What were your dream names for your kids when you were growing up?

We would have chosen Elisabeth Mary or Keith David but sadly it never happened.

I chose the names of my children quite early, my son has his great grandfather and uncle's name. My daughter has my aunt's second name, and that of a friend in my teens.

I was still growing up when we had our first baby!😂. The sister tutor who delivered the baby suddenly plonked said baby in my arms and said ‘what’s her name’. I panicked and forgot we’d chosen a boys name and a girl’s name. So I remembered one I had seen all my life on a family grave and gave that as the name. Bracelet on, job done. Everyone was astonished as was I but the name stayed and we all love it.

Had an imaginary sister when I was a child, she was named Susan. The first of my daughters born was given that name, although now (nearly sixty year later) always calls herself Sue.

Kate1949

Never gave it a thought but hoped their surname would be Harrison since I was going to marry George Harrison.

And me!

I did want the middle name Sophie for my daughter but my husband flatly refused
JdotJ - snap, but for the first name! Although, aged about 6, the name Tracy was popular and I loved it so much I knew if I had a daughter I would call her that. No boy’s name, I didn’t like boys. I called DD1 an unusual name which suits her to a T but, as you might guess, it’s not Tracy.

I remember watching Lost in Space as a child and loving the names of the girls, Judy & Penny, neither of which I chose for my children.

I did want the middle name Sophie for my daughter but my husband flatly refused as there had been a boy at his school who had a cat called Sophie so that was that, she didnt get given that middle name.

Had none, didn’t want children.

I had a friend who loved the name Demrose. Years later that’s what she called her DD.

My dream name right from being a child was Emily. I've always loved that name. When I met my children's dad and we were talking about having children I said that if we ever have a daughter that I would love to call her Emily. He liked it too. So our first child was a girl and is named Emily!

I never thought about names until I was pregnant aged 30. My son’s name is a family name passed down through several generations on my dad’s side . My daughter was named after a character in one of my favourite books as a child . Which I won’t name incase it outs me .

Thank you, Grandma70s, it's been a long time since I read the book!

I was always interested in names and took care in naming my dolls and pets. I had names lined up as soon as I was pregnant each time. I wanted to call my first Rupert and my mother in law was horrified.
I only had girls and chose classical names which I still love but fashions change and now babies have names which we’d have laughed at years ago.

Heidi and Alice after my favourite books. Didn't happen!

icanhandthemback

Petrova for a girl after a girl in a book (possibly from Noel Streatfield's Ballet Shoes series) and Ettiene for a boy after an exchange student who was a gorgeous guitar playing hunk staying at a friend's house. I was 6, he was about 14!

Pauline, Petrova and Posy are the girls in Ballet Shoes. When Great Uncle Matthew sends Posy, he comments “Her name is Posy. Unfortunate, but true.”

Russian friends tell me that Petrova is actually a surname.

Rosemary, Cathy from withering heights, Lorna from Lorna Doone, and Juliette from Romeo and Juliette.
For boys Simon or Rodger from the Saint on TV.
Only one name made it for the 3 children I had lol

(PS. I know the girls names aren't Catholic Saints!)

My boys have Catholic saints' names. Partly so my MIL would have nothing to complain about, partly because I needed names that would be internationally recognised and not difficult to pronounce (or easy to mispronounce) in other languages and names that were not unusual but not too common or fashionable. If I had had more boys I would have continued the series with Benedict, Constantine and/or Valentine.

DH would have wanted to call a girl Jasmine, I would have liked Daphne

So these weren't really "dream" names but suited the criteria we had set ourselves.

Like most others I never even gave a thought to the subject until I was actually pregnant myself.

Petrova for a girl after a girl in a book (possibly from Noel Streatfield's Ballet Shoes series) and Ettiene for a boy after an exchange student who was a gorgeous guitar playing hunk staying at a friend's house. I was 6, he was about 14!

Paperbackwriter

valdali

No I didn't think I would have children, but I liked the names Tamsin (out of one of my pony books) and Malcolm.

I'm guessing you were a Monica Edwards reader? Loved her books!
(Sorry. To keep on topic, I too loved the name Tamsin but didn't choose it for either daughter in the end)

I did 😁

I had two dolls called Monica and Veronica. I'd gone off Monica (sorry M0nica) by the time DD arrived 20 years later, and DH didn't like Veronica so we gave her a name which sounded well with our surname, but not so well with her married name now.
Oh well, you can't please everybody all the time.

Aldom

In my teens I read all the *Building of Jalna books, by Mazo de la Roche.
Two of the characters were called Renée and Pheasant
For years they were the names I wanted for my future children.
But of course when the time eventually came my children had completely different names, much to their relief.

I read those books when I was expecting DC1 but the names never appealed to me!

Musicgirl

Bukkie

From a very young age I loved the name of the similar age boy who lived next door. He was called James and I thought it was the most beautiful name I had ever heard and I still do. Mt eldest son is James and I always smile when I hear the name. My second son is Matthew. I have never met a horrible Matthew and my Matthew is a delight.

I have a Matthew, too, and love the name. I also like the name James. However, the boy next door to me was called Nigel and he had a high, piping voice and a permanently runny nose. Strangely enough, it put me off the name Nigel for life….

I had a very good friend called Nigel at college and we have another friend called Nigel, a lovely man.

Bukkie

From a very young age I loved the name of the similar age boy who lived next door. He was called James and I thought it was the most beautiful name I had ever heard and I still do. Mt eldest son is James and I always smile when I hear the name. My second son is Matthew. I have never met a horrible Matthew and my Matthew is a delight.

I have a Matthew, too, and love the name. I also like the name James. However, the boy next door to me was called Nigel and he had a high, piping voice and a permanently runny nose. Strangely enough, it put me off the name Nigel for life….

From a very young age I loved the name of the similar age boy who lived next door. He was called James and I thought it was the most beautiful name I had ever heard and I still do. Mt eldest son is James and I always smile when I hear the name. My second son is Matthew. I have never met a horrible Matthew and my Matthew is a delight.