View Message

[Opinions] Hamnet
Apparently this was a popular name around the time Shakespeare's son was born, but it hasn't really survived. Any idea why? Most of the popular names from that time seem like they stuck around and became classics (William, Richard, Anne, etc.) Was it too specifically regional?
What do you think of it? Is the "ham" thing too offputting?
Archived Thread - replies disabled
vote up1

Replies

I don’t know how it’s supposed to be pronounced but looking at it I would say it sounds like damn it.
vote up1
I believe this was also Shakespeare's son's name, but tragically, he passed away at a pretty young age. I wonder if the Hamlet similarity made the name less popular? I mean, Hamlet isn't necessarily the happiest of stories. Or perhaps it's the ham + net thing that just makes it hard to use!I don't think the "ham" itself is off-putting, as Hamilton is still usable, and I think Hamlet would be a cute middle name choice.
vote up1
I read somewhere that Shakespeare's son was named after his godfther; so it was clearly in use, or had been. In today's world, a Hamnet would spend his entire life explaining that, no, it wasn't a spelling mistake, no, it wasn't meant to be Hamlet ... !
vote up1
I'm sorry but it just looks like either a typo of Hamlet, or "ham net" to me. Not a fan.
vote up1
It certainly wouldn't be my first pick, but maybe it didn't catch on because of the Hamlet? It is pretty close.
vote up1
I think it's really cute. Hamlet's probably more usable.
vote up1
It makes me think of school cafeterias. Smells like weird ham, lots of hairnets. Hopefully lots of hairnets, at least.
vote up2
I remember people sniggering at this name when we learned about Shakespeare in school.Yeah, I find the ham part off-putting, and it's not just the meat association, although I don't like that; to be a ham in slang is to be incompetent/foolish/amateur. Ham's also in Graham, though doesn't seem as prominent there. I'd probably be able to ignore that part if Hamnet were popular already.William, Richard, Anne are all English royal names.Was it actually pronounced like ham back then? Or is it more like Hamish?

This message was edited 1/6/2022, 8:12 PM

vote up1