Brave versus safe?

[horsechesnut]

Most people have unusual/ uncommon names which they love but when it finally comes to making that choice just cannot bring themselves to use for whatever reason.

So my Q is - which did you go for - your brave name choice or your safe option and why? And do you now wish you'd chosen the other one?

Ahh Pandora... reminds me of Adrian Mole. Lovely.

We called out DD Isabella which was the safe option and I am sorry I wasn't more brave, hope to convince DH we should be this time. I would say brave within reason and I would certainly consider Jasper to be within reason.

Bigbluebump, where did you get the stat about the name being used 13 times? I'd love to see those numbers but I've only ever seen figures for the top 100

Yes - bigbluebump -I'd be interested to see it too.

My son has an uncommon name, but I don't think it was brave of us to choose it. We just liked the name. I just don't like popular names - however nice they are, their appeal becomes diluted through over-use. New people we meet always remember my son's name, but always forget mine because it's so ordinary!

Tuschinski and Lulu, you will find the spreadsheet with all the names given in the link posted by MrsvWoolf. There is a separate spreadsheet for boys and girls names. The latest is from 2008, I don't know when the 2009 list will be available.

My ds's name is Quentin, by the way .

brave definitely. I have a very unusual greek name and loved being unique throughout my life.

Actually, we need to find a girls name that reflects the fact the DH and I both half and half of different european stock. Trying to find a name that isn't obviously one nationality or another, (don't want to favour one grandparent over another!) and yet is unusual in this country....

Great link. Thanks.

Hard to believe that parents still choose Jack - in 2008 alone more than 8,000 were born!!!

Ooh thanks for that link - very interesting. I've often wondered how many other boy's were born the year DS1 was born and named the same. Now I know -41!!

Go for brave. You wont regret it. All those doubts about it being too out-there are quickly forgotten. They become their names and no-one raises an eyebrow...well hardly!

Out of the children that I know of a similar age to my DS's (2.5 and 20wks) there are more with what would be deemed unusual names than those with IYSWIM.

Thanks for the link MrsVWoolf. I'm surprised to see my son's name isn't on the list at all. I didn't think it was THAT unusual!

We went for 'brave' names in many peoples terms but ultimately they were names we loved.

DS1s name is highly unusual and I have never regretted it. Once it is your childs name people don't judge as much. I have only ever received compliments for my sons name in real life from all sorts of different people(even though it was called both hideous and appalling on here). Besides the OTT judginess is uniqiue to MN I hope (as in real life I do think most people have better things to do). I think baby name threads on here often have a delightfully sheep like yet pantomime aspect to them, it is part of the appeal!

I named ds Guy which was very brave at the time

My two DSs are Aidan and Theodore and would have been Atticus and Dashiell respectively if I had gone for the brave option! I love their names now and they suit them but who knows what would have happened if I had gone for brave...

I named my DS my brave choice. His name is Calder, after sculptor Alexander Calder. I find that I over-explain when asked his name, as almost everyone says "that's unusual" (even though I believe Calder is a fairly common Scottish surname).

I am glad that we went for it though! It goes with our surname and it suits him. Also, it's fun when anyone with an interest in the arts asks his name, as they usually love it.

The ONS statistics usually come out in around September for the previous year - it used to be mid-January but they changed the way they collect them in 2008 so it takes longer now. We followed a friend's advice to take this list & dismiss everything in Top 50 so your child doesn't end up having to share their name with a load of people in their class. The statistics are useful since it seems impossible to predict what will be popular til it's too late - we know 8 Isabella's, 5 Lauren's and 4 Jessica's and my DDs aren't even at school yet!

I used to have unusual name until about 6 years ago and really loved it. Still do but find it very disconcerting when people shout at 5-year olds in supermarkets with MY name as I'm so used to being the only one under 90! My friend Oliver suffers from the same problem.

We went for brave-ish with wackier middle names - Berengaria & Lilith. If either had been a boy they'd have been Boris - which we loved & were determined on but realised was brave when people kept saying '##### (our proposed girl's name) that lovely' and totally avoiding eye contact over Boris.

The only names I like happen to be unusual ones, so I'd say brave every time.

I went safe with number 2 and regret it. It was very popular 10-15 years ago, less so now, but I feel as though I hear it everywhere.

My alternative only gets given as a firstname by 2 or 3 parents a year.

I hope I'm braver next time.

Do tell these highly unusual brave names please????? Most of you seem to have opted to leave them out of your posts which baffles me.

excellent link! my dd's name is well down in the 5k's - must be a brave choice!!

i was desp to name dd Ruby but after seeing its the no.2 name i'm so glad i went with brave!

But there is a huge difference between "unusual" which is fine and "brave" which strikes me as presumtious - you are making a decision on behalf of another person who has no say in the matter so it's important not to be self indulgent! My step nephews and neices have names that fall into this last category and it has made them very unhappy - I daren't say what they are because they are so "brave" that they are instantly identifiable.

All the names mentioned on this thread so far seem to me to fall into the "unusual" category. I do like Calder, particularly.

When my dd was born in 1995 we chose a name we thought was beautiful and really unusual. We thought she would not meet another one very often. A lot of people raised eyebrows.

The name? Grace!

I have to say if I hear a particularly "out there" name I tend to assume the parents are twats.

Sorry.

bigbluebump (or anyone else) do you know how I can find the list of names for 2005?