Should you not use your fav name due to fears of bullying in future?

I chose an unusual name, would probably get slated for it on here, but it means something special to me. I'm really glad I didn't allow myself to be swayed. To each their own, but to me Alfie, Henry, William or Thomas are dull, and not like us. The benefit is people always remember my son, it's not that easy for everyone to spell, but neither are some more common names. The downside is some people probably think I'm a bit of a knob for choosing it, however I couldn't give a toss. It's our life and who we are.

*Georgie Porgie. - implying fat child

How does that imply being fat? To me it implies kissing the girls and making them cry.*

Georgie Porgie Pudding and Pie

It was written about the Prince Regent/George IV and was poking fun at him being fat.

But
What
Is
The
Name.

My mum said she named us with names that suit an adult as well as a baby/ small child, and that would never be humiliating or ridiculous. I used the same principles on my own kids. For example I love the name Titus, but didn't use it because, even to my biassed ear, I can hear that it sounds like 'tight arse' and could cause problems.

Ds1 has an unusual name. When he was a baby people were queing up to tell us they liked it but would never use it in case it led to bullying. 10 years later we are still waiting for the bullying Actually, I don't think I've ever heard a child comment on it.

Georgie Porgie. - implying fat child

How does that imply being fat? To me it implies kissing the girls and making them cry.

How older people view names will be very different to how your child's classmates do.

When I was at school everybody was called Claire, Helen, Sarah - with names like Chloe, Charlene and Stacey being more cool "out - there" names. Older girls were Donna, Vanessa and Lisa. Mums were Mary, Wendy and Linda - and grannies were Mabel, Florence and Ada.
The old man names - Charlie, Alfie, George, Jack etc were exactly that - old man names.

My older teenage children go to school with such a broad section of names - the most popular being the flower names; the old man names; the surnames ie Bailey, Mason, Logan, Ryan etc, the "-aidans" - Jayden, brayden, kaden, hayden; the Millies, Tillies, Mias, Tias, Ellas and Ellies. Then there are also some Tallulahs, a Mowgli and a Freedom. I asked them what the most unusual name in their year was and they said "David". Yes, seriously.

My toddler son goes to nursery and groups with a new resurgence of names - Ophelia, Rupert, Noah, Lincoln, Persephone, Jaxon, an Emma and a Jason.

I think anything goes as a name nowadays and it is more likely to be judgey adults who raise eyebrows than other children. Unless the initials are something like BJ, or it is a name with connotations ie Dick or Fanny - then it really is fine.

Come back, OP, we need to know! (Feel free to PM me!)

Enrique, I totally LOVE Scheherazade! It is a shame I am done at two babies! :)

The more variety, the better. Unless, as Mackeral says, it's something like Banana.

Lorelei is quite out there but fine but NOT with our surname which begins with an l and has two syllables. The end result sounds like a circus performer. Dd1 (now 9) when I told her was horrified!

It totally depends on the name, surely - whether it's downright ridiculous and outrageous, or just a bit unusual and not to everyone's taste.

Banana or Adoph - YABU.

Ephraim or Sonny - YANBU.

I second the comment that if you can't write it on an anonymous forum then you probably shouldn't give that name to your child.

My name is very unusual. I'm 38 and have yet to meet another one. It was changed when I was 4 because my dad thought Kate was dull. It's been a big help in my career actually - I'm the only one on Google and people remember it (I'm a freelancer so I'm constantly networking). It's a real name, just very very rare.

I've never been bullied for it (despite getting bullied for a ton of other stuff), and bear in mind the 80s was a world full of Daves, Steves and Emmas. Today it's very different. I volunteer at my daughter's school and there's all kinds of names, from all cultures and backgrounds. None of the kids know or care about the difference between a kid called Joe and one called Jobo (Jobo is in my daughter's class - real name Joseph). The only way they'd realise it was an odd name is if their parents commented on it and they overheard. So I think a lot of 'your kids will get bullied' rubbish is coming from people who MIGHT harbour very critical opinions themselves.

There's a massive difference too between 'yoonique' and 'different'. Just because you don't want Florence, it doesn't mean you want to be yoonique. If you really like the name, and it's not sexually suggestive, I'd say ignore the sheep and go with it. FWIW, my own daughter has an unusual 'boys' name. Her classmates either haven't noticed or haven't cared.

As others have said, it really does depend on the name. And it's very strange for a name to be met with negativity every time it's mentioned. If it's just an unusual name, I wouldn't worry too much about bullying! If it was a name like Adolf, for example, I would think that was very unfair to the child. You really aren't going to get a straight answer on here without giving us the name x

Or it says that the OP might have family members on MN and doesn't want to out herself? For all we know the name could be something like, I dunno, Arabella, and her family are all squawking that it's too posh. I've seen threads where people's families have all hated a name but when the name is finally revealed it's perfectly acceptable to all bar the most narrow-minded.

Not everyone is going to like the name you choose. If it's quite traditional, some people will think it's too boring. If it's more unusual, some people will think it's too weird.

But the fact that you're not willing to share it on here says a huge amount about how comfortable you feel about the name.

I certainly don't want to bow down to any potential bullies, I've been thinking of the overall impact of the name on the new child.

For me the conversation hasn't been about unusual or off the wall name choices, it's been about the saying every time the OP's mentioned the name it's met with negativity. That's really unusual, for everyone to dislike a name or have something negative to say.

Say for example, Scheherazade. I don't know one in everyday life. I've heard of Sheherazade Goldsmith though. Ex wife of Zac, now partner of Alfonso, according to Wikipedia. None of theirs are run of mill names, but they're just their names.

If I'd named a DC that, I'd anticipate some but say yes, we have Russian ancestry, love the orchestral piece, or heard it from The Arabian Nights or whatever. That'd probably be the end of it. Some would think it too fanciful, too hard to spell etc. but some would probably say something complimentary. It'd be a mixed bag, with the disapproving comments coming from adults rather than peers I'd think and not really any more or any less than being given a really really popular name.

Upshot of it is, that if we'd chosen an out of the ordinary name and got some bad responses, so be it, but if I hadn't had a single approval, I'd have to give serious consideration to why that was.

I'm agog to know what the name is and what the DF thinks of it.

I don't think that Lorelei is all that out there.

DD has a real but very unusual name (rare enough not to show up on list because there are fewer than 3 per year) and she's never been teased about it. She is also quiet and bookish.

DS has an unusual name (just outside the top thousand) but there is another boy at his primary school with the same name.

And there are plenty of other unusually-named children around. Mine are by no means the only ones in their school/brownies/sports clubs with less usual names.

I really like the name Lorelei.

And I do sometimes wonder if our name shapes our character in some way. My name is unusual and people say it suits me. I wonder if your daughter would have been quiet and bookish if she was called Dazzle?

So you want to saddle your kid with this name for the rest of his life but it's too awful to share on an anonymous forum?

Haven't you answered your own question?

I came up with some really bonkers names when I was first pregnant with my PFB. We nearly called DD1 Lorelei, bad enough but our surname begins with an L too and runs in a similar way.

DD1 is a careful quiet bookish child that name would have been a disaster for her. What was I thinking! Shockingly DH went along with it he didnt have any excuse. Luckily I saw sense in the nick of time.

Agree with RiverTam and AbbyCadabby, my children have unusual names (as do lots of of children at their school) and have never encountered bullying. They love their names.

Bullying because of an unusual name is still bullying and is still unjustified.

DH's first and last name together are very similar to a very iconic film character so he's used to some gentle ribbing, but has never actually been bullied and rather likes his name. He wouldn't change it if he had the chance.

I was off my face on hormones when I named DD (14) one of the chavviest names there is. I laughed at my then P when he said "why can't we give her a normal name?"

She says she likes her name and has never been bullied or teased. I gave her a very normal middle name she's never really used. I still feel bad. I've told her she can change it if she wants but she just laughs at me and says "Oh, mother."

Applauds River Tam.

Time again i see on here "dont do that, you/they might get bullied".

Victim blaming much, not such a stretch to "dont wear a short skirt, you might get raped".

Do you all think its ok for your kids, or yourselves, to tease or bully a child because their parents were daft enough to give them a yooneek name? If my kid ever bullied anyone, however much they "asked for it", thered be hell to pay.

Raise your kids not to bully, dont tell others to change.

I distinctly remember someone at work declaring that his unborn son would be called Stanley, and he was roundly ridiculed by insensitive male colleagues, and told the kid would get bullied. This was more than a decade ago. Stanleys are now ten a penny.

I'd only listen to other people if they had a point. Like the lady yesterday on here that didn't realise calling her daughter Tuppence is akin to calling her Flaps.

My name is very unusual and I love it. I loved being the only one with this name at school, and I love that I've never met another person in 37 years with the same name. However - it is not a made up name, it's not a cr8v spelling of a traditional name and it isn't a name that sounds like a swear word or insult. If it was, I'd be mortified.