Your name on your front door

I don't know anyone with their name by their door. I hadn't realized people would do this.

Who has a name plate? Seriously? Do you live in a mansion? When you walk down the street does everyone have nameplates? The only possible reason for this as far as I can tell is if you work form home and want people to know they've got the right place, or in the case of flats.

Pretty much haven't come across it, the closest I have seen in common use is people putting their name next to their doorbell (not on a plate, but in the doorbell box space that is presumable there for their name to go in)

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We don't have one, but we're in flats where nobody has one.

It wouldn't ever occur to me that it was necessary TBH.

The only house I can think of that has one is my in-laws' and that's probably more out of tweeness (or someone gave it to them as a gift) than necessity.

A nameplate? Really?

I din't know anyone who has one - unless they live in a flat and the name is by their doorbell on the doorbell panel. We just go by the house number....

No - how totally random ?

only dentists do this dont they? or your surname on a bit of paper in the box next to the buzzer if you live in flats

your MIL sounds very peculiar!

Fantastic, I'm right! I've been scanning front doors as I walk past and hardly anyone has them. I can see the point in flats, when there's loads of similar doors and numbering can be funny, but otherwise, what's the point? And you can buy special plates, you can get them in iron mongers or cobblers if they also cut keys. You guys have made my day!

I have never heard of anyone doing this, why would you? I suppose it might be useful in a block of flats but even then you'd have a number on your door wouldn't you?

I have never heard of people having the names on the front of the house. Just looked out my window to check it's something I've not missed and no one in my street has one.

Sx

Oh and yes, MIL is looper and extremely roooooood to boot. Good combination.

In the UK we never did, only by the doorbell buzzer when we lived in flats, certainly not in a house.

Here it is normal to have one, and everyone does. They deliver post by name rather than flat number. So though there are 6 apartments in our building they are all under the same street number. THis caused a slight problem when *someone* sent me a parcel to Madame le Grouch at our address. It didn't get delivered! So i have had to add my hitched name to our letter box ?

Er, I don't have a nameplate on my flat. I tell people what number I live at, and they find my place via the magic of roman numerals. Et wallah ?

My in-laws bought us one and gave it to us with our wedding card - it says Mr & Mrs husband's firstname Lastname

I don't even get to have my own first name [:'(]

Needless to say that never actually made it onto the door...

Here in Belgium it is illegal not to have your name up by your door. Mental. And it's a law that is actually enforced (unlike the laws about silly things like speed limits and not parking on zebra crossings).

I don't know anyone in the UK who has a name plate. I don't understand why you would.

I think we're the only ones in our block who don't have one and a lot of the terraced houses and semi's round here have them too. I assumed it was a council/ex council house thing - I'm guessing your MIL wouldn't take kindly to that explanation!

I have to admit I wouldn't even know where to buy such a thing.

My (honorary) aunt and uncle have two and it cracks me up. They have 'Mr and Mrs Firstname Surname' on one with a nice squiggle and 'Mr Firstname Surname, National Secretary, Scottish Notgoingtoname Assosiation Registered Office' on the other. ?

As if the postman couldn't work it out just by address!

I would never have my name by my front door:

When I finished university I had the shame of temporarily working for an awful 'exterior paint' company in Southampton. Our job was to cold call and convince the owner of the house to agree to a 'free health check on their walls'. Of course, this was just a ploy to allow a salesman to convince the homeowner that they needed to spend several thousand pounds on protecting their walls.

If no one was in, we used to write down their names on a sheet anyway just to hit our targets of the number of homeowners we had spoken to. Some foolish people even had their telephone number on the doorbell, making our job easier. That way we didn't need to either make up the phone number, or look it up in the telephone directory.

I hang my head in shame to admit that I did this job for about 4 weeks. It was vile & I hated it. But at least it meant that I didn't have to move back in with my parents after uni.

That is why I would never have my name by my front door.

I wouldn't dream of having my name outside my door - stikes me as a potential security nightmare as well as totallly unnecessary.

I quite like the portugese thing of 'El casa del....' in wee blue tiles. Mr Pants bought me an el casa del pants one when we were there this year, but I have it hung in the hall, not outside the door.

Ah, if you're a registered office you have to have this up, by law

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WEES, I've never even heard of this and I definitely wouldn't do it.

Name plate? We don't even have our number on the house! I keep meaning to get one!

I know only one person who has their name on their door and he runs his own business so its sort of allowed - his wife hates it though and it causes her much embarassment. Its not something I'd ever contemplate having and I've always thought it was something that the "older" generation did in random acts of tweeness... "Dunroamin" being the obvious example.

Your MIL sounds like a bit of a loon - I'd leave her to her mad rantings and just nod in exaggerated agreement whenever she mentions it, like its on your list of things to do.....

But see if you don't get one by Christmas, bet we can all guess what your present from your in-laws will be!

Do you really? I didn't know that!

It's just always amused me as they live in a little semi detatched, not your average office and I don't think he's even paid for being 'national secretary'! ? It's all squashed into a little name plate, I can't remember if that one has a squiggle too.

It's definitely a Scottish thing.

We get this all the time, from PIL and the post office often have the cheek to write "Put your name on the door" on our post. Er, no. My name and full address is on the bloody post.

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I have a nameplate but it's in a drawer! Friends from Glasgow (where I have seen lots of nameplates) had it made for us. My first thought was that your MIL is Scottish as it's the only place I've seen them used.

I see that you're in Scotland, I wonder if it's a more common thing up there?

We're down south and I don't know anyone with their name on the door but most of my family are in Scotland (Glasgow/Highlands) and most of them do. Not sure if it's just a generation thing though as the ones that do are my parents and grandparents. Quite a lot of their friends seem to aswell.

My mum has it - but she lives in a tenement where four people share one address. Noone round here has one unless they work from home and want the company name near the doorbell too.

This could be the case. We now live in an ex council house, but I;m still not getting one. I never imagined it being a 'Scottish' thing. Cobblers and other people who sell them have boards outside their shops so you can choose what style , colour and font you would like ?. Maybe I should get a silver one with Rennie Macintosh writing and a West Highland Terrier on it?

? Braw Wee Chanter! We've settled in our hoose noo, so maybe you could come over with Wee Braw and help me choose where to put said plaque?

It's a new one on me, i've yet to come across anyone who has their name on a plate by the front door. Professional plaques yes (doctors, lawyers, dentists...) but not in a personal situation.

Sorry but your mil sounds most odd.

There's a house nearby called 'DunChris'. Yes, I have, but it was a long time ago and I don't like to talk about it now. ?

Wow that was quick! I bet the girls are loving all the space and garden.

Sadly all our house plans have gone severely tits up, so it looks like we're done trying to move.

It'd be lovely to come and visit, cheer us up and I've a feeling Wee Braw and the girls would get on like a house on fire. He's got chicken pox just now so I'll give you a shout when I'm sure it's not infectious and give his face a chance to heal, else there'll be people ringing bells at our back all the way down the street! ?

At least this thread has given me an idea of a good house warming present ?

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