Mumsnet Talk

Yes, it is true, I like a name which fills everybody most with horror. ''You cant possibly do that to a child''. ''How will the child ever have a normal job/become a lawyer or advocate?" ''You aren't thinking of child's self esteem'' are some of the things I have heard ... etc etc...

I know it's ridiculous to have to argue a child's name, but the response from people is that the name is nothing short of child abuse...

So far my ridiculously weak argument is this:

Beyoncé - "different" name, but the girl has gone far in life, despite this name

I cannot think of anymore people with ''not quite normal'' names who are great politicians /famous/ have cured diseases/ nobel peace prize/ etc and wondered if you knew any. I am talking about people who weren't born into grandeur (as we all know, slebs name their kids a delightful array of unusual names)....

Help me please?!?!?

NB - This is meant to be a fun/tongue in cheek thread, I genuinely wont let anyone marr my decision once it's made, but it would be fun to be able to say - ''well what about Tsellaphunaria Golumptuous - she is a World class concert pianist...''

Thanks guys x

Condoleeza Rice

(Will try to think of others)

couldn't possibly comment without knowing the name <nosy>

What's the name you like?
I reckon people can be very rude about names, and it ain't right. But equally I think some parents think of how a name will suit a child and not an adult- Do you really want a cute and sweet name when you're 37?
My children have quite common Welsh names (we are Welsh, living in Wales) and people have reacted rudely to them. I find that quite racist actually.
Equally, though, there are a lot of non-Welsh speakers who give their children Welsh names without researching the name first- I posted the other day about a little girl named Sanna (socks) and the child called Allanfa Dan (fire exit). That really is child cruelty.

But Sanna is a perfectly normal Scandinavian name!

Tell us the name - it might not be as ridiculous as you (or your mum) think.

Beyonce got where she is in life due to her ambitious father managing her band and then solo career, along with her now husband. Her name was pretty inconsequential to this.

But you're right, name's don't actually stop anyone from becoming anything, such as a lawyer, as cited in your example.

Yes it is Edith, and I think it's very pretty- But when you live in a predominantly Welsh speaking area, plan to send your child to a Welsh school and make a (very commendable) effort to be a part of the Welsh community, I think it is very unfortunate that the children in her class will think of her as The Girl With Warm Feet.

Dr Pixie off C4 - she has a 'real' name too but her elfin one seems OK.

Colin Powell? Apparently he changed the pronunciation himself.

I dunno stegler, I always find it quite weird that there's a doctor called Pixie. Or maybe my judgement is clouded by the gargantuan piles on that show.
What's wrong with Colin?

I really really need to know what you have chosen.

Thanks for all of the positive comments so far, girls

The name...it's Poesie - I live in the Channel Islands and we have our own (rapidly dying) form of pigeon Norman french called Guernésiais. Poesie (pronounced Posie) is a word meaning both poem / poetry and lyric. Might sound a bit naff, but it has meaning and sentiment to me...

runs off and hides

I've always thought of Mervyn (as in Mervyn King) as a "ridiculous name"

Isambard Kingdom Brunel did pretty well for himself in spite of having an "unusual name"

Well, I like it. Be prepared for some people spelling it Posie though.

I like it - Poesie is a pretty name.

Ooh that's a lovely name, and it doesn't seem to have worked out too shabbily for Posy Simmons either.

I'm a big fan of giving children unusual names, mine have unusual names but they also have bog standard English middle names for if they decide they can't stand their given names. So far they seem ok with them.

Its a pretty name - maybe your mother is worried your daughter will spend her life correcting the spelling of her name (I say that as someone with a long and unusual first name, with many vowels, and surname - and i do spend my life doing that) but that's no real objection to using the name.

I've managed to become a pretty successful lawyer despite my long and weird name. In fact I say my name helped me figure out spelling and reading at an early age

I know a judge named Cherry who is never assumed to be a frivolous thing. (Well, maybe she is by those who haven't yet met her, but that would last about 2 seconds once you meet her.) I would have thought that Cherry is about the same level of non-mainstream as Poesie. It's not as though you want to name her Apple, or give her a number for her middle name.

Oh lord no, Poesie is lovely! I thought you were going to say something like Pinky or summat...

I have a very unusual name - think unique in the UK. I've known how to spell it, and how to correct people's pronunciation of it, for as long as I can remember. It isn't that big a deal, and nowhere near as important to me as having my own name. I can't imagine meeting someone with my name, the thought makes me shiver actually!
You'll be doing your daughter a huge favour making her memorable to people she meets. I've never noticed any drawback of having an unusual name.
I am not, however, a high court judge.
But I'm sure I could be if I really wanted

I have a very unusual name - think unique in the UK. I've known how to spell it, and how to correct people's pronunciation of it, for as long as I can remember. It isn't that big a deal, and nowhere near as important to me as having my own name. I can't imagine meeting someone with my name, the thought makes me shiver actually!
You'll be doing your daughter a huge favour making her memorable to people she meets. I've never noticed any drawback of having an unusual name.
I am not, however, a high court judge.
But I'm sure I could be if I really wanted

That's a pretty name - but everyone will want to write Posie.

Oops, sorry, non-unique post.

Oh, I think Poesie (and Posie ) are both lovely! If it really gets to you, you could name her something longer like Penelope or Josephine and then just call her Poesie. But it's beautiful IMO. Of course I love different names, though I don't use them myself.

I want a daughter named Cadmium! But my last name is Brick. It can never be. Sigh...