AIBU to think that if you give your child a name that more commonly belongs to the opposite sex, or name your child after a vegetable...

[Jacksmania]

... then you shouldn't be all that surprised to get comments from people?

Disclaimer: I absolutely believe that anyone should be allowed to name their child whatever they like, as long as it's not obviously offensive. I mean, "Fuckface" or whatever is obviously out :o

I'm asking this because I've found myself in two separate situations this week where I ended up thinking, "well, come on..." but then wondered what the MN Jury would think.

Will try to be as brief as possible:

1 - acquaintance was registering her DD for ballet lessons. Her DD is named something most commonly male.
Acquaintance to ballet school: "I'd like to register my DD "male name" for ballet class Tuesday nights at x time."
Ballet school: "I'm sorry but boys' ballet classes are Wednesdays at x time".
Acquaintance: "as I said, I'd like to register my daughter "male name" for ballet at x time"
Ballet school: "your daughter "male name"?..."
Acquaintance: (seething) "yes my daughter "male name""
Ballet school: "..."

Acquaintance hangs up and starts ranting about idiocy of school who can't grasp that "male name" might be a girl. I listen but then stupidly say "well, you have to admit, it's not usually ever that I've heard of a girl's name".
Acquaintance: at me.

2 - friend makes reference to her teenage son whose name is in fact that of a leafy green vegetable. Person who can be a bit of a knobber in surrounding group overhears and in a sneering tone says to friend "did you say "x" was your teenager's name??"
Friend says yes. Knobber person says "you are aware that "teenager's name" is in fact a green leafy vegetable??" Friend (obviously irritated) says "yes". Knobber walks off smirking.

Friend is upset with Knobber, as was I because really he didn't need to be quite that knobbish about it... and I've obviously learned my lesson because I didn't say anything this time, but thought to myself, "well, he does have a point".

So - AIBU to think that you should probably expect comments all your child's life if you name them after a leafy green, or give a girl a boy's name or vice versa? I do understand it gets tiresome, but, well...
And want to add that I in no way condone rudeness!!! I think it should be possible to ask or comment without being horrible.

:o I lived nearby Drumchapel and hung about there as a teen (early 00's), my friend's mum was friends with a lady in her 30's called Versace McClatchy.

I wonder if its a family name :o

And I stand corrected on the maiden name issue, I have genuinely never came across this z

I hear Versace is a twin, to Armarni. I am looking for proof as I'm sure I've seen a newspaper article about this.

My sister (who is at times a bit slow to catch on to things) spent a week thinking we are going to call DS2 brocker-lee, before she finally said it aloud and cottoned on. She then rang me rather annoyed with my mum pissing herself laughing manically in the background!

Although im not a fan of kale my mum wanted to call my sister kobe (like
The beef) if she had been a he...

I love those books too welsh but calling your DD Lettice would make me think of "don't forget to shake your lettice!" at toilet time.
kveta Vivien makes me think of 'The Young Ones'

Ds has a boy in his year called 'Bramley'

Wrt the op I have to admit I went through cabbage, broccoli and sprout before arriving at Kale

I have a friend whose youngest dd has a male name. I like it though, it suits her.

I know a female Stevie (named for Stevie Nicks) and a Jaymee pronounced Jamie.
There's a boy named Fran, not short for anything in one of my DCs class at school.
We did meet a small girl named Riocca once at a party, pronounced Rioja

"JAYMEE"?

My sister is a Jaimee I think its nice for a girl, don't like it for a boy though.

Elliot from Scrubs was called that because her dad wanted a boy, IIRC.

Peanut, I am Scottish and my DS1 has my maiden name as a first name. It's also an ordinary boy's name, though. (Think James, for example.)

It may not be so common these days, but when I was at school in the 60's and 70's there were many boys with surnames as first names.

ithaka no I'm not wrong.
Cameron used to be a common first name for females in Scotland.
Certainly in Aberdeenshire.
The lady DD was named after was 106 years old and her first name was Cameron.

I think Elliot for a girl is beautiful and I also think Cameron for a girl is beautiful.

Ambiguous names
Names that, today, we would normally associate with boys were occasionally (mainly in the North of Scotland) given to girls and vice versa, for example, Nicholas. Christian, viewed as a boy?s name today, was quite a common girl?s name in Scotland, and used as an alternative to Christina.

C&P'd from
www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/content/help/index.aspx?561

littletrees Ah I think I have figured it out

curly kale?

i take it his mum can't spell 'kyle'?

What if Kale marries Lettice? Maybe they could have a double wedding with the female and male Elliot?

What would they call their sprouts children though? Broccolini? Littlegem?

I think Bok Choy has a nice ring to it.

Boo, I thought the girl was going to be called Barry or Kevin or Dave or summat.

I know a girl and a boy called Ellis. They were in the same class at school.

I'm in Fife - and it's the done thing in this bit of it to do the mother's maiden name as part of of the childs name, but is slowly dying out. My dcs don't have mine as part of theirs thankfully - it's bloody awful.

My sister is a Jaimee I think its nice for a girl, don't like it for a boy though.

my ds1 is called jamie!

Haha I actually really like Kale! Oh dear!