Most pretentious name you've heard?

[Anonymous]

Prince

[Anonymous]

Too many prefixes can make a name pretentious, but perhaps that's the idea?

DaQuan Lamario

Or, faux titles as names -

Queen, Princess, King

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tarquin. Seen on a Sky documentary about Harrow School. I looked this name up, since I'd never heard it before, and apparently it's a British name so poncy and posh that it's essentially a caricature name. None of the British posters discussing the show could believe someone had actually named their child that.

uh, laurence olivier did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tarquin. Seen on a Sky documentary about Harrow School. I looked this name up, since I'd never heard it before, and apparently it's a British name so poncy and posh that it's essentially a caricature name. None of the British posters discussing the show could believe someone had actually named their child that.

uh, laurence olivier did.

As a middle name (thanks, Wikipedia!). And Laurence Olivier wasn't exactly a modest, simple, unaffected guy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Atticus actually appeals to me, just because it seems easy to pronounce and not that different from more common boys names. It seems a little odd for a middle name, but that's just because I don't generally like very complex or long middle names (unless the first name is very common and simple, like John).

The first name is mono-syllabic, like John, but not quite as common. Atticus is phonetic (spelling and pronunciation), not too common, has a nice meaning and works pretty well with the flow of the overall name.

My wife and I struggled a bit with naming because I am from a very waspy anglo background and we make extensive use of family names, and a lot of them would fit right in with the ones listed here. My wife has a very strong preference for super-common and "simple" names...different backgrounds. I have mixed feelings about it - I have such a name myself, though I've always gone by a nickname extracted from my middle name. I do think it's nice to have a not-too-bland name, multi-syllabic and fluid. For me, pretentiousness is about nouveau-riche and made up. I nixed a bunch of Shakespearean names I absolutely love because they fit in this category; I nixed a few of hers which were too movie-star-ish (Portia, a favorite of mine ever since I read The Merchant of Venice, was a two-fer). While Harper Lee used Atticus in Mockingbird, it's pretty clear that the name well-predates that, and that it had a special meaning for her purposes with that character. If our kid is anything like us, then it will suit reasonably...and if they want something unique to use later in life, they can switch. They won't be called by that name by us as a child (to start with anyway).

I'm still a little concerned about Atticus even though it is my pick. I was damn near Tiberius Claudius (if my father had gotten his way) and I'm eternally grateful to have avoided that fate. My sisters were not so fortunate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm still a little concerned about Atticus even though it is my pick. I was damn near Tiberius Claudius (if my father had gotten his way) and I'm eternally grateful to have avoided that fate. My sisters were not so fortunate.

Valeria Messalina and Cornelia Cinnilla?

[Anonymous]

I have a friend whose middle name is Aloysius (pronounced al-oh-ish-us) Took us 15 years to find out what the A stands for.

[Anonymous]

Palmer

[Anonymous]

I know a child whose first name is Sir ______. (Don't know why I bothered to leave the second part blank, how many can there be?) It's funny how after long enough, I've gotten used to calling a little child "Sir"!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know a child whose first name is Sir ______. (Don't know why I bothered to leave the second part blank, how many can there be?) It's funny how after long enough, I've gotten used to calling a little child "Sir"!

This takes the cake. I'm assuming you're not a troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prince

Agreed, but it is funny that we don't bat an eye at Rex.
Seems we are more tolerant of these types of pretentious names when they are in a different language. We'd be all over a person who name their kid King.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Prince

Agreed, but it is funny that we don't bat an eye at Rex.
Seems we are more tolerant of these types of pretentious names when they are in a different language. We'd be all over a person who name their kid King.

I know a King. And several Princesses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prince

It's better than Blanket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Prince

Agreed, but it is funny that we don't bat an eye at Rex.
Seems we are more tolerant of these types of pretentious names when they are in a different language. We'd be all over a person who name their kid King.

Yup. I know two grown-up Rexes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brinley

I know someone with a young Brinley. I didn't think it was pretentious, just kind of random, and wondered if there was some familial significance. Wonder if it's the same person.