Message: "British people's opinions needed (Lou)"

British people's opinions needed (Lou)

by molly

3/5/2017, 7:22 AM

If you're from the UK (or anywhere else where "loo" is the toilet), do you think the name Lou is odd? Is Lou a common nickname for Louise or Louis where you're from? Lou is my longtime favorite name (for a girl), and my grandmother's name, and I hadn't thought about the toilet connotation before.

#British

Replies

- insane romantic

3/7/2017, 8:49 AM

I don't really think it's that strange. I know people called Louise/Louisa and Louis and none of them go by Lou, but if they did I wouldn't find it that strange.

- Pie

3/5/2017, 4:03 PM

Nope

It's a pretty common shortening of Lou- and Lu- names. Even now you've said it I don't think of the other sort of loo at all.

- Myosotis

3/5/2017, 2:18 PM

When I see or hear Lou as a name, loo as in toilet doesn't really come to mind, but I don't really say it much myself. I love Lulu, and I''ve never thought about the connection. I think Lou's perfectly okay, the only association I have with it is the police officer in The Simpsons haha. To be honest I don't think I ever heard loo until I was out of primary school, but I don't know if younger generations will pick up on it. I can't imagine it being a problem, especially as Louise and Louis (loo-ee) are fine.

- Quill (QuillHeart)

3/5/2017, 11:52 AM

I'm not from the UK or a native speaker, but I do speak fluent (British) English, and I've never made the connection either. To me, "loo" and "Lou" are pronounced a bit differently as well; "Lou" has a "thicker" sound, both in consonant and vowel.

- Mareasi (Free_Spirited_Girly)

3/5/2017, 11:52 AM

I'm in the UK and no not at all as although loo is used for toilet Lou is often used as a nickname. Not weird at all

- Amphelise (Chrisell)

3/5/2017, 10:25 AM

Not odd at all

I work with a Lou and I've known lots of others.

Spelling it Loo would probably raise eyebrows though!

- Perrine (Destry)

3/5/2017, 10:19 AM

Lou is fine. I don't think of the word. But I do think of a hairy old man wearing a gold necklace :P I would prefer Louise or Louisa nn Lou. Luana might work too.

- Millie (ImSorryIfILoveYou96)

3/5/2017, 9:39 AM

To be honest; it's really not that big of a deal...

I know of people called Louise and Louisa though I didn't grow up with any (wasn't that popular in my generation). Lou isn't a popular nickname but it's heard of. I do know people called Louis and Lewis, interestingly they're more often called Lou than the girls.

It's not something to overthink, IMO.

- Anneza

3/5/2017, 9:24 AM

I've got a Louanne niece who's mostly called Lou, and nobody even blinks.

But, I do think it would be kind to give a child Louise, Louanne, Louette etc as a full name, even if yu don't plan on using it. Was your grandmother just Lou?

- Andromache (Hannah Ruth)

3/5/2017, 9:15 AM

It's not unusual, I've heard Louises called Lou.

- Mireio (Anna21) +3

3/5/2017, 7:26 AM

I think it's fine. I know several women called Louise who go by Lou, and no-one really makes the connection.

This message was edited 3/5/2017, 7:27 AM

- molly +2

3/5/2017, 7:30 AM

Phew, what a relief. I've always looked for names that travel well. I'm guessing Fanny is not in much use in the UK ;).

- queenv

3/6/2017, 5:22 AM

Fanny is completely unusable in the US due to its slang meaning of "buttocks". Back in the early 1970s, I had a friend who had just moved to the US from Uruguay whose name was Fanny. Within a few years, she found it necessary to start going by her middle name, Renee.

- Amphelise (Chrisell)

3/5/2017, 10:29 AM

Fanny would be considered old-fashioned but not out of the question. People are well aware that it's been a common name in the past, and "fanny" as a euphemism has all but dropped out of usage these days.

British people are also astonishingly good at compartmentalising. They can cope with words having two very different meanings!

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