t understand some people and their need to be trendy with names. Personally I find the weird spellings stupid 🤷🏻♀️
There's an argument to be made that Edith's a millennial name - at least, this Edith seems to be one: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/picture/2024/feb/03/kooky-creepy-or-charming-which-airbnb-type-will-you-choose-edith-pritchett-cartoon
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I had a similar experience recently: husband and I love the name Evangeline for a girl (Evie for short) and currently go back and forth on either Rowan for a boy or my dad's name (another old-fashioned name). Said it to a group of people who looked so abashed at the girl name. They said "do you want her to feel 100 years old?" I frankly was surprised at their reaction and think people need to mind their own business. Even when someone says they're going to name their kid something that looks like they spilled out a bag of scrabble letters and picked six letters at random, it's just rude to act that way if the people say "I really like this name."
Arthur and Edith are both completely mainstream 2020s names in the UK. Arthur is actually one of the most popular boys names here at the moment. My daughter is called Kathleen- also a traditional name here, but it was chosen because it was my grandmother's name and the English spelling reflects my wife and I's combined Irish and English ancestries. (Caitlin- it's Irish equivalent- is the more common spelling here in the UK). We always assumed her peers would shorten it to Kat, but no, they all refer to her in full as Kathleen- and she loves it.
Insert the girl's potential name at the end of the phrase "Next up on the main stage, the lovely________"
Possibly the opinion varies depending on where you are in the world? In the UK, these 2 names are popular, as well as many of the 'classic' names.
riiiiight, so this is coming from the country where Reighfyl is an actual name. Fcku right off.
OP's friends are morons. It is very rare that kids get bullied for their names. I have met kids with some of the absolutely dumbest names who made it through school just fine. These names are fine.
I also like old fashioned names. I have a daughter named Edith Leah, with the Edith being after m9y husband's beloved grandmother and a special sister he lost a as child to illness. We called her Leah as her everyday name, but she's an adult now, and sometimes uses Edith in certain work and other situations, because she likes it, and i have always sometimes called her Edie, for fun. We all like it. And Arthur is a lovely name. I've always liked it.
Go and boil your bottom, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, so-called Arthur King, you and all your silly English k-nnnnniggets.
Elsie Zzzzzzzip, the Silly candidate - 26,317, James Walker, the Sensible candidate - 26,318 and Malcom Peter Brian Telescope Adrian Umbrella Stand Jasper Wednesday Pop Pop Stoatgobbler John Raw Vegetable Whinny Argot Edward Harris Whoop Mason Chuff-Chuff-Chuff Frampton Jones Fruitbat Gilbert We'll Keep a Welcome In The Shot Shot Shot Williams If I Could Walk That Way Jenkin Squeak Tiger-draws Pratt Thompson Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head Darcy Carter Horn Pussycat Don't Sleep In The Subway Barton Mannering Hoot Whoop Smith, the independent Very Silly candidate - 2.
Load More Replies...
Named my daughter a lovely old-fashioned name, but spelled it slightly different than the usual French spelling. I hate that I did that. She's now an attorney. Plan ahead and choose a name (and spelling) that will grow with them. BTW, Edith and Arthur are great names.
One of my brothers has a child named Arthur .I have a friend with an Edith(Edie for short and it really suits her).My Grandson is William (after my Granddad).I know several little Saidies, Silvies, Evies,Roses, Rubies, a Walter and a Peggy and even a Leonard.To these kids they will just be their names ,not old fashioned,just them.
“They’ll be ridiculed at school” Easy solution: Don’t send them to school.
Tell your friends to stay in their own lane. The names are great! I was going to name my sons Tristan and Mackenzie. I took so much c**p for those names that I changed my mind. I chose plain vanilla names. I wish I had stood my ground. Not that I don't like the names the boys have now but I wish I had held firm.
I think these names are beautiful. Old fashioned? Maybe. And an old fashioned name is far better than thise gibberish names people invent nowadays. Edith is especially nice in my opinion. Arthur is also lovely.
As long as they bacon Queen or King it’s okay. Otherwise that’s a waste.
I like Arthur but for our older people, Edith is still associated with Edith Bunker and that’s not the visual you want. But it doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thinks. It’s what you think. BTW, never announce a name before the baby is born - it means everyone will give their opinion. If you announce it with the baby born, most people won’t say anything because it’s done and feels like criticizing the baby.
Edith is a beautiful name 🤩. Arthur... well, to each their own. My 4 and a half nephew has a rather old fashioned name because he was named after my grandpa, and we all loved the idea that he wouldn't get lost in the sea of boringly trendy names.
These are perfectly fine names and I don’t see what anyone would have to make fun of. Her friends sound like enemies.
As long as it's spelled right, does not include special characters or is something to eat you're good.
As a teacher, theyre right. Ngl, not really a fan of either name, but it's your choice name them what fits you.
I have been there as the friend not with an "old fashioned" name but one I personally associated as a name that I had heard as a porn / strippers name although frankly the totally regret it now. I should not have given a nasty opinion. As someone else said children will not notice and will accept. It's the small mindedness of the adults and that is their problem to reconcile with themselves not the OP's
The only thing that comes to my mind when I see "Edith" is from Archie Bunker (1970s TV show usa). As long as Ethel/Ethyl doesn't make a comeback lol....
For naming our kids I followed my mother sage advice. Don't tell anybody the name until the child is born and you have filled out the paperwork for the birth certificate.
As long as it won't be anything like Aydeith or Arethurionas, I think it won't be any problem
If some people can shamelessly call their children Gonorrhea, Kaithleigh or Legolas, I don't see why an old fashioned name should do any harm. Heck, I'd have been called Arthur if I was a boy.
wait, they're naming their kids GONORRHEA??? do they have no idea what gonorrhea is?
Load More Replies... Edith and Arthur are lovely. These people's friends are probably into the "Braighden and Kenziegh" baby naming parenting trend.
Arthur is literally the name of a king (fictional or otherwise, a king nonetheless) and Edith is a beautiful name for a maiden. Both name ooze elegance and a sense of royalty. I think OP's friends need an MRI scan or maybe a lobotomy for thinking those names will be a source of ridicule in school and OP definitely needs new friends. If anything, Brayleigh, Braxtyn or whatever else these dingbats may think is normal may actually be the source of ridicule later on. Or perhaps that's part of their twisted plan all along... SMH...!!!
TF are they talking about. Those names are not old fashion at all!
Yes, this. My sister called her son Ludwig. I just swallowed my comments...
Load More Replies... Your friends sound like the kind of people who would spell those names arghthaugh and eedeighth so you probably shouldn't listen to them
I love Edith! My youngest has an "old-fashioned" name (because it was an ancestors name that we fell in love with) but it can be shortened to a very common boy's name. (He does not like the nickname, and prefers the full version.)
Don't tell anyone what you are going to name your baby. Family and friends react differently if they find out the name once baby is born than when you're pregnant. It's like they think they can change your mind before the baby's born. No one has to know your baby's name before it's born. Years ago no one would have.
Yeah my sister tried that sh*t with me, saying she was going to call him by his middle name or the nickname. But when my mom and I kindly pointed out her daughter's initials (for the names she had picked out) would be A.$.$. I was told I was being an @$$hole.
Load More Replies... Those aren't that old fashioned. Try Gladys, Muriel or Bertha. For a boy; Aloysius, Bert or Mortimer
or how about Aethelred or Unferth? I mean THOSE are old-fashioned.
Load More Replies... People don't realize, when you are naming your baby; you are not naming a baby. You are naming someone who has to grow up and live an adult life (get a job, pay bills, open a bank account) with that name. Names like the ones op picked out are great because they can be shortened into something sweet and childish (arthur-art edith-edie) but as adults they can still have adult sounding names.
I think most people do realise that babies grow up into adults, and also realise that the baby's name needs to work for when they're an adult. But why shorten Edith or Arthur? They're both solid two syllable names that don't need any messing about with.
Load More Replies... Much better than the absolutely dumb names or names with illogical and stupid spelling many children are being saddled with!
Your friends probably want them named Laquancha or Kingy-D.
Arthur and Edith are great names! Arthur is becoming more popular thanks to the DC movie verse - Arthur Curry aka Aquaman, and I'm not sure Edith/Edie ever went out of style. Screw those rude friends!
If Edith was good enough for Mme. Piaf and Ms. Head, and Arthur for Mr. Godfrey, Mr. Garfunkel, and Mr. Ashe, who are the naysayers to gripe? It isn't THEIR child, so they need to butt all the way out.
I think if you're considering older (but fairly normal) names, you should look up the recent popularity of similarly older names. My daughter's name is an old-fashioned Biblical name, but there's also 3 other girls in her grade with the same name. My son's name is an old-fashioned Irish name, but again is pretty popular. Culture is also relevant. A name might be perfectly acceptable in, say, Norway and be considered silly in the US.
Arthur is popular nowadays because of RDR2’s main character Arthur Morgan. Now Edith was my grandmother’s name so I can’t really say that’s a good name since I automatically think of my grandma when I hear it, but I wouldn’t make fun of someone if that’s what they choose to name their child. I know a girl who instead of being normal and naming her child “Arya” she decided to go with “Arhiah”. I don’t understand some people and their need to be trendy with names. Personally I find the weird spellings stupid 🤷🏻♀️
There's an argument to be made that Edith's a millennial name - at least, this Edith seems to be one: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/picture/2024/feb/03/kooky-creepy-or-charming-which-airbnb-type-will-you-choose-edith-pritchett-cartoon
Load More Replies... I had a similar experience recently: husband and I love the name Evangeline for a girl (Evie for short) and currently go back and forth on either Rowan for a boy or my dad's name (another old-fashioned name). Said it to a group of people who looked so abashed at the girl name. They said "do you want her to feel 100 years old?" I frankly was surprised at their reaction and think people need to mind their own business. Even when someone says they're going to name their kid something that looks like they spilled out a bag of scrabble letters and picked six letters at random, it's just rude to act that way if the people say "I really like this name."
Arthur and Edith are both completely mainstream 2020s names in the UK. Arthur is actually one of the most popular boys names here at the moment. My daughter is called Kathleen- also a traditional name here, but it was chosen because it was my grandmother's name and the English spelling reflects my wife and I's combined Irish and English ancestries. (Caitlin- it's Irish equivalent- is the more common spelling here in the UK). We always assumed her peers would shorten it to Kat, but no, they all refer to her in full as Kathleen- and she loves it.
Insert the girl's potential name at the end of the phrase "Next up on the main stage, the lovely________"
Possibly the opinion varies depending on where you are in the world? In the UK, these 2 names are popular, as well as many of the 'classic' names.
riiiiight, so this is coming from the country where Reighfyl is an actual name. Fcku right off.
OP's friends are morons. It is very rare that kids get bullied for their names. I have met kids with some of the absolutely dumbest names who made it through school just fine. These names are fine.
I also like old fashioned names. I have a daughter named Edith Leah, with the Edith being after m9y husband's beloved grandmother and a special sister he lost a as child to illness. We called her Leah as her everyday name, but she's an adult now, and sometimes uses Edith in certain work and other situations, because she likes it, and i have always sometimes called her Edie, for fun. We all like it. And Arthur is a lovely name. I've always liked it.
Go and boil your bottom, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, so-called Arthur King, you and all your silly English k-nnnnniggets.
Elsie Zzzzzzzip, the Silly candidate - 26,317, James Walker, the Sensible candidate - 26,318 and Malcom Peter Brian Telescope Adrian Umbrella Stand Jasper Wednesday Pop Pop Stoatgobbler John Raw Vegetable Whinny Argot Edward Harris Whoop Mason Chuff-Chuff-Chuff Frampton Jones Fruitbat Gilbert We'll Keep a Welcome In The Shot Shot Shot Williams If I Could Walk That Way Jenkin Squeak Tiger-draws Pratt Thompson Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head Darcy Carter Horn Pussycat Don't Sleep In The Subway Barton Mannering Hoot Whoop Smith, the independent Very Silly candidate - 2.
Load More Replies... Named my daughter a lovely old-fashioned name, but spelled it slightly different than the usual French spelling. I hate that I did that. She's now an attorney. Plan ahead and choose a name (and spelling) that will grow with them. BTW, Edith and Arthur are great names.
One of my brothers has a child named Arthur .I have a friend with an Edith(Edie for short and it really suits her).My Grandson is William (after my Granddad).I know several little Saidies, Silvies, Evies,Roses, Rubies, a Walter and a Peggy and even a Leonard.To these kids they will just be their names ,not old fashioned,just them.
“They’ll be ridiculed at school” Easy solution: Don’t send them to school.
Tell your friends to stay in their own lane. The names are great! I was going to name my sons Tristan and Mackenzie. I took so much c**p for those names that I changed my mind. I chose plain vanilla names. I wish I had stood my ground. Not that I don't like the names the boys have now but I wish I had held firm.
I think these names are beautiful. Old fashioned? Maybe. And an old fashioned name is far better than thise gibberish names people invent nowadays. Edith is especially nice in my opinion. Arthur is also lovely.
As long as they bacon Queen or King it’s okay. Otherwise that’s a waste.
I like Arthur but for our older people, Edith is still associated with Edith Bunker and that’s not the visual you want. But it doesn’t matter what I or anyone else thinks. It’s what you think. BTW, never announce a name before the baby is born - it means everyone will give their opinion. If you announce it with the baby born, most people won’t say anything because it’s done and feels like criticizing the baby.
Edith is a beautiful name 🤩. Arthur... well, to each their own. My 4 and a half nephew has a rather old fashioned name because he was named after my grandpa, and we all loved the idea that he wouldn't get lost in the sea of boringly trendy names.
These are perfectly fine names and I don’t see what anyone would have to make fun of. Her friends sound like enemies.
As long as it's spelled right, does not include special characters or is something to eat you're good.
As a teacher, theyre right. Ngl, not really a fan of either name, but it's your choice name them what fits you.
I have been there as the friend not with an "old fashioned" name but one I personally associated as a name that I had heard as a porn / strippers name although frankly the totally regret it now. I should not have given a nasty opinion. As someone else said children will not notice and will accept. It's the small mindedness of the adults and that is their problem to reconcile with themselves not the OP's
The only thing that comes to my mind when I see "Edith" is from Archie Bunker (1970s TV show usa). As long as Ethel/Ethyl doesn't make a comeback lol....
For naming our kids I followed my mother sage advice. Don't tell anybody the name until the child is born and you have filled out the paperwork for the birth certificate.
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