Genuinely interested to know

[GingerLDN]

I'm not going to mention the names I'm talking about as I'm not trying to offend honestly! But...

Some of the names I'm coming across are awful. If it's only you that likes a name, everyone else hates it, but you're determined to have it anyway - do you care what your child is going to think about their name/if they'll get picked on etc. Especially the names that can't be shortened. I find it really strange.

I've got a name I can't shorten, never liked it, always have to spell it. So maybe it colours my view, but I don't see why you would put that on your child!

Granny names are cute for little girls but they'll not be little for long. Unusual names (really out there I mean) are great if they turn into a celebrity but as a lawyer/doctor, not so much! Changing the spelling so a name is different is all very well but having to spell your name every time you say it isn't fun. Nor is a name nobody can pronounce.

Some of these name will no doubt attract name-calling in the playground etc and not every child has the confidence to not take it to heart.

Does this affect your choice, or do you just think, tough?

Ha you've put me on the spot there! I've just looked at a thread here but the folk have actually gone ahead with the names I'm defo not saying them!

I agree regarding names that are so unusual that people would have no idea how to spell or pronounce it - I can't understand why you would saddle a child with a name like that. I also agree re 'made up' spellings and variations of well known names as your poor child will spend their whole life correcting people.

I don't agree when it comes to whether a name is 'fashionable' or classed as a 'granny' name though as this is very dynamic and most (although admittedly not all) deeply unfashionable names will become fashionable again at some point. It think it would be quite cool be have a name which is usually associated with much younger or much older generation than you actually are.

Children are bullied for all sorts of reasons, ime rarely does a classmate give a shit about their names. Adults are the ones with name obsessions, children just accept as ordinary.

My ds has a name alot of people hated when I named him, (I like nn type names) it didn't occur to me to use someone else's favourite name instead to appease anyone else.
Ds's name suits him down to the ground and I couldn't imagine him called anything else. I never ever ask anyone what they think of my kids name but alot of people have volenteered now that they love his name, didn't like it at first and now think it really suites him.
The comments that piss me off the most on here are that X will never be a judge or doctor its small mindedness beyond belief to me, firstly that obviously only judges and doctors are happy people with full lives and people should be gutted if their dc grow up to just have a job and happy family life, secondly that the right name is the key to this perfection.

I used lawyer or doctor as an example. Bar staff and hairdressers etc have different rules so I never used that kind of thing. In no way do I think that you have to be one of the above to be happy and fulfilled - I certainly am neither and I am work to live not live to work - but for anyone who chooses to work in these professions you'd want to be taken seriously and not called Princess for example.

I know my doctors sir name, same for teachers. If you find out their first name you have known them as your teacher/ whatever first so thats how you see them. Someones manner conveys how professional they are.
I wasn't refering to your lawyer post, just saying in general that's the thing that always gets wheeled out, and I think you just hit it for me when you said they have different rules because I'm pretty sure there are no rules.
In reality if you want a child to have a particular job, you would be better off educating yourself aiming high career wise yourself and surrounding him or her with people who inspire them to want that, there's no point thinking calling them a certain name will do it for them and I'm pretty sure Kitty and Buddy wont be excluded from teacher training if they have the required degree like everyone else.

Well actually there's research evidence that recruiters discriminate based solely on a person's name. The same goes with exam marking.

It has been shown the girls with very 'girly' names any anyone with an 'ethnic' name may be seen less favourably than a more solid/white/gender neutral name.

I've only heard this about ethnic sounding names, but the warnings are not thrown around for these kind of names to English it up a bit for the dc's future, or calm it down with the long winded girly whirly names.

I have an unusual name, can't be shortened and I have to spell it every time but that has never bothered me. My son has an unusual name that I know many would roll their eyes at, but I don't care. My Mum was told I'd be picked on because of my name and I never was, people did though turn my friends name, which began with the sound vic into the sound dick, so it doesn't have to be an unusual name for people to make up stupid teasing things. My boring middle and surname did get laughed at too (unfortunate combination!), although teasing was more banter style rather than bullying for both of us.

I think tough, as long as you & OH like it then it shouldn't matter what other people think.

It's nice to allow them to stand out from the rest & have their own individuality.

Liking names can be subjective. I have my own pet hates like unique spellings but I agree with not naming your child to appease others.

As far as MNs goes, there are a lot of upturned noses at ethnic names. Not everyone is going to be named John, Mary, James etc. This section is very WASPy.

This thread is making me because within 10 posts 3 of my 4 grandparent's names were mentioned!

I don't think my future children will have the privilege of being given a "nice, traditional, family name".

I honestly never understand the lawyer/doctor analogy.

If I had a doctor called Starlight then I would have a doctor called Starlight.

Really, why would I give a shit?

To accomplish great things with a very plain overused name takes much extra work.

Seriously?

I really don't think your name makes any difference.

I sometimes wonder this too when reading this board. IRL all the names I hear are pretty normal, not much in the way of "granny chic" (or indeed old man names) but this board seems like a parallel universe where names that my peers would find awful are very well received it would appear.

Would be interested to know if the posters who seem to champion some of the names I'm thinking of would actually use them or if this is just an outlet for names that they love but just not for their child?

I know kids with 'wacky' names (Krystal-Pebbles, Aurora, Felton, Hunter, Cory-Jack)

It just gets to be normal