If you decided on an unusual name did you every regret it?

[Brugmansia]

DP and I are currently deciding on names and the ones we like are all on the less-used/unusual end of the scale, particularly the boys short-list.

We really like them and they're also the only ones we can agree on, and in general I feel we should just go with what we like. There's a bit of me niggling away though that's worried about both other people's reactions and whether it could be a bit of a burden for DC in the future.

Just wondering on other people's thoughts who've chosen unusual names for their children.

[dysfunctionalme]

I think you need to tell us the name

[WhispersOfWickedness]

It depends what you mean by unusual? DD's name is uncommon, but still 'normal' and gets loads of compliments.

[feetheart]

We used a very underused name for DD(9) and have only found one other little girl with that name in nearly 10 years (and on here, not in RL) A few old ladies though.
DD is quiet and shy and really doesn't like to be the centre of attention at all but she LOVES having a name that no-one else has.
For DS(7) we opted for another slightly unusual name though it is more often used as a nickname for other, longer names. I LOVE the short his version :) He seems to like his name but has played around with different names since he was talking!

I would say if you love it go for it though be prepared for interfering relatives to comment :)

[shadowland]

Hmm...we had an unusual name in mind for DD1 before she was born 30 odd years ago, but did not use it. I was speaking with DD2 in a conversation about names recently and mentioned the unusual one we had thought of and she was horrified! Could not believe we had even considered it.
I think we had thought of how the child would feel, growing up with an unusual name - could they carry it off? would they feel self conscious?...and had decided against it, just in case. And I think we made the right decision -we are very different people now from when DD1 was born (basically we are out of the earthy, vaguely hippy phase!).

[seeker]

My brother's step children had "unique" names. Their parents never regretted it, but the children did, and all three, one after the other, refused to go to secondary school unless they were allowed to change their names.

They were never bullied- I don't think children are bullied for their names, unless it's a rude word or something- but, as the eldest put it "it's just so tiring having to explain every single time."

[CombustionEngine]

ds1 has a very unusual name, he's 8 and we don't regret it, we love the name and it suits him. There are always comments on it, usually where is it from and that it's quite nice, and he loves having a name no-one else has. But we did give him a regular middle name so if he ever hates it he can go to that.

I must say, now we have ds2 with a common name it's quite nice saying a name and not having to get into a conversation about it. But such is life!

[amazingmumof6]

yes please tell us the names, they may nob as unusual as you think!

we named our 4th Noah which was very unusual at the time, but the name is getting quite popular

on the other had we have a Michael as DS3 first name, he is inyear 5 and I've not come across another Michael his age so far!

Same with David which is DS1 middle name and Elizabeth DD, although she's only 7 months old so there could be loads of them the same age, but won't know till this years statistics come out!
(people may have chosen it more frequently as a result of Jubilee hype/respect of Queen Elizabeth II - which was not our reason, although I don't mind the assumption.
we chose Elizabeth Grace for a girl for first pregnancy, but had 5 boys and waited 12 years to get to use it!)

[amazingmumof6]

...may not be... sorry, not nob!

[DinosaursOnASpaceship]

Ds3 has a lesser used named - you can't get it from a shop on a key ring, but it's a brilliant name and no one has problems spelling or pronouncing it (except occassionally they stick a K on the end or a Mc on the front for some reason). I've never heard of another child with his name, although recently I've seen it pop up on name threads on here.

[Rachel130690]

I called my ds (8 weeks) Herbie. It's a very uncommon and unusual name but I love it. Also everyone who has heard it has commented on how lovely it is.

[dysfunctionalme]

Is it Phaedra?

[Brugmansia]

Phaedra is not on the list.

I'm a bit reluctant to disclose them as I've been to DP that we keep them to ourselves. I would describe them as known, not used much either now or in the recent past although both oldish names.

For some reason I'm more worried about boys names. I'm not sure if this is just my perception buy there seems to be more general acceptance of unusual names for girls. Certainly among our friends all the boys seem to have pretty traditional names.

[dreamingofsun]

our kids all have names that aren't in the top 50 but that are commonly known - though some of the spellings are different. still happy about these choices, though would have preferred one child's godparents not to have copied it for their child

[FriggFRIGG]

Why dys what's wrong with Phaedra?! [Wink]

No,we've not regretted DS's unusual name,I love it more every time I say it.

I have,however,regretted DD's name,it is,again,unusual,though more well known...the difference being,I never loved it in the first place.

Their names are Arlo (DS) and Skye (DD)

[sonniboo]

In my experience, having a less used name is a huge help in remembering a person's name. When I meet yet another (adult) Steve, Andy or Mike, I really struggle to remember their names. But a Winston, Linus or Darius stays in my brain much more easily. We sometimes forget why we name a person (or think), namely to identify him/her/it!

Or ds has a name that was used less than 20 times last year and he absolutely loves being the only one with his name in school and we get lots of compliments on it. DD's name, on the other hand, has become very popular and she is now one of 4 in her year group, which means she has to add her surname to all her work (and be known as littleXX or blondXX etc).

[Brugmansia]

frigg, that may be part of the worry I'm having. I don't have any doubts with the potential girls names as I love them anyway. I've found it much harder to decide on any boys names I really like. (apologies anyone I offend) but I hate a lot of boys names that are popular, eg, Jack, Oliver, Ben etc.

There are a few boys names that are unusual but I'd probably feel more confident using as I really liked them. Unfortunately DP doesn't like them so the ones we're considering are more of a second choice for me but we both like them.

[SquealyB]

I have an unusual name and generally I really like having an unusual name. The only thing that bothers me about it is having to spell it, and correct pronouciation but this is a small price to pay IMO. If at all possible, try and pick an usual name that is phoentically spelt (it does make life easier ).

[SquealyB]

ps. just notice you are the OP brugs

[amazingmumof6]

Brugmansia I understand you don't want people to put you off,

but I always discussed our names with other people, because I wouldn't have wanted to choose with a hidden negative meaning I didn't know about or something that could be teased as language/understanding/slang change
maybe it's because English is not my first language, but living permanently in the Uk with English husband I wanted names that are nice and easy to use, preferably with only one spelling known/common.

and I'm so glad I did ask around and didn't go for the following names(although I still love the sound of all!):

• Jezabel (thought it was a version of Izabel!)
  

• Lydia (I adore it, but DH says he knows people being teased coz it rhymes with chlamydia...I still love it, if we had a second daughter, I'd still want it, even if for a middle name)
  

• Isabell - stupid cyclistfgriend laughed and said " Is a bell neccesary on a bike?" totally ruined it for me, but I would have hated that joke made after naming DD
  

• Benedict - my 9 year old's reaction was "what? Bene Dick?
  

• Abigail - friend's daughter's been bullied and teased Abi-gay
  

• Lucas - rhymes with mucus apparently
  

• Stella - sometime it's a nickname for beer I was told
  

• Adam madam- I'm-Adam
  

• Fleur - can be pronounced to sound like floor
  

• and probably the worst of all Adolf! I couldn't help but liking the sound of it, despite the hugely negative historical association
  

(which of course I was aware of before coming to the UK and of course I despise the man responsible for the death of millions, so please don't lecture me on that, I'm certainly not inspired by him and would never name my child that name!)
I just liked how it could be shortened to Dolfie which sounds like dolphin, which I thought was sweet. that's all

some names can gain massive popularity over night (Scarlett and Tara after the publishing of "Gone with the Wind" just one example, Elvis another, which was practically unheard of previously and is suggested to be a family name for the Presleys) and equally totally fall out of use (such as Adolf, Herod for obvious reasons!).

you just can tell what's safe what's risky or what will be popular/unpopular by the time DC goes to nursery or university or reaches 60!

I wonder how many babies have been named Barack or Obama (first or middle) in the last 4 years!

(by the way if you have any of those name above, please understand that I'm not intending to hurt anyone's feelings, I'm just stating the reactions I've come across so far!)

[flakjacket]

DS has an unusual name and the only problem we have come across is school. Every time he changes class the new teacher/teaching assistant has a problem. This year all his books have his name with an added 's' because that makes a word (although not a name). We have also had 'ic' added.

His name is unusual-ish but not unheard of and not made up!

[amazingmumof6]

Oh the most out there names I have come across were Cinnamon and Vanilla for a set of twin girls (?)
and Snake for a boy (definitely hate it)

[MordionAgenos]

Both my daughters have uncommon names. DD1's name is a bit uncommon, in this country but not in Ireland, DD2's name is extremely uncommon everywhere. Both names are actually French in origin. DD1 hates her name but goes by a nickname which is WAY more unusual - its not because of the unusualness of her name that she hates it but because she was never called it when little. However she may be warming a bit to it now - she says it isn't 'her' but she will use it professionally when she grows up. She wouldn't change it to that extent.

I think it's a beautiful name. :(

DD2 adores her name, loves it being very unusual, and insists on everyone using the full version except for us and her sibs who are allowed to use the shortened pet name version.

It is a great name, I must admit.

My sister has a completely made up name. There appear to be 2 others in the whole world, both about 20 years younger than her, not known to us, we assume their parents heard her name somewhere and nicked it. She likes her name now, when she was younger, not so much. It has a very very common abbreviation though which she habitually used when she was younger.

[Ecclesiazousae]

I think it depends entirely on the name/s. All 5 of my DC have Gaelic/Celtic names, though we actually live well outside of the area they originate from. DS1 and DS3 don't tend to have as many problems because their names, whilst very unusual when we picked them, have actually become recognisable and quite trendy outside of Scotland in recent years. So depending on the names you've picked, something which is unusual now might not be so in 5 years time, especially if it's already a name which has gained a little bit of popularity in trendy circles. Oldish names have also made quite a resurgence in the past decade, so it might not be as much of a 'burden' as you worry.

However, particularly when it comes to DD and DS4, I do wish we'd considered the implications of using very culturally/linguistically specific names. DS4's name (Arran) has been criticised as 'chavvy' because some people perceive it to be a mis-spelling of Aaron, and whilst it's obviously incredibly small-minded to think this way or make judgements about a child based on little more than their name, I do worry that it affects his life. It's always being written down as Aaron - and often even when we/he say that it's actually "like the Scottish island", people still stare blankly!
Likewise, it's very rare for anyone to be able to spell, pronounce or put the spoken and written versions together of DD's name (Mhairi - pronounced VAH-ree) and so I rather agree with seeker - it doesn't affect DH and I so much but it's tiring and an utter pain in the arse for DD and DS4 to have to explain over and over how their names are spelled and pronounced, that no they aren't made-up, that Irish is a close guess but we're actually Scottish and so on.

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

I have an unusual name and often wonder wtf my mother was thinking. Especially as my entire family shorten it so than my name sounds like a grunt. Thanks, honest . In fact, I half married DH because he never, ever shortens my name .

[InSPsFanjoNoOneHearsYouScream]

My son has an uncommon name. I dont regret it.

It's a name we liked so he got it. It's similiar to callum.