Picking out a name for your child can feel like an impossible task, and things can get even more confusing once you reach out to others for their opinions on potential choices. A baby name you may love may hold very different connotations for friends and family.
One mum-to-be recently reached out for honest opinions on the name 'Gwendolen', a sweet Welsh name rooted in Arthurian legends of old. She personally thinks it's absolutely 'lovely', so was greatly surprised to learn many people felt it to be 'too posh' to use.
Taking to Mumsnet, where she goes by the username @LilacBlueCloud, the expectant mother asked fellow users for their 'thoughts on the name Gwendolen', adding that the nickname used would most likely be 'Gwen'. Not everyone was all that keen.
One person wrote: "I'm not a fan. It makes me think of Gwendoline Mary Lacey from the Malory Towers book series, who was spiteful and spoiled."
Another commented: "It's a bit different. Is she going to be sent to a private school? If not, I'd avoid it."
A third agreed that it put them in mind of 'the mean, spoilt girl in Malory Towers', while a fourth blasted it as 'ugly, clunky and thoroughly unappealing'.
Not everyone was so harsh on the name Gwendoline however, with many loving the 'pretty' choice, and urging her to go with it.
A fifth user gushed: "Love it! My daughter is Gwendolyn which we shorten to Gwen, Gwennie, Gwenlyn. I also read Malory towers as a child but she's Gwendoline and anyway I didn't care. Gwendolyn or Gwendolen is beautiful. And definitely not a 'private school name'."
Another approved: "I love it. My first association was the awesome Gwendoline Christie, despite reading Malory Towers as a child."
Responding to the more negative comments, the surprised mum replied: "Odd, just sounds like a lovely Welsh name to me, doesn't sound posh at all - I feel like names like Amelia, Felicity, Charlotte etc. are all more 'private school'."
According to Nameberry, the name Gwendoline means 'white ring' and is of Welsh origin. It's an alternative spelling of the ancient Gwendolen, a name that cropped up not once but twice in Arthurian legend, given to both the wife of the wise wizard Merlin and to a fairy that King Arthur falls in love with.
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