those of you who are choosing very unusual name for your babies, do you have unusual names yourself?

[gymboywalton]

or very normal names?

like i knew someone with a son called wolf but her name was lisa

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Ah that makes sense!

[Tattiesthroughthebree]

My name is quite common, and all three DCs have normal names. However, I had no middle name, and all the DCS have two middle names, to give them options.

[weaselinthenight]

How is it interesting to tell us whether you do or do not have an unusual name without TELLING US WHAT IT IS!

[nooka]

If like me you have a very unusual name you have to be careful about telling people on the internet because it is too easily identifiable. Which could be seen as another downside really. Especially for teenagers who may well publish things that they regret which will then follow them for the rest of their lives.

[13loki]

DHs name is beyond common- 4 of them in his class at school. Middle name probably even more common. 2 apostles. My name is unusual, but only in that it is a very common shortening of a few names, but my name (yes,the name on my passport and my birth certificate, thanks for checking travel agents, but I do know my own name, and it can just be ...).

DS will always have to repeat and spell his name. It is a good, solid, Welsh name, but we lived an hour from the Welsh border and no-one could spell it if they heard it, or pronounce it if they saw it written. We now live in Sweden, and the Welsh spelling does not translate, even if his name is very close to a relatively common Swedish name. DD I thought would have an uncommon name, too, but it became very common the year she was born. (Seriously, who names their child after a transsexual in a Kinks song, or a showgirl) DD2 (due in Dec) will have a very unusual name - letters that don't exist in English, only 1 registered in Sweden (an 88 year old). Much more common with a different spelling, there are a few in England and about 100 (still mostly older) in Sweden.

[GirlWithTheDirtyShirt]

DP and I have very popular names for our age range (in fact DP's best mate has the same name as him and his girlfriend has the same name as me!). We've given DD a very unusual name as we are both sick of being one of twenty!

[BettyBi0]

I have an unusual name and it really annoys me that every conversation I have when meeting someone new starts the same. I.e. they say "ooo that's a lovely name, where is it from?" Annoying!

It doesn't help that my mum just picked a long common name and made her own spelling of it which changed the pronunciation, and then I've always just been known as the first 2 syllables of it which is unique/ weird. It made me feel quite special at primary school but I get sick of spelling it, explaining it etc. Also sucks big time on internet searches as there is definitely only one of me and the random things I've attended, sponsored, reviewed etc build a pretty weird picture. Hate to think what a future employer might think of it!

[MrsDibble]

People get my name mixed up with my daughter's because apparently they are in a very similar style.

They are both fairly unusual but both are names people would have heard of.

[noodlebum]

I have a very unusual/unheard of name for this country, dp has a very popular name. No kids yet, but I tend to like unusual names as I like being the only one with my name I've personally met

Some names I like are fairly popular though, a bit of a mixture tbh. Not sure how popular/unusual I'd go when I do have children... It's nice having a unique name and having people ask where it's from, but can be slightly tedious with people looking confused/mispronouncing/misspelling.

[toobreathless]

I have the the most popular nane for the year I was born in. When I joined an all girls grammar there were another 5 in my class.

I deliberately give my children more unusual names which are at 300 off and 900 odd, but still widely heard of & easy to say and spell

[tammytoby]

I hated being one of several girls with the same name - at school and at work it is annoying to have to add a modifier to tell us apart.

There are SO many lovely names out there so we chose fairly unusual (but lovely ) names to our children. They are the only ones in their year and seem happy about that.

[tammytoby]

Also, isn't the whole point of naming someone to identify him/her? We should all have 'unusual' names!

[Teapigging]

What toobreathless and tammytoby said.

There's something enormously depressing in my experience to having learned at Reception age that when someone calls 'Teapiggng!' In the classroom or playground, it is almost certainly not you that is being hailed. It made me feel like a minor subset of a category, and it took me until well into my 20s and living in another country to begin to answer to my name spontaneously, because there were sx of us in my class all though primary school, and nearly as many in secondary.

My son, who is a year and a half, has a biblical name, but unusual enough in the UK not to have figured in the naming stats for 2012, I assume because there were two or fewer of that name.

[magichamster]

The thing about popular names it that they date you. I have a name that is not unusual, but is not of my generation - think a child today being called Julie or Sharon. I hated it growing up, and always thought that people had visions I would be a middle aged woman.

My dc's have top 10 names. This wasn't a conscious decision, they were jus the names we liked at the time. And we don't bump into that many of them. If I hear someone call to their child and they have the same name I just think they have very good taste!

[DuelingFanjo]

DH's name is fairly uncommon but not out there. I grew up with a brother with a very unusual name and his children have quite unusual names. My son has a name that is the shortened version of a 'normal' name.

[Tmh76]

I have an unusual name and hate it, it's always spelt wrong and pronounced wrong and I can guarantee when I'm introduced to someone new I will get "oh! What a lovely unusual name, where does it come from?"

My DH has a not unusual but not very common name and its not spelt the way most people assume it is.

DS1 s name is was fairly popular at the time, DD1s name isn't unusual but isn't that commonly used, DS2s name is reasonably popular but uses the original spelling and therefore get either spelt or pronounced incorrectly all the time and DD2s name again isn't unusual but is not commonly used in this country and is also spelt incorrectly all the time.

Having grown up with an unusual name I was conscious of not wanting to saddle my children with the same thing

[livvylove13]

My DD has an unusual Name, mine is very normal. She goes through phases of loving and hating it. Hates people spelling her name wrong. She has two middle names which are normal. I said she can be called either of her three names, Her reply. My middle names are common.

[stopprocrastinating]

My name is quite popular. Expect it would have been top 50, when I was born. I wanted an unusual name for DD. However there was only ONE name DH and I both liked. It's very popular - Ava. Never regretted the decision.

[bsc]

I have a very uncommon name, my DCs all have very uncommon names. DH was one of 5 in his year at school with the same name- he agreed it was better to go unusual rather than popular.

Whenever people say my name, I know they mean me, rather than some other bsc, ditto with my children. DH has never known what this feels like. In fact, his name is extremely popular now, and my DC are often amazed to hear other mums saying "X come here" and ask DH if he knows them!

They were highly amused at one incensed mum barking out "DH, you're being extremely badly behaved! Stop this naughty behaviour at once"
My youngest was all round-mouthed for quite a few moments
(DH is a very good boy usually )