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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

Do you have any regrets choosing an unusual name?

79 replies

Cheesegloriouscheese · 28/03/2013 19:38

DH and I agreed on a name months ago and now we're close to the big day (C-section is next week!) but I'm starting to have a wobble. Although we love the name it's starting to worry me that others won't, part of me thinks I shouldn't care and part of me thinks we may regret picking something so unusual.

I got a bit of a flaming when I trialled the name on these boards a few months ago so I won't share it, but wondered whether anyone has regretted or opted out of using an unusual name they love?

I'm pretty certain friends and family won't like it but I expect they'd be polite enough not to let on to us. Since we choose the name I haven't been worried about what other people might think but now I'm wondering whether we might regret using something so unusual that many people won't like.

I can't tell if this hormones talking or if we should have a re-think and choose a name that people have at least heard of and are more likely to like. Wow that's a bit of an essay, any advice/comments very welcome.

OP posts:

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cocolocopoco · 29/03/2013 00:45

for example, imagine eg honey boo boo wants to become a police officer or a pilot or a lawyer, something where they need gravitas. It's going to hold them back.

I know lots of people disagree but I like names that are nice but fairly vanilla; then the child can put their own stamp on it.

Xiaoxiong · 29/03/2013 00:50

My son's name is relatively uncommon - a slightly different spelling was ranked 2390 on the boy's name list in 2011 and his spelling didn't appear at all on the list. Everyone comments on it though and says how much they like it, I can't envisage ever regretting it. (He's only 15 months though so there's still time!)

MrsDimples · 29/03/2013 00:59

Cocolocopoco it isn't there name that will give them gravitas, it is the person, their being, their personality.

It's your attitude that will hold them back.

A decent, unbiased, non prejudice recruitment process won't be a problem.

Vanilla, however, is a lovely sounding name

BananaHammocks · 29/03/2013 07:44

I have an unusual name (just looked on Darkgreener and it's varied in rankings from 400-and-something and 700-and-something) and I love it! My middle name is even more ususual (between 0 and 13 with the name since 1996!)

I have to admit I felt a bit smug at school, college, uni, work when sooooo many of my friends had the same name! I'm quite a quiet, shy person but I still love that my name stands out, I feel like I'm lucky and not that I need to be brave!

A guess it depends a lot on the individual name though, my names aren't crazy or made up just not that popular!

BananaHammocks · 29/03/2013 07:45

I couldn't imagine giving my child a name that I thought was vanilla!

seeker · 29/03/2013 07:48

"A decent, unbiased, non prejudice recruitment process won't be a problem."

Absolutely. And you are going to make sure your little Chardonnay never comes up against any other sort of recruitment process exactly how?

greencolorpack · 29/03/2013 07:49

We chose an unusual but easy to spell name for our dd, I remember when she was born it got mispronounced a few times, a few people mistook it for "Tallulah" which it was not and one junior doctor who was inspecting dd post birth kept calling her "he" until the nappy was off, lol! So it seemed to flummox the medical community and this made me wonder what we had in store. But everyone loves her name now and so does she. It is the best of both worlds, nobody else has the same name at either school she has been at but it is very easily spelt so no problems with that.

We went through the top ten pulsar girls names to find a "J" middle name as a lot of us have A "J" name in our family, our reasoning was that if she hated her first name she would have a nice common middle name if she wanted to use it instead. But she doesn't.

greencolorpack · 29/03/2013 07:50

Top ten popular names, sorry.

Badvoc · 29/03/2013 07:51

Is it Herod?
Go for it.
:)

kitsmummy · 29/03/2013 07:56

You do realise that we'll all tell you to go for it, until you actually tell us the name and then we'll all pull faces and say how gross it is

Creameggkr · 29/03/2013 07:57

All of mine were given unusual names 3 of them went on to become more mainstream. Two are still pretty unusual ds3 s name is unique. The thing is that after a while its not until you call them and people look surprised that you remember it's unusual.
I was a tiny bit cautious with dd2 name and did get some frankly rude comments but she's now two and a wild red head and any other name would be ridiculous.

superstarheartbreaker · 29/03/2013 07:59

It depends what you mean by unusual dosn't it? I for one hate some of these celeb baby names.
Good unusual: Savannah, Sky, Dante, Hectar
Bad unusual: Apple, Sunday, Moon unit!

I think that SOME parents choose unusual names to look cool but you do have to consider the child.

DD was born during Wimbledon and I LOVE the name Venus. When I realised that it rhymes with penis I decided not to go for it as I don't want her to have something else for kids to pick out at school.

She now has a fairly traditional although stunning and not at all common name (Lara).

seeker · 29/03/2013 08:04

We chose a really unusual name for our dd 17 years ago. All sorts of raised eyebrows it caused.

Guess what it was?

Grace!

And our ds has just for the first time met somebody with the same nam as him- he's 12 and called Patrick.

superbagpuss · 29/03/2013 08:06

I love the name apple! however I have ds so not been an issue. They have different first names but more common middle names which they can change to later if they want to. me and dh have common as muck names so wanted something different for my DC

fanjodisfunction · 29/03/2013 08:39

A name is supposed to be unique, its supposed to identify you. I have one of those popular early 80s names and I hated it, the only good thing about it was it was a different spelling. But I loved that I had two middle names and an unuasl last name.

People go on about bullying because of the name, don't think its true anymore. Its not the name that gets bullied.
Also my manager is female has a very cutsey nn for her actual name, she's a high flier she's five years younger than me very succesful and determined her name has never held her back.

Go for it OP!

JennyPiccolo · 29/03/2013 08:50

My dd has an extremely unusual name but it has a nickname that's a very widely used name in it's own right. We use the nickname mostly, but I still love her full name.

We have had some comments, I.e. did you make that up. I got asked by border control if I'd made it up

Teapig · 29/03/2013 08:53

I say go for it. We're picking an unusual name for our baby (Theola, not made up just very unpopular). No one has liked it on the name boards and suspect family and friends will have similar views but it hasn't put me off. DH and I love it and I think that's what counts.

You could give your DC a more popular/usual middle name if you're worried so that they can always opt for that if they don't like their first name.

Once your DC has their name they will grow into it and once people are used to it they won't think it unusual at all, at least that's what I'm hoping!

JiltedJohnsJulie · 29/03/2013 08:56

Dd has an unusual name but not unheard of. When she was born and we told my dparents my DM said "Well, I suppose you can't choose what they name your grandchildren can you" with a sort of lemon sucking look on her face!

Haven't ever regretted the name. I absolutely love it and so does she

TiggerWearsATriteSmile · 29/03/2013 08:56

I don't like my name.
I think it's suited to youth not a haggard 34 year old :) I would prefer a grown up name now.

OP make sure the name will grow with the child, that's all.

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 29/03/2013 08:56

My DD has a fairly unusual name and we DID have a regret about it during her first year.

her name is a bit like Marmite...we either got OH I LOVE that name! Or face pulling.

You have to prepare yourself that some people will pull a face or comment.

We're used to it now...we are glad we didn't change it or anything and she and her classmates love the name.

You DO need to be aware though...you have a responsibility to your child to name them well.

JiltedJohnsJulie · 29/03/2013 09:00

Think tiger makes a good point. You are an adult much longer than a little girl, think this is sometimes forgotten when naming babies

Rororowmeboat · 29/03/2013 09:17

As long as your not considering satan or lucifer (or something along those lines) just go for it

What is it though?

Original poster

Cheesegloriouscheese · 29/03/2013 09:51

Thanks everyone!

It's not Satan, Lucifer, Vanilla, Moon or Maverick I promise. It's a proper name but very unusual, I think only 2 in the UK since 1998.

All the comments have given me the confidence to go for our choice. If people don't like it sod 'em

OP posts:

seeker · 29/03/2013 09:57

Just so long as it's not a cutesy name for a girl. It's tough enough for women to be taken seriously without being called TrixieBelle. They are babies for a year. Adults for 60 years.

scaevola · 29/03/2013 09:58

Yes, go for it.

I have a mix of names for my DCs, one rare (but definitely a name IYSWIM), one middling that then exploded in popularity - not many amongst that DC's peers but oodles of younger ones, and one middling that stayed middling.

I don't regret any of them and still think they are all wonderful.

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