I like the name, but i also know what its slang for in the U.K. nowadays (although it means your bum over here)....just curious if girls in the U.K. are still named Fanny? is it still popular?, and if so, how do the girls fare in school with that name, are they teased? or is the slang meaning of the word ignored in the context of someones name?
thanks
I can't speak for the whole of the UK, but in my experience girls who are called Frances are more likely to be known as Fran these days. I doubt any schoolkids (and many adults) would resist the opportunity to poke fun of someone who's known as Fanny! But it's no longer a fashionable name, so I don't think many girls are named Frances anymore.
The people have appointed me. I am their leader. I must follow them.share
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The late Fanny Craddock-Famous UK TV celebrity cook. Enough said.
Famous on screen quote by commentator after sampling one of her dishes on live TV "I hope my pies turn out like Fanny's".
Frances McDormand, I doubt had difficulty with it.... It's more interesting than if her name were Brittany or Elizabeth (though the latter is somewhat compelling...)
shareMy best friend in the 70s was called Fanny and noone thought it was in the least bit odd - it was in about the late 70s when a visiting American cousin nearly spat out her drink when she was introduced to my friend that we had any idea it had other connotations.
My teenage daughters think it's quite funny and certainly no one would call their child that now as a shortened form of Frances. The full version isn't very common but there are a couple of girls in their school called it (not shortened at all! )
I think as a euphamism it has gone back out of use - there are plenty of others to choose from
Nobody under the age of 80 is named 'Fanny' in the UK anymore.
And all the Frances' I know call themselves either Frances or Frankie.
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I had exactly the same question regarding the nickname "Dick". Wondering if today's Richards can still be known as Dicks without everyone laughing...
"Sometimes I'm callous and strange."
Once again, I can't speak for all of them, but the three Richards I know don't abbreviate their names at all
He looks like what happens when you punch a cow!share
I thought as much... Wonder when "Dick" came to mean, well, that. Dick Tracy is not supposed to be a funny name. Neither is the first Robin, Dick Grayson (though the suit is pretty laughable...). But they both date back to the 30s-40s, although their characters have lived up till pretty much now... Me puzzled much!
"Sometimes I'm callous and strange."
You have to wonder what young children make of the Famous Five stories these days; what with Dick and Aunt Fanny ...!
"Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night" (Margo Channing in All About Eve)
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"Dick" is still a common nick name for Richard. Dick Cheney being one...of course, in that case, the slang term fits well.
Another commone nick name for Frances is Frannie. Frances was a popular name among Catholics for decades and, while its popularity had waned for years, old fashioned names seem to be making a come-back.