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Baby names

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Original poster

Why do people give such basic names that will be an administrative nightmare?

171 replies

ThatFraggle · 18/06/2023 16:43

If you have a 'bog standard' surname, why would you give your child a bog standard first AND middle name?

I'm not saying you have to call them Fifi-Tinkerbelle, but why put the person in a position that there will be dozens of people with the same name and date of birth. E.g. A name from the most popular names, (Chloe, Liam, Jack, etc.) plus common surnames (Smith etc.)

At least go for a middle name like Esmeralda, or Phoenix or whatever you feel like. You can have two middle names if you really want granddad Henry to be honoured in the name.

OP posts:
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Dibbydoos · 18/06/2023 18:13

I saw the case of the guy who's banned for poor behaviour all over town yet it's not him, it's some else with the same name and dob, just a slight spelling difference, so I understand what you mean.

I think you're getting heat cos of your terminology. My kids have unusual names but that's cos of their ethnicity....

beeskipa · 18/06/2023 18:11

toastofthetown · 18/06/2023 17:05

We were threatened with bailiffs to our house because someone who shares my husband's (common) name and date of birth hadn't paid a fine and it has been referred to a debt collection agency. Just because you haven't come across it, doesn't make it not a thing. Would have saved us considerable stress if it wasn't.

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Same. DH has a super generic name - think 'Matthew James Jones' or something. We got chased for an electricity bill for someone with the same name and DOB for years, it was a nightmare when we were getting a mortgage.

On the other hand, I'm the only person in the world with my name and that means I'm very easy to track down!

Imnotahoarderreally · 18/06/2023 18:11

I don’t understand the laziness of not even choosing a name but deciding your dc will be Robert Roberts or Charles Charles.

ScabbyKebab · 18/06/2023 18:09

I have a very common 80s first name (think Claire, Louise) and an utterly ridiculous surname that is a nightmare to spell and pronounce. There are only 2 other women with my first and surname on Facebook. I’m very identifiable on SM and Google.

DFiance has one of the most common surnames there is. I absolutely cannot wait to be Claire Smith and fade into obscurity.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 18/06/2023 18:09

There were two girls with exactly the same name eg: Jane Louise Brown, whose birthdays were eg: 3 May (3/5) and 5 March (5/3) of the same year in my sister's form at secondary school. One of them didn't get entered for her GCSEs due to admin error (it was the 1980s, very little was on PC, lots of handwritten lists etc).

My DC have pretty bland names with a traditional English occupation surname. They've got through to Y10 and Y7 unscathed.

Alwayswonderedwhy · 18/06/2023 18:09

Complete non issue. For example, I work in a school where there's loads of Jaydens. They all have different surnames and dob. Very easy to distinguish between them.

Orangeymoon · 18/06/2023 18:08

ThatFraggle · 18/06/2023 16:54

When someone with the same name and date of birth as you get into some sort of trouble, it's not always easy to extricate yourself. Bailiffs etc.

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Lol!! I have a very common name and have never had any issues. Bailiffs 🤣

Avondale89 · 18/06/2023 18:07

Well this is a thread about a problem that isn’t really a problem.

tenbob · 18/06/2023 18:06

One of the reasons I eventually changed my surname to DH’s is because of the total anonymity of his very common name.

I don’t like being googled, and now you have to sift through pages and pages before you find anything about me

Ladysaurus · 18/06/2023 18:06

I work with an Emma Jones. I'm very jealous of her. She's never had to tell anyone how to spell orr pronounce it.

SurferRona · 18/06/2023 18:06

ThatFraggle · 18/06/2023 17:27

Have you read the thread? It's not a magical one in a billion thing.

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Sorry! Meant to be @SpidersAreShitheads !

SurferRona · 18/06/2023 18:04

SpidersAreShitheads · 18/06/2023 17:26

There will always be odd and unusual things that happen. It really is a bit bonkers to make big life decisions on the basis of events where the likelihood of occurrence is miniscule.

For example, I know of a case where a man died from drinking a fizzy drink, turns out he had an undiagnosed bacterial infection in his gut and the fizzy drink caused a fatal chain of events.

I still drink fizzy drinks.

I mean this kindly, but you really are overthinking this issue.

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I’d love to hear more about your fizzy drink example please @ThatFraggle 🙂the bit where the unfortunate chap dies, not you continuing to drink them.

RhosynBach · 18/06/2023 18:03

FridayNightDinners · 18/06/2023 16:56

This really isn't a thing. Bailiffs don't just turn up at any old house because someone called Clare Smith lives there.

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It can be a thing. My friends oh moved into a new housing association house. His name was along the lines of Danny Jones. The same name as the man living there before him who had a lot of debt and the bailiffs kept coming and trying to take things from the house. Friends oh was losing the plot trying to explain he was a different Danny Jones but they didn’t accept it for ages.

Moonflower12 · 18/06/2023 18:03

My middle DD has a popular first name, the usual middle name to that first name and a common surname. In the village we lived 20 years ago, there was a child with the same name and DOB. We had to always check in at the doctors with our address.

On the other hand, my eldest DD is the only person on google with her combination of names!

JennyJenny8675309 · 18/06/2023 18:02

@Smartiepants79

”Younique nonsense” 😆
I haven’t seen that before but it’s brilliant.

NoraBattysCurlers · 18/06/2023 18:02

troubg · 18/06/2023 17:29

My husband has a unique name. Old name for his age and rare surname. If you Google him, he pops up straight away, you would know where he went to high school due to an old news clipping, where he works, where he lives, what his parents do for hobbies as again he pops up in an old article about it

tbf he needs to update some of his privacy settings!

@troubg, it is naive in the extreme to believe that 'privacy settings' can somehow control news articles on publicly available websites.

Once information is on the web, it is impossible to control.

SouthLondonMum22 · 18/06/2023 18:02

ThatFraggle · 18/06/2023 18:01

Who pissed in your cornflakes?

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John Smith. Who knows which one.

Original poster
ThatFraggle · 18/06/2023 18:01

ladygindiva · 18/06/2023 17:58

Why do you give a crap? Fwiw I know a John Smith who has no issue with his name being so common. Get a life.

Who pissed in your cornflakes?

OP posts:
Willmafrockfit · 18/06/2023 18:01

an administrative nightmare is the spelling!
you wouldnt believe the spelling that people chose,
Rhyley, for example

theDudesmummy · 18/06/2023 18:01

I am also the only person in the world with my first name and surname combination (a cousin has the male version of my first name and uses the same shortened version but spells it differently). Very very unusual surname, which consists of two words and can be quite a pain (even though it is spelled exactly as it sounds people still spell it wrong). I'm therefore extremely easy to find, which I don't really like.

EllaRaines · 18/06/2023 18:00

I'm guessing that this might be more of a problem if you are Chinese.

My husband in his line of work has come across many Chinese people who have the same name.

MrsBarbaraLangerhans · 18/06/2023 18:00

I have an unusual first name and an uncommon surname. I have NEVER met someone with both in combination in the whole world. It is rather nice being nominatively unique.

Rewis · 18/06/2023 18:00

We get assigned a identification number/social security number the day we are born to avoid this confusion. My (British) bf thinks this feels slightly 1940's 😅but I have to say, I find it useful.

ladygindiva · 18/06/2023 18:00

RoseBucket · 18/06/2023 17:51

Yes and even worse for some Irish families such as mine who recycle the same name with every generation!

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Yup, Mary and James through and through on our family tree 🤣

PurpleBananaSmoothie · 18/06/2023 17:59

PurpleBananaSmoothie · 18/06/2023 17:56

His privacy settings for his social media are fine. This is all information that is in the public domain. His work has a team page with all their staff. He pops up as being in this village due to some volunteer work he’s done which is on a public page. You can maintain your own privacy settings but other people can, and will, still post things about you. My work have posted stuff about me too but as I’m one of thousands you have to already know where I work to find those work articles. So to Google me, I need to have given you my CV. Anyone from my husband’s school can Google him and see where he works.

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Well, assuming they remember how to spell his name!

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