To not use proper spellings when naming your child

[Catterpillarsflipflops]

Am I being unreasonable to think it's ridiculous to use a funky spelling of a normal name. I spent today dealing with lost paperwork for a child as the person that took the details didn't think to check the spelling as there is no other spelling of the name.

It looks silly and just causes no end of problems for the child. It also disadvantages them as straight away people get an image of what the child is like.

I've seen

Jaymz
Ezmay
Lil-leigh

Harper isn't a nice name. As a first name, it's ugly, and sounds like a surname. You must be the first person ever to describe the Beckhams as upper-class. It was chavvy the moment they chose it for their daughter! I think it's a pity that girls are called things like Harper and Piper when there are so many much prettier names. They sound like the surnames of young men in the Armed Forces.

"Piper! Polish those boots!"
"Harper! Drop and give me fifty!"

😂

The upper classes have their own idiotic names that they've used for a long time and haven't really filtered down to the masses, like Lettice and Araminta. Just as stupid as Neveah and Chavon, imo.

Definitely not Spanish, where it's Ana.

Gotta love portmanteau names. I used to know someone who lived in Ronden Close, Beccles. The road name was (allegedly) based on the names of Ronald and Dennis, the names of the two developers of the little estate.

In my family tree dating back a few hundred years we have a Dive (male) and a Zenobia(female) both names would be totally odd and be in this thread I think if they were around now.

My given name has at least four well established spellings. When I see someone using the wrong one, THAT ISN'T ME.

Yes, Cork.

This isn't new though is it. Quite a few names have different spellings that have become accepted. Like Holly /Hollie or Vicky /Vicki or Lee/Leigh.
Although when my cousin got married I discovered her husband was Lea. Never seen that spelling before or since.

See, Harper’s got a totally different image in the US - before it got mega-popular, it was used by sort of pseudo-intellectual types who wanted to tell you how much they loooooooved To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I say “pseudo-intellectual” because it was like they were trying to show off how well-read they were, but TKAM is probably one of the most frequently assigned books in American high schools. So, yay, good for you, you remembered sophomore English class!

I like the name Araminta, actually. It was Harriet Tubman’s birth name.

In America, Crystal/Krystall spelt many different ways is quite a common name, due to many German immigrants years ago. When I lived there, I went to a masseuse called Krystle. I thought it was a modern name, but it has very old roots.

It was originally an Old German name, Christl, which means Christlike, and was pronounced "Chrissle." There were many German immigrants to America and Scandinavian/Dutch ones which had versions of Christl too. Then people started changing the spelling and eventually Christl had the T pronounced and evolved through various spellings to Crystal, and alternative spellings like your friend Krystall. So she actually has a very old German name meaning that she is like Jesus!

Yes, that was the only time I'd heard it prior to the Beckhams using it - the author of TKAM.

The trouble with Araminta is that the person ends up being called Minty. I always remember there was a travel journalist called Minty Clinch! 😂 Don't know if she's still around.

My name is unisex and can be spelt in 3 different ways that I know of, potentially 4 if you wanted to be jazzy. It's also a name that when you introduce yourself to others, they mishear and call you something else 🤣. What is my name?

Give the man a break! Although can the hive mind find a name that works in four or more European languages

^

Max

Yes agree with this completely. My name is spelt the original way. It has got more popular the last 20 or so years. But I always get asked how it's spelt. There's some spellings with a hythen between the first and second half. Just to be unique or because they don't like how it looks written down. The poor child has to live with that name.

@Catterpillarsflipflops I have just checked the baby names section and you have not added this there. Therefore, you have been very U not addressing this directly to all those hormonal women who need a reality check.

Otherwise, I am with you all the way.

Hmm Lesley, Leigh, Kerry, or Quin. Can't think of anymore.

naa-a is actually natasha!! abcde is pronounced absidee!

See, Harper’s got a totally different image in the US - before it got mega-popular, it was used by sort of pseudo-intellectual types who wanted to tell you how much they loooooooved To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I say “pseudo-intellectual” because it was like they were trying to show off how well-read they were, but TKAM is probably one of the most frequently assigned books in American high schools. So, yay, good for you, you remembered sophomore English class!
I like the name Araminta, actually. It was Harriet Tubman’s birth name.

This is like "I liked the band before they were popular"

I've taught an Aaliviyarh. Pronounced Olivia.

I wonder if she was aiming for the Welsh name Lleucu (Lucy)!

Zenobia is a very old name, she was a 3rd century Empress of Palmyra. I don't know much about her but can remember a heading in a book, something about "She defied the might of Rome". So quite a woman, I guess.

I covered a class the other day and there was a Iyla and I didn't clock it was a capital so I called out Iyla for the register. She sort of sighed and said "it's Iyla" like she had to do that every register. I've never seen Isla written as Iyla before, but maybe it's not that unusual.

Those poor kids, having to grow up always spelling out their names and correcting people. I do think registrars should be allowed to step in. It would make their job much more awkward though!

I know an Alivia they liked Olivia but thought it was too common so changed the first letter.

There was a couple in the media a few weeks ago. Registra was refusing to let them name their baby boy Lucifer. They got their way in the end but the poor kid.

There was one a few years ago parents were stopped from naming baby Tallulah does the hula in Hawaii.

RedToothBrush · Today 01:10

I think people would consider Wendy a normal girls name. Not common, but normal.
Except it's essentially a made up name dating from 1904 when it was used in Peter Pan. Prior to that it has usage as a surname and occasional male name.

I had a junior school classmate called Wendy in the 70s, her given name was Gwendoline, I always assumed it was a normal contraction of that.

Agree! My three year old has known her full name for about a year - although she sometimes gets mixed up and says first name, last name, middle name.