‘I’ve found the perfect name for my baby – but people say it’s pretentious and tacky’

A woman has found a baby name she thinks would be perfect for her son, but people online aren’t convinced by the choice – with some saying it’s ‘trying too hard’

Naming your baby isn’t always an easy task, and it can be tricky to strike the perfect balance between finding a name that will set your child apart from the crowd, but also landing on a moniker that doesn’t sound ridiculous.

And while no one can tell you what you should or shouldn’t name your little one, it’s not unusual for expectant parents to seek advice online.

But one mum-to-be has been left even more confused about her baby name choice after she asked people online whether they thought the moniker was “pretentious” or not – as many people agreed that it was.

In a post on Reddit, the woman said she had stumbled across the name Bentley when she heard it used for a little girl, and wondered if she could use it for the baby boy she is currently expecting.

But she was worried the name might sound too “fluffy” or “pretentious”, so she took to the Name Nerds forum on Reddit to ask what other people thought – and wasn’t too pleased with the responses.

She wrote: “Is the name Bentley too fluffy or pretentious for a boy? We heard the name on a cute little girl at the pub today and wondered if it would fit our boy due in April, but maybe it’s a bit fluffy or pretentious, as some people may relate it to the car brand. Thoughts?”

And commenters on the post didn’t tell the woman what she wanted to hear, as many of them agreed it did sound “pretentious” – and even many of those who didn’t agree still had other reasons for disliking the moniker.

One person said: “In my opinion, yes [it is pretentious].”

While another added: “Wow, I get the total opposite of pretentious from Bentley. It’s so tacky.”

And a third wrote: “To me, it’s the opposite of pretentious, it comes across as aspirational – someone who can’t afford a Bentley hoping the name will attract associations with wealth and status.”

Not everyone was against the name though, as some commenters did tell the mum-to-be that they thought the moniker was “cute”, and shared their own experiences with knowing people named Bentley.

Someone posted: “I think it’s cute! My childhood friend wanted to name her son this since we were 10. Her boyfriend, unfortunately, vetoed it when she had her son though.”

As someone else commented: “No. It’s a bit trendy, but if that’s your style, that’s great. It’s a normal name and the person who has it won’t be burdened by having it.”

Meanwhile, we recently shared how one mum changed the names of her two adopted sons after their birth mum named them Lincoln and Bentley, as she didn’t like the idea of having children named after car brands.

She said: “The boys were named after cars, and we felt that it was very dehumanising to be named after objects to be used.”

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