OK, everybody. Time for a public service thread. Post real names that are unusual but not so bonkers that the poor child will have 80 years of explaining, spelling and justifying to deal with.

[seeker]

Clemency
Timothy
Edith

are my first 3.

I would say never underestimate the stupidity of other people when it comes to names.

Celeste
Cairn
Lilith

Timothy - I think most boys would love a lifetwbof spelling their name compared to a daily register with Timmy on!

Cecilia
Nathaniel
Nicholas

None of them unusual in that they are known, but none used that often I don't think.
Also love cecily. But spelling might be tricky.

Cecily is lovely. It was my 4th choice!

I'm adding Mary and David.

I heard a brilliant one this week- it doesn't fit your criteria, because it is TOTALLY out there, but it was awesome, and the child was mega-cute and will style it out, I'm sure. I rather admire the bollocks of parents who really go for it.

Oh, and I'm rejecting Cairn as not a name but a geographical feature!

What was it BOF?

I'll PM you, because it is pretty identifiable.

The one I'd go for, if I had another child, which I won't, is Ignatius. Iggy + one syllable common surname. It was my grandad's middle name.

Raphael. DS's name which. Has been universally complimented :)

Although some bright spark in hospital decided it was spelt Rapheal hasn't taken a red pen to the red book at all oh no

Any name where people say the parents have to have bollocks to use is automatically out. The parents don't have to have bollocks at all- it's the poor brat who needs them.

PurplePidjin, my DS name is Raphael. He gets called Rafi-eillll all the time and its so annoying trying to find nurseries that actually can manage to pronounce his name. Unusual names are great but I constantly have to S-P-E-L-L- out for everyone so yeah, unusual names take bloody ages every time you have to give them to someone new, and remember the doctors receptionist will never be able to find your kid on the books. I loved unusual names, now if I have another one I am calling it Jacob or something easy and popular like that.

Odin
"Ooh, wasn't that the name of Gardield's doggy friend?"

Mumfor, so far we've only been asked "f or ph" apart from the one dunce maybe we've encountered lots of football and tennis fans?

Jonathan
Quentin
Robert

Antonia
Theresa
Ottilie

Clara
Maud
Cora
Nell
Etta
Agnes
Mabel
Alma

Rufus
Ernest
Jude
Otis
Asa
Kit
Soren
Arlo
Oscar

I have a little Franklin, and it's had nothing but compliments so far. If the husband's opinion didn't matter, I'd have:

Hugo
Theodore
Tobias
Jasper
Vincent

Octavia
Violet
Cecile
Elodie
Sylvie
Callista

And I'd ignore the second poster's opinion on Timothy, I like it and don't know a single Tim who goes by Timmy!

Talitha
Adelaide
Araminta
Arianna
Eleanora
Viola
Sapphira
Beatrix
Maeve
Menna
Majella
Ishbel
Felicity
Verity
Constance
Alba
Greta

Roger
Julius
Clement
Peregrine
Julian
Hilary
Tristan
Benedict
Bartholomew
Otto
Jasper
Edmund
Hector
Horatio

Brian
Colin

Peter
Primrose
Scout
Vivianne
Violetta

I'm a Lois. Perfectly normal, if unusual, name. Had to spell it all my life! And tell people how to pronounce

Please tell me someone didn't just suggest Roger!

Nowt wrong with Roger.