Casey Hennessy and her partner Zacchaeus Harper have always loved traditional names but decided to give their baby boy a name that’s close to extinction
A couple have chosen a name for their baby that’s falling steeply out of fashion and say he’ll be the only child at school with it – despite trolls warning he’ll face bullying. Casey Hennessy, 21, and her partner, Zacchaeus Harper, 25, have always favoured more traditional names.
When they discovered they were expecting a baby boy, they considered the names Winston, Axel and Finnegan but only one name emerged victorious. Casey welcomed little Arnold on December 9, 2023, weighing 8lbs 3oz, at 23.13pm.
She said the moment she gazed down at him she knew he was an Arnold. The parents are thrilled to have a distinctive name and say people will call him Arnie after Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Casey, a healthcare assistant from Eastbourne, East Sussex, said: “I like the idea of him having a traditional name – it will sound smart. We do shorten his name his Arnie to make him sound more youthful.
“We both like our traditional names. People refer to him as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hey Arnold as well.”
Casey welcomed her first child Maggie, two, on April 28, 2022. When she discovered she was expecting her second child in March 2023, she decided she wanted to give him a traditional name.
Casey said: “We both like our traditional names and It was so hard to come up with a boy’s names. I like the fact that they are actual names, and they can grow into that name and have nicknames. I also wanted him to the only Arnold in his class.”
The name Arnold appears to be on the brink almost of extinction, alongside a host of other vintage names. As soon as she laid eyes on her newborn, Casey knew she wanted to name him Arnold.
Casey revealed: “He could’ve been a Winston, Murphy or even an Axel, which are the sort of names we liked but as soon as I saw him I knew he was an Arnold. None of the names suited him, I instantly just knew, and it felt right.”
Since welcoming little Arnold into the world, Casey admitted that reactions to his name have been mixed. She noted that older people seem to appreciate the name, while younger generations can be more sceptical.
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Casey revealed: “The older generation love it, but it differs with the younger people. I have got comments where people said that he will get bullied because of his name, which I hope will not be the case.
“We do call him Arnie for short but overall we love his name. The older generation do say how ‘lovely’ the name is and how they haven’t heard it in a while.”