Anyone actually managed to pick an unusual name?

DD1 has a beautiful, old fashioned name I love but it is not unusual and we have met a few others with the same name. DD2 has a very unusual name, never met another, we tend to use her nick name which is not common but not quite so unusual. People are always surprised at what it is short for.

Ds2 has an unusual name and, bizarrely, there was another child at Pre-school with him with the same name. I haven't met or heard of any others.

Thanks TroubleandFyfe, that's even less than I thought.

I'm hoping little DS will be a trendsetter and his name is going to break into the list for 2012.

Less than 3 ciske, they count 3 and over!

The trick is to pick a name that is popular in another country, so you end up with something that's original but still has history and isn't just a weird made up name.

DS' name is quite popular where I grew up, but didn't even make the full list of boys' names for the UK 2011. This means there are less than 4 babies with that name in the country at this moment. It would be funny though if they all end up in the same class.

A friend of mine has a DD with a name that I think is very unusual: Kaijsa (pronounced Kye-sah).

Hiya thirsty, have been alerted to this resurrection by friends, I am the OP (name changed, obviously) and my now 6 month old son is called Fyfe.
There were 3 Fyfes in England and Wales in both the 2010 and 2011 ONS lists so hopefully it will remain as an unusual name. We love it anyway.

tripped across this old thread and loved it... What did OP call her dc??
My name is really simple and there were LOADS of them when I was born, but I haven't heard of a baby called it in years (religious reader of the announcements column). Annoyingly it has several spellings, so I still have to spell it out every time - annOYing.
I pointed this out to everyone who told me off for calling DD2 a flowery 'out there' name. Her name is a 'marmite' name - people either love it or hate it. I passionately love it, so don't care! Now there are lots more (like to think I inspired a few), but I quite like that as it stops people saying 'eh?' when she says her name...
My son is called the most normal name you can think of - and yet I know of only one other under five. Yay.
My parents called my brother a 'crazy' name 30 years ago - everyone thought they were mad and said it was an old man's name - now it is in the top 5 and has been for ten years. So you can't bank on a name staying unusual or common... e.g. Mary, Clare, Jane, Caroline? John?
I think there has been an overload of flowery names (Isabella, Florence, Grace etc) and Victorian maids names (Tilly, Elsie, Esme) in the last few years, basically our great-grandparents generation, and now people are looking at their grandparents names instead. I know several Reggies, Stans and Wilfreds. No Eileens or Normans yet!
Loads of place names around in the last few years too, especially Cornish and Scottish (Merryn, Lamorna / Iona, Kinvara etc).
I think any child 'becomes' his/her name so fast, it doesn't matter what they are called. They alone can make their name cool or nerdy...
Just watch out for the initials or the first/second name combo. Polly Esther?

Princess was given to 144 girls last year in England & Wales - quite popular actually.

Princess is also quite a common African name afaik.

Pleasure! I have them saved! :)

LWWW, you could have just used the search facility!

The name we have in mind for a DD if we have one was also one of 47 for last year! I wonder if it's the same as yours!!!
My DS was one of nine in the year he was born, using the total for England, Wales and Scotland (he is half English, half Scot).

I was at university with a Precious - she was of African heritage, not sure where exactly. I think it is quite a known name in some cultures - I quite liked it. Also knew a Comfort. Princess, on the other hand...

no - just Ella- common as muck, I've been told

Thats a great spreadsheet NoHun. Having scrolled aaaaaaall the way down, I can see that my DD was one of 47 to be named her name. I'm happy with that. Mind you 47 girls were also named Precious. And 144 were named Princess, so my judgypants are on tightly.

WOW that was fast! Thank you NoHunIntended!

my son is kenzie and my 2nd gs called oakley

And here for Scotland: www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/births/popular-names/2010/detailed-tables.html.

feb70, www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3A77-225089, and when downloaded, tab to Table 6.

That is so lovely Bollocks (how funny will that look in the active convos?)

I am very touched. Made my week that has

Is there a list of ALL names that were given last year? Not just the top 100? Can anyone direct me? Thank you so much!

thefirstMrsDeVere - yes I did. We both had different names on the ante-natal thread (stinkypinky) I was so very touched by what you said about your brave beautiful girl, and her name is very cool

I had no idea about your Asher though! Spooky eh!

My Ds are Jareth and Danann and my Dd are Arwen, Darcy and Akai. I would have an unusual name as do my siblings (hippy parents). I am Etaoin Williow Moon.

Etaoin xx

DD is Matilda and we've not come across another yet. She does go by Tilly though which is way more popular. DH loved Tilly but I didn't so Matilda was the compromise.

My first DD has the normal name of Sophie.. subsequent twins.. Gypsophila (gypsy) and Araminta (minty) .. they are now 6 and love their names :)

Both my sons have what I class as unusual names. There were 5 Victoria's and 4 Emma's in my class at school so I was determined my children would avoid that. I have Milo and Cooper and am expecting a third boy in Feb. People probably assume they are newfangled but actually are Latin and Anglo Saxon. Next one is a work in progress but definitely will not be Matthew or Tom!