So come on then, was anyone actually bullied or knows someone who is/was solely because of their name?

[Polkadotfanatic]

Reading the baby names threads recently there have been a lot of more 'unusual' names that have come up and besides the "He'll never be a High Court Judge" lot, there have been suggestions that a child will be purely bullied by his peers on name only...

In your experience or opinion how true is this?

I always assumed that kids are accepting of things like names and that it tends to be the adults who have the problem with an unusual name, ie - a five year old is not going to know the reason that some adults will have a raised eyebrow or a cat's bum mouth towards a 'Gaylord' - purely example only, I dont want to be slated by any mums of little Gaylord!

It would just be interesting to hear what your experiences are with this - would be helpful to include the name too, if poss.

yep.

named after a popular margarine brand.

bullied RELENTLESSLY at primary for it. then got the 'spreads well?' comments in secondary.

It didn't help having an english accent in a scottish school, but my name was the focus for the teasing and bullying.

I am 30 now and just starting not to hate my name.

More teased than bullied as my name rhymed with pee and sea.

Later on teased about having a double barrelled first name.

yes, I was teased throughout Primary, and then in Secondary it was ammunition for those who were bullying me for other reasons. I just wanted not to stand out, to blend into the background, and although it wasn't the name that caused it, it certainly didn't help.

My DS got a top ten name!

Yes, her name was Marigold.
This was the north east in the late 80's, early 90's.

same for my DC Tit! both have top 10 names for that reason!

Not bullying, but my mum refused to go out with a boy because he was called Cedric.

Happened to me. Made me unhappy for most of the fifth form. Maybe if it wasn't my name it would have been something else - it was just 2 horrible boys - but my name made it easy.

I think that's why am struggling with names for my baby

Guy had his name changed to Gay by some of his contemporaries and was teased a bit though not seriously bullied.

I knew two people at school who both had negative attention and unkind NNs assigned to them as a direct result of their names.

Clifford and Harbans. I went to secondary school with both (mid-late 90s).

Clifford was bullied because it is such an 'old man' name, given to a lad in the wrong time (i.e. before such names became popular) and the wrong place (inner city).

Harbans was Pakistani and her name was easy to derive disgusting NNs from. I won't divulge as it's not necessary. Suffice it to say that it was an inner city school filled with lots of offspring of racist white thugs, so that she was a Muslim with a 'funny name' didn't help.

Vile pigs at my old school. I never, ever admit that I went there, you know? I've worked hard since to distance myself from it. I'm going off-subject now but when my DDs reach secondary school age, I'll ever make the mistake
of sending them to a school like that.

Children might bully obviously teasable names, like
Will -> Willy
Benedict -> Bendy Dick

But most other 'unusual' names are just accepted as kids are far more accepting of different (cultural, class etc) names than a lot of adults (or at least mumsnetters who worry a child might be bullied for being called Arlo or Thor for example).

"my mum refused to go out with a boy because he was called Cedric"

That proves my point - adults are far more narrow minded than most kids! BTW, I think Cedric is a cool name myself!

I was teased but not bullied. Mostly in primary school and then when I was in my early 20s. People would deliberately mispronounce it to annoy me. My name isn't wierd really or even difficult to pronounce, it's just very unusual.

I have to say I didn't find it upsetting but I did find it very tedious, what I found most tedious was the attitude of teachers or other grown ups who made much more fuss about it (and not in a nice way) than other kids.

Tamara known as Tammy was called Tampax.

And a child called 'Geoffrey' which was so out of it's time that he got bullied over it. His parents changed it to his middle name and moved him to a new school.

Yes, my surname; scarred me for life; someone garbled the letters and came up with a word like Pigsty which stuck for four years. My dad & my brothers were called other variations.

I had a friend who grew up on a council estate with the middle name "Benjamin", he used to shudder about it,he reckoned it was the worst boys name ever.

I think if kids are going to tease then they will find anything to pick on, but it doesn't improve matters to give them extra opportunities.

yes. a friend of my DDs was bullied because of their rather nice name (said backwards it invited teasing). I also know at least 3 children who were given rather odd names and have insisted as they got older to be called a more acceptable variant because they hated their unusual name.

but whilst saddling your child with a name that invites ridicule or makes them stand out is IMHO not a good idea, bullies can always find something to pick on.

Molotov - there was a Clifford at my primary school in the 80s and he was the cool one (by cool I mean always in trouble, obviously).

"And a child called 'Geoffrey' which was so out of it's time that he got bullied over it. His parents changed it to his middle name and moved him to a new school. "

That is so sad - I hope my childrens' school (and the parents) will teach more open-mindedness! To have to move a child out of school because his name was not fashionable is just beyone me...!!

Yes.

With me, it was Diana - Die Diana and In-diana. I started going by my middle name and now go by a variant of it. My DH was bullied mercilessly for her surname/hair combination (he has red hair and a surname that rhymed with carrot).

happychappy, does your name start with a K? If so, my brother had the exact same thing (same name).

I was horribly bullied because of my name. :( They all used to gang up and sing songs with insults that rhymed with it, it was horrific and I still get people commenting on my name or laughing so I am changing it.

My parents should seriously have been fucking ashamed with theirselves.

Oh and if you slightly mispronounce it, it would sound exactly like the German word for "quick".

You would think my Mother would have realised that, being German and all.

A boy at my friends' school had the innocuous surname of Green and went by the nickname of Bogey from the first week of the first term. However I don't think he was bullied per se, I think he was a fairly well liked lad.

I knew a girl at school. Initial "S" last name Mell

She was constantly teased about it.

I had some grief about my name as it rhymed with smelling.

I had mad hair was ill and had to wear splints though so was a sitting duck for getting shit!