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Petunia
Generally speaking the P flower names are my least favorite of the lot, Posy, Poppy, Pansy.. all the same level of smarmy sploosh imo no offense. *the exception being Primrose which I am all for any day* but one I always go back and forth on of the P flower names is Petunia. Granted, the nickname Tunie is absolutely ridiculous and comical even and smells of tuna, but Nia wouldn't be as bad, and Pet is an old classic in terms of nicknames. My Nana was friends with a few "Pet"s in her generation with varying legal names and genders. I think it gives me similar feelings as the idea of Geranium in terms of a name, which is to say a little funny but awkwardly charming in it's own way. For most people these days the main and possibly only association that comes to mind is Petunia Dursley circa Harry Potter, a notably negative sole pop culture association. Despite being fictitious this character still frustrates me possibly even more than any other Harry Potter antagonist tbh! I myself don't have the greatest relationship with my siblings but if the chips were down I would never even consider it a possibility of being anything but compassionate to any children they may have that had the misfortune of requiring my guardianship. It boggles my mind that someone could theoretically raise a child, a family member for that matter,since infancy and not give them anything but love even if by accident. I understand that that is precisely and entirely the point of it but it still blows my mind.. and I work in the social work spectrum to boot! But it is because of this reason I find her to be the most despicable character of the series in my eyes because she feels entirely too real, "Petunia's" exist all over the world even right under our noses without us even knowing everyday, and we hate that. BUT with that said... I would still totally use this name on a cat or dog in the future, how many among us haven't named a cat Jezebel, or Delilah, or some other villainous type name? I think it's perfectly suited in terms of pet names and kind of charming in it's own way both with or without the Harry Potter association. Sorry for going on a rant! What's your opinion?Please rate my "Names I would use" list if you have a spare moment, feel free to rate other lists too if you want but ik there's a lot, thank you :) https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/223226/138473

This message was edited 6/26/2021, 2:43 PM

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Petunia is very sweet. I love flower names. My only issue with it is that the “petu” part reminds me of somebody spitting, but I’m probably the only one who makes that association.
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I love Petunia. It doesn't have any great nicknames but it doesn't need one. I don't think of the harry potter character but the flower. I would always get petunia flowers when my dad made me help with gardening.
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I love Petunia! It has so much character. I actually adore the nickname Tunie (for Fortunata as well).
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I like lots of flower names.My favorite is Lily, as you probably know. I also like Rose. I have a soft spot for Posy. It's so pretty. I also like Peony and I do like Primrose.Petunia makes me think 100% of the Harry Potter character. I do not think of Tuna at all. It doesn't really have nicknames that work, Nia is too far fetched. The Harry Potter character at least came to her senses towards the end, so it isn't that bad. I was actually always kind of fond of Dudley because he was such a victim of his parents's bad upbringing and I find it sort of admirable that in the end he was able to see the good in Harry and that they stayed in touch.So, yes, usable.
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