Names you love but were not brave/crazy enough to call your child/children.

[Sharney]

When I was pregnant with my daughter I really wanted to name her Calypso. It was opposed from every corner and I gave up. I don't regret this as I love my daughters' name but I often think, if I could give her a sister it would be Calypso. Anybody have a regret?

[hulabula]

Most of the names mentioned are really lovely and much more interesting than the standard top 50/100. I particularly like
Calypso
Romeo
Guinevere
Orion
Caspar
Magdalen
I'd much rather meet one of these than another little Evie or Jack. I don't think we should need to 'brave' for these names - maybe we need to be more encouraging of more name diversity on here .

[JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar]

I wanted to use Skywalker, although as a middle name.

[hellokitty123]

Love Calypso. Orion is cool too, as is Ziggy. Not sure about Tinkerbell though .

[popsicle1984]

I went to school with a Ziggy, a girl one though!

Also did an evening class last year and there was a girl (early 20's) called Blue, I thought that was pretty cool!

Girls
Rainbow
Blossom
Bluebelle
(such a hippy at heart!)

Boys
Atticus
Thaddeus
Balthazar
Saxon

[Maternelle]

Wolf

[Trinaluce]

Iolanthe.

I'm a huge Gilbert and Sullivan fan, and this is my favourite of their works. I think the name's beautiful - but I'm just NOT brave enough to do it, it's not me that's got to explain it my whole life!

I suggested Ivanhoe to DH in jest the other day. He said put it on the list. He was serious

[AlfieandAnnieRose]

I quite like the names Romeo and Buddy for a boy. Chante and Hero for a girl. I think if u meet someone and they have an unusual name its a great conversation starter imo :)

[AlfieandAnnieRose]

I agree Hulabula more name diversity definitely encouraged here! Enough of the Jacks and Chloe's!

[seeker]

There is a massive diversity of names between Jack and Chloe and Rainbow and Skywalker!

Juat rememberyou're not naming a baby, you're naming a sulky, spotty teenager, a dynamic working person, a middle aged parent and an old person struggling to maintain theri dignity in a residential home.

If you love the name Bluebelle or Buddy, change your own name and call your baby something sensible. Unusual is fine - loony is not!

[Prinpo]

Just to go back a few posts, Magdalen is absolutely lovely.

[DilysPrice]

I think Iolanthe is lovely - I'd go for that.

My rejects were
Girl
Arwen
Hepsibah

Boy
Aragorn
Athelstan

[inanna12]

one way around this is to name the child what you really like - inc skywalker etc (i really liked annakin for my ds1, btw), but to give them a more, ahem, easy name as a middle name.
my dsd changed her name (not legally, although i guess she may do when she's older) from a fairly out-there first name to one of her (slightly more straight) middle names when she started secondary school, and is now always known by the name of her choice. we had trouble remembering to call her the new name for a good while, of course, but in fact it suits her much better than her cute little girl name.

[LieInsAreRarerThanTigers]

Orlando. Didn't want people to think he was named after Orlando Bloom, I just liked the name.
Briony and Coral were vetoed by the DH.

[popsicle1984]

I love Orlando too but flippin I don't want people thinking I named it after BLOO Either same with Sienna and Sienna Miller! Grrr @ celebrities ruining awesome names!!

[popsicle1984]

What happened to my post, I sound mental! Apologies for the typos, words in the wrong order etc!!

[magentastardust]

I'm a Coral -never thought of it as an out there name more victorian! Spent my whole life correcting people who presume I am Carol!

My mum just wanted to name me after a precious stone-so at least I avoided pearl or garnet!

[mrswarthog]

I too wanted Calypso (after Camomile Lawn) or Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere) but the first sounded hilarious with our surname & the second a little too much for where we live. Don't really regret it as dd has an uncommon but accessible name. And she definitely is showing signs of Calypso Grant's style!

[popsicle1984]

Just remembered Pepper, for a girl. Not with the surname Potts though!

Might be getting a cat soon then I can use ANY of these names!!

[LittleB]

dilysprice, I also wanted Arwen for dd, dh wouldn't have it though! Liked Silas and fenton for ds.
One day I will have a dog called Arwen!

[LeChatRouge]

My cousin is called Romeo, I also know an Orlando, a Balthazar and a Jupiter.

I say go for it - I have a unique name - I have never met another - and I love it! (My sister has a unique one too) The name soon becomes associated with that baby/child and becomes the norm.

Conversely, my children have more 'normal' names and no middle names, I could have gone all out there and kept up the family tradition - at least my mum couldn't have protested!

[cerealqueen]

I wish I'd been brave with Orchill for a girl - its gaelic but didn't want to keep having to spell or or explain it. I'm expecting Dc2 so maybe I'll be braver.

[DumSpiroSpero]

I've always loved Heathcliff, but there's no way DH would have let me get away with it. It doesn't go with our surname tbh and we had a girl anyway!

I've recently met a little girl called Lorelei, which I think is lovely, but a bit academic as I won't be having anymore.

[continuousexpansion]

Inigo, but I'm not anywhere near posh enough.

[thefirstmrsrochester]

neighan (pronounced knee-ann) or allegra for girls - dd was called India in the end.
for boys - randall or ivo. Vetoed by dh sadly.
love Calypso.