To be surprised at friends/family’s baby names

There’s two instances in my life I can think of, one very recently and another close relative many years ago. Both chose perfectly ordinary names but I was taken aback as the style is so different from what I’d thought they would choose.

Choker?

Lol. I also have a cousin once removed named Hades!! I also wish I were joking. 😂

I was hoping it was Incontinence Pants but I see it’s something you wear round your neck so I think it’s Cravat

Taigh pronounced Tie

It’s got to be socks.😂

I know one of these... wonder if it's the same one or if there are two?

Beret? Tie (Taidgh maybe?)? Woggle?!

I think Serena could be a nice name, but in the accent local to here, where all the vowels are eeeeeeeelongaaaaated, it doesn't sound so good. SerEEEEEEEEEEEEnuuuuuuuuuh!

@Tricolette , I know lots of people with similar names. It's quite normal in Wales.

Just at my cousin, who named her daughters Carmen and Mercedes, granny names over here in Spain. Even my 70 year old uncle had a laugh.

There were some odd village names over there, too. The 'local' name for the one where Jodie Whittaker comes from is 'Shat'.

Imagine living there! See also Twatt, Bell End, Shitterton, Lunt, Butt Hole Lane etc.

Not a rude one, but there's a village called Cross Houses that we sometimes drive through - we always think it should have been called Angry Bungalows!

Burton Joyce?
Mavis Enderby?
Upper Thong?
Slack Bottom?
Little Snoring?

I used to live quite close to Upper Thong. And Nether Thong. I can't say l'd ever have considered either as baby names.
There were some odd village names over there, too. The 'local' name for the one where Jodie Whittaker comes from is 'Shat'.

How many years ago are we talking? Was that internet thing around yet at the time? These days, there’s no excuse whatsoever. I’m sure some people spend far longer online uploading pictures of their very ordinary meals to Facebook than they spend doing the most basic research on the intended name of their child. We also know an ‘Issac’ – but pronounced as Isaac.

About ten years ago. So no excuse....

@LakieLady - Puck- by the age of 2-3 he was known by his middle name!

I think your overestimating the younger generations knowledge of Greek mythology.

I am always surprised at parents who name their dc to match the surname eg. Robert Roberts, seems terribly lazy to me.
A work colleague with no Scottish connections named her dc Hamish.

I went to school with a Serena, I think its a lovely name.

My younger cousins are becoming fairly consistent with their children's names - Ulysses, Achilles etc. They are French but those children are going to have to live up to their names when they are older!

I think the point being made about Serena was that the serenity is missing. I do think any sort of virtue or descriptor names are a risk - an ungraceful Grace or a short, stocky Willow. A blonde Raven, a really shy and unassuming Maverick or nervous Danger. Abel as mentioned up thread is a shock.

I know 2 sets of adult siblings called Michael and Michelle. Stunningly unimaginative. I also know of more than one family where the siblings are anagrams of each other, like Amy and May (but not) or alliterative siblings or "matching" twins.

I find misspellings odd, like why wouldn't you Google? Things like Pheobe, or Pheonix, Immogin etc. Names with a variety of legitimate spellings are trickier I guess. One DD went through a phase of being surrounded by Lily/Lillie/Lili/Lilly and I spent a lot of time checking before writing invites/cards.

DS played in a football match where the other team seemed to be all surname type names - Hudson, Baxter, Berkley, Cooper, Oakley. It seems a real naming shift especially among boys. Nothing necessarily wrong with any of the names, just a real shift.

When we named ours we went v traditional, family names, mainstream spelling etc. I know a lot of friends and family saw/see our choices as boring or unadventurous. Some openly said so, or that they pitied the kids. Mine are all the only one of their names in their school though, have no issues with spellings or pronunciations and no preconceived stereotypes to fight.

I've learned though, that however much you think you won't get used to a name, you do. They just become who they are and you use it. So while I do have thoughts, I never ever voice them.

@TulipTuesday
Virginia Water?

“Baby” Rolf is now in his mid 20s.

A lot of the names on this thread seem pretty normal and unsnigger worthy to me: what is wrong with Serena, Cameron, Keith, Brian, Dante for example? They may not be names you like, but they are recognisable standard names in regular use and straightforward to spell - what is the issue?

I feel rather sorry for those people being related to such a bunch of bullies. Was this before or after Operation Yewtree? Rolf is a perfectly standard Scandinavian name.

I know a Nero.

It's a nice enough sounding name but it's a bit like calling your child Lenin

Also, someone who called their children REALLY similar names. Think "Leah and Leila." I think some people get stuck on a certain sound and can't imagine options outside it!

I'm always a bit surprised when people pick very common names that a couple of other people in their friendship circle have already picked for their own kids. I mean, the purpose of a name is to identify someone - can they really think of nothing other than Isabella, Lily or Theo? (Perfectly pleasant names, but....)