Made up names not that recent?

[froggyjump]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-31967883
This lady was christened in 1917 with the names 'Tiny Somme' a really sad reason, but it just shows that unusual names have been around for ages...

Of course its not a new thing. Shakespeare? The Bible?

People just dislike names that defy normal spelling/grammar/pronunciation rules and might make life harder for the person being named.

I like lots of made up names. Growing up in London there were quite a few. I don't see the issue.

I was just about to comment saying that I agree with you burgatroyd - then I realised we have actually spoken to one another on a different thread about having a similar taste in names!
But yes, I honestly don't see the problem. All names were made up at one stage?!
I'm sure a book of names wasn't handed down to Adam and Eve to pass down through the generations

Horrible Histories had a sketch about Victorian names which didn't catch on. I'll see if I can find it.

I would imagine people have been making up names since time immemorial.

William Shekespeare is said to have made up the name Jessica.

Well every name must have been made up by someone at sometime.

Oh that's such a sad story

I know it is not a new thing, JM Barrie made up Wendy for Peter Pan, but it seems to be more and more prevalent (is that the right word?) and lots of people on MN and in RL seem to disapprove of 'made up' or unique names. The story just made me think of here...

Didn't Winston Graham make up the name Demelza?
Shakespeare also invented Miranda and Imogen.

But I have to disagree that all names were made up at some point, most names have a meaning behind them, are taken from another word, etc. to me made up names are the ones where they're literally just made up from nothing, or nonsensical spellings of a normal name.

Shakespeare. I can spell.

J.M Barry did not invent the name Wendy. It is a surname dating back to at least the 16th century.

And Shakespeare very probably based Imogen on 'Innogen', an earlier Celtic name meaning 'daughter'.

My mum likes a good old rant about unusual, unique or made up baby names. She would love there to be a list of approved names - with traditional English spellings - handed down from generation to generation. I've taken to hiding the birth announcements in the local paper

The irony is that she herself used the name Bernadette which as well as being French in origin was actually a nickname - the Saint person in question was actually called Marie-Bernarde.

'Pamela' was made up.

Me & my dad have made-up (?nonsensical?) spellings of normal names.
Dad's a criminal court judge.

Pamela was made up by Sir Philip Sidney in the late 16th century and the Victorians were pretty inventive, lots of surname-type for names for men, There's very little new under the sun.

Vanessa, Lorna, Cedric & that famous modern fave Amelia! and lots others apparently only made up in literature (it's said).