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?

DD is a Skye... we got a few "oh that's nice" at first. The reaction to her brothers popular name got was "he's called WHAT!!!???" from people who assumed that we would give him an unusual name.

Well, my daughter is called, you guessed it, Isadora. My UK family were really not keen and spent ages before she born suggesting anything else... my dp's French family loved it. It gets really positive reactions in both countries and she seems happy with it for now... So, if I was doing it again, I wouldn't tell anyone in advance. We'd never heard of Wizadora and to be honest it wouldn't have made any difference.

Theas18 I know a Thea who's in her 30s. I've never met another though, it's a lovely name.

My sister gave my niece a very unusual name, as in she was the only one in the year she was born. I can't share it though otherwise I will be instantly outed .

Actually, I suppose there could be more than one I think the stats for each year show all the names that have been used at least 3 times. My niece's name isn't on there for her year of birth anyway.

Coconutty, I knew a Jason - nice normal name for a 70s born lad; his brother was called Tarquin . . . (parents fond of the classics, and obviously not worried about incongruous baby naming!)

I love the name Jude, but had never thought of it as unusual? Lots of Judy/Judiths that I know use Jude day to day.

When DD1 was born, I gave her a name which was not unusual when I was a child, at least, not for Irish catholics. Or French people. She was born in 1998, that year there were 49 other baby girls given her name, in 2013 there were 8. So it's quite rare. We have never met another one, she was the only one at her primary school and she has been the only one at her secondary school, people don't say 'what a weird name never heard that before' though, because it's a standard name. Just unfashionable.

She hates it.

I think it's lovely.

When DD2 was born, we wanted a french name to match her sister's, we also wanted one that meant something to us. The name we chose had 44 other baby girls being given it the year she was born (2003) and last year there were 47. I do see it mentioned on MN threads sometimes though. We do get people saying 'I've never heard that name before' and again, we've never met anyone with her name (although it's also the name of a significant place to me). There's a website devoted to her name, too. Only one in her school.

She loves her name.

My name is vile, it was briefly fashionable in the 20s and again between 1966-1968. Last year, there were 6 poor girls given that name. But again - it's not a name you would ever say 'never heard that before' not least because there's a famous actress with it. And it's a chalet school name too. If you meet someone with my name, they WILL have been born in 1996-1968.

My sister's name is unique. Which makes me quite sad because my parents went to the effort of making up a fab sounding name for her and lumbered me with the flavour of the moment (there were 6 in my year at school) which was vile.

rabbit I really want to know the names!

I'm guessing Bernadette for Rabbit's DD1 - my primary school was full of them in the 70s!

My daughters both have unusual names, not completely 'out there' but not ones you hear very often. With the eldest we announced before, with the youngest, we kept her sex a secret so announced her name at birth. We often get people pronounce them both wrong when they're actually really straight forward names :/

Re Afton: I knew of an Afton Rose + surname. Afton is a river in Ayrshire and the parents lived near it. No idea why it isn't used more often. She must be about 25-30 now.

I also knew a Tuesday. No middle name, and a common surname. Raised eyebrows all round, even from the Dad ! Must be in her 30s now.

Oh this is so frustrating... Would love to know all these unusual names!!

My dd has a fairly unusual name, less than 30 babies ayear called it, we just chose it because we liked it, it's a saint name, merryn :)

annie Bernadette was my first thought too!

Fabulous!

As someone who regularly suffered as a child, please don't give your daughters names that might be considered male names usually.

I suffered on 2 counts - first from direct bullying "You've got a boy's name, you must be a boy!!" And then secondary bullying because my older brother got grief about having a sister with a boy's name (WTF?!?!) and he would then come home from school and hit me because he was being bullied.

I loathe my name, and especially cringe when the full version is used.

If you want to know what my name is - think 80's TV programme about 4 male students, one of whom had their name screeched at high pitch and volume. Every single day when I was at PS, and many days once I started Senior School too.

Not Bernadette (less popular than that back in the day, even more unpopular than that now). I think I've prob given out a bit too much info actually because it would be quite easy to out me now...so no more guesses, yes? Clearly our names must be Hambel Maud and Ephigenia.

thespork Mirabelle is beautiful, my DD is Mirabella, and Ive never met anither one!

As discussed on here previously, DD loves her name even though it is traditionally a boys' name. We're really pleased that she's unique and still believe that Data is actually quite feminine-sounding anyway.

We didn't tell anyone beforehand!

My kids and some of my friends kids have less common names, I like it.
I live in Somerset and I think ithat is quite a bohemian/alt county on the whole so unusual names are pretty well regarded.

I know-
Rainbow
Bluebell
Clover
Meadow
Luna
Innes (boy)
Atro
Alba
Zulieka

Theo how do you prn Data?

My DD has a bog standard name - Jennifer - and though she is one of three in her year at school it doesn't feel overused and instead says classic elegance to me.

A name I really wanted to use but couldn't as it would have been a bit daft was Mirren, I think that is lovely.

I'm not going to give DD's name because it is unusual enough that there have never been enough babies with it for it to show up in the records. I told people after DD was born. She likes her name, although she does get a bit annoyed when everyone she meets for the first time tells her what a beautiful name she has.

There's a girl in DS's class called Matya!

I was desperate to call my first DC Matilda if they were a girl, which was very unusual at that time. He was a boy, so it didn't get used, but now I know loads of Matildas. I wanted Ygraine for DC2 but he also had the temerity to be a boy (funnily he has the most traditional, 'boring' name of all our friends' children but it just suits him perfectly).

My friend has 5 DC, all with unusual but beautiful names. I won't list them all as it would definitely out her, but my favourite is Iskander (boy).

I do like Antigone and January too.

I know two Athena's - one a greek lady, and the other a toddler (whose father is a student of Greek).

I know two Athenas. I also know your friend, I think, Roomba.