Margaret?

[HereThereMer]

I love Margaret (and it's a name that DH and I agree on), but my parents and in-laws are not so keen. It's been called old-fashioned, ugly, frumpy. Margaret Thatcher has been mentioned. My mum has even said that she will hate her name once she's a teen. Whilst I recognise that this is a possibility, it doesn't dissuade me. My opinion is that most, if not all, people have disliked their own name and wished that their parents had called them a different name at some point. There are all sorts of reasons that people hate their name (too common, too unusual, too long, too short, too old-fashioned, too modern, too hard to spell, too hard to pronounce). It is not certain that our child will like any name (even if not Margaret) that we have chosen in the future. Am I wrong? Thoughts?

I love Margaret. I think of Margaret Thursday before Thatcher. I like Meg as a nickname too. Margaret is, in my view, timeless and elegant. It’s often a mistake to garner views before naming - once here and named, it’s a done deal and family will get used to it.

It’s cool. I imagine some kind of strong, scientist.
Peggy is cute as a nickname.

It's not my taste but I think it's sweet. Lots of options to shorten it, and Margaret Thatcher won't be most people's first thoughts. Go for it.

I like Margaret and it has lots of nn options she could use as s teenage if she doesnt want to go by her full name.

I really love it! It’s got such a satisfying sound.
It’s sensible too.
I never used it because of Thatcher. However- connections to others get weaker with time.

It’s a family name for me, my mum was margaret and it’s one of my middle names, my MIL was Margaret as well ! Though she was know as maggs, I loved the name Maggie but DH wouldn’t entertain it, and said it was to like his mums. So we used it as a middle name for my first DD.

shes an adult now, and hates it, says she always has, she understands that I had recently lost my mum so it was special to me, but she hates it.

edit to say her names margaret as a middle name not maggie

I think it’s a lovely name, and it has plenty of diminutives - Maggie, Margo, Meg, Madge, Peggy, Daisy, Maisie - there’s something that will be fine for your DD. Go for it, OP.

You say Margaret I think Thatcher

It’s a family name here too, I don’t like it though sorry. Meg/Maggie are better and feel ‘younger’.

I love it!
Meg or Maggie are cute as nicknames too

I love Maggie and Margo x

My cousin and I have Margaret as a middle name after a grandparent and we both hate it. I wouldn’t choose it

Maggie, Maggie, Maggie.
out, out, out!

It is old fashioned and frumpy, my husband's gran was a margaret, she died a few years ago aged 93. I'm currently pregnant and contemplated it as a middle name after her but my parent's/extended family would never forgive me naming my child after Maggie Thatcher. I have to admit I don't actually like the name, it's quite an ugly name of all the lovely old fashioned names to chose from.

I would like it but would never use it because of Margaret Thatcher. I think the older generation will always shy away from their parents' type names. We'll probably get an influx of Sarah, Diane, Louise and Rebecca in a few years and we'll be grumbling about those!

You're not wrong. There are MANY classic and widely liked names that I hate and would hate to have been called. There are also many widely disliked names that I love. Unless you're able to predict the future, you can never say for sure that someone will absolutely love or hate any given name. Most parents just pick what they like and hope that they've made the right decision.

It’s a very well-used family name for me too, and is one of my middle names. I have no strong feelings about the full name, but do like some of the diminutives, and I like the longer Marguerite and its diminutive Daisy (my five cousins and nieces, aged from their teens to their 60s, who are called this all agree).

It’s an incredibly ugly and harsh sounding name and Maggie is equally bad. I have never understood the appeal and I cannot imagine inflicting it upon a baby now.

Peggy for a nickname.

It is a name that has special significance for me due a much loved and greatly missed family member. I think it may due a revival. There are lots of great nickname options as well.

I like older names, but Margaret is just very clunky. I really don’t like it.

I don't like the name but love all the nicknames

It’s awful

Love it. Love Margi as a shortening. (I loved Margaret Thatcher as a young child!)

Name changed as am a frequent poster.
I have a Margaret who is 11, it's so unusual I am pretty sure someone will recognise us! There were only 83 born in the UK in her year of birth.
When she was born we named her after a family member but Thatcher was in the back of her mind. Now however it is just her - it's become her not anyone else.
There are lots of older ladies with the name and they are all delighted to meet a young Margaret.
She doesn't use a nickname but she knows there are a few (she doesn't believe me when I tell her Peggy is one!).
Other adults with kids the same age often mishear and she's often called Margot or Madeleine. They seem surprised that it's Margaret but we love it and it's well known but unusual.
Another odd thing is that children have never heard it and it doesn't end -ie or -a so before they meet her lots don't know it's a girls name.