If you gave your DD a very unusual name

[ZebraZeebra]

Care to share?

And also, did you tell people beforehand or is it best to just announce once they're here?

No way. It's currently a forgotten name. I don't want it to become super popular!

I love the name Mary. There was one at the DCs' primary school.

My name was very unusual when I was a child; it was the sort of name great-grandmothers had. Then to my intense and continuing chagrin it became hugely popular.

I've only ever met one child called exactly the same as any of my DC. I said to her mother, 'Oh, that's lovely! My daughter's called that!' And the mother said, 'I know. I checked her into summer club when I was pregnant, and thought, that's gorgeous, I like that, and she's a lovely little girl. So I pinched it. Hope you don't mind.'
Mind? I was thrilled, as was DD.

I really love Mary. It would have been on our list, but our surname makes it too ordinary.

DD2s name is unusual in the UK.

I have had the odd face from elderly folks, but most people love it and it's phonetic so very easy to spell once you've been told the first time.

First names would definitely out me

Middle names are very unusual but safe as no one outside family knows them

First dd has Alabama (after character in true romance)

Second dd has Malika which is an African name

Fionnuala pronounced like fin-ooola, lovely irish name although its more common to see Nuala as a name now.

Can also be pronounced fin-oh-la, depending on whereabouts you are from.

Talisker is fab!

Talisker is a golden retriever's name.

Dd1 is Dulcie, not mega-unusual but she's the only one we've met so far.

She gets Darcy/Dolci more often than people get her name right though but it's OK we know what her correct name is

I love Mary too. There's one in our local sixth form.

When DD2 was born, there were 16 babies born in UK with her name. Last year there were 57. I think it is destined to become the next Ruby or Florence. We were going to call her Abigail, but it was in the top 50, and we thought there would be loads around, but have only ever met two, and one of them is her cousin! DD1's name is unusual-ish. Both frequently appear on the MN Baby Names pages.

Loving all of the unusual names here!
I was given a rare name (other choices my mum considered were Tuesday and Autumn!) and I get mixed reactions.
Funny how people can be a bit rude about it sometimes, mostly though, people like my name.
Once my child/children arrive they will certainly have unusual names. I always find it strange when people decide on a popular name for their offspring. But h guess that's just because I have a weird one!
Never met another with my name until I was about 24, and gave f net another since.
It's nice feeling unique!
It's also character building

My younger daughter is Mirabelle which I'd categorize as unusual. We just announced it, but it was more to do with going into the birth with a list of over a dozen names than any type of planning .

I always think it's strange that people think it's OK to make negative comments about people's names. It's so rude! of course it's all down to subjective preferences but to be openly disparaging about someone's name - especially one just given to a baby...horrible. I always say a benign "Oh that's cute/lovely/nice" if I'm not overly enamoured.

I have a semi-unusual name. Or rather, not overly popular. I don't like it that much and other people don't seem to either, based on comments on here when it's listed

Changed name for this! I can't believe my name is on here, Fionnuala!

My DD is Carmie, it's just perfect for her and my mother was dying when I had her and her name was Carmel which apparently means big orchard and Carmie means little garden so I thought it was lovely. Gets a bit exhausting having to repeat it as people assume it's Carly etc but I wouldn't change it!

supersop completely know where you're coming from. Names like Joanna or Juliet or Emmeline can be easily muddled within their name families.

Often people go for an unusual name and it gets confused with a common name. Elin for Erin, Evely for Beverly, Isadora for Isobel.

For unusual I would pick a name that doesn't end in a or ie or start with a vowel.

Meredith is usual as it doesn't sound like a handful of other names.

Doris is another!

Oh, there are plenty of unusual girls names that end -a or -ah!
But I can see where you're coming from, as LOTS of girls names end -a or -y (Emma, Sarah, Emily, Abby....)

There's plenty of people with names that people use for their pets so I'm not sure that's an issue. Wasn't the dog in the Famous Five Timmy??

I like Talisker!

Oohhh LOVE Afton and Jude, the poster who has these has great taste!

I'm due my dd shortly and she will be called Aphra! (With some pretty "out there" middle names) can't wait!

My daughter's name is very rare but the Italian version is much more common in the UK ( she has the Anglicised version, which appears to almost unused. Apparently one born in 2009 and one in 2013). Although both the English and Italian versions are family names and she is the seventh generation, so it seems quite normal to us.

We didn't deliberately go for an unusual name but we decided to use the English version as it worked better with her (long, French) Middle name. After a while it just becomes a name, nothing remarkable about it. I think that nowadays we meet so many people from different cultures with names we've not encountered before that it's not really a big deal.

It always makes me smile when people talk about unusual names. I have a Urhobo (Nigerian) name and even for a Urhobo name it's unusual people can be very very rude about names I have often heard "what type of name is that" said after I have been introduced or people try to anglasise my name. But I love my name I'm the only person in the world with my name if you google my name it's only comes up with me and googling my surname brings up family.
Be proud whatever you call your child!

I wish all the lovers of the name Mary had been here when I was pregnant with dd1 as I really wanted to use it however someone posted a thread asking opinions on it and it was flooded with posters saying it was a nickname for your lady bits.
Put me right off in case she got teased.

I am older than most on here, and my mother was talked out of using her favourite name for me because it was weird and old fashioned and little old ladyish and I'd be teased for it. The name? Emily! 35 years later, people said the same about my dd's name. Grace.

My eldests name was almost unknown when she was born 21 years ago - it is not now- see username !