Should we stay safe, or go for the name we love (that's seen as 'made-up' and 'chavvy')?

[MushroomWorld]

What the title says! I'd rather not say what the unusual name is, as it's rare. I like 1 spelling of it.

Or Olivia

I like Olivia, but love the other name. Should we just go for it?

*You'll never be able to get a sign saying

Amberleigh's room*

I could never find my name as a kid - always so disappointing

My parents gave me an unusual name. It is a pain in the arse.

My name is Rowenna. That's row (like the boat) wen (rhymes with hen) ah (short a like in apple.)

Here is a typical conversation.

Roweeeena?
No, Rowenna
Row-Anna?
Rowenna
Joanna?
Rowenna
Roxanne?
Rowenna

I've also had Rihanna, Rwanda and RoseAnna. People just don't seem to get it - they either substitute an 'a' for the e or just default to Rowena ('roweeeeeeena.')

I will sound ridiculous but it has made me utterly miserable. I dread introducing myself because I know there will be a palava every time. Some people never get it right and then you have the irritation of being called a name that's not yours tempered against sounding rude correcting people constantly. Moreover though, it just makes me feel like a stranger. I automatically stand out, and sometimes I really, REALLY want to blend in and be a nice anonymous Rebecca or Sarah or Helen.

I'd prefer Olivia out of the two. I don't really know what a chav name is right now. (I don't keep track just remember the ones considered common when I was at school.).

Amberleigh will a difficult name to learn to spell and your DD will probably become bored spelling it. I have an unusual name and am also now finding it harder as sometimes get asked to say it for automated calls. They do take you through to a person eventually but it's a pain. My phone voice recognition did hear the word - it spelt it Amberly.

It's not too bad. I have seen far worse on here.

It's very Virginia Andrews.

Will her surname go with a first name beginning with a vowel?

Do you like Alexandra or Elizabeth?

Omg please not amberleigh

Do you like Amyleigh? My next door neighbour had a granddaughter called that 20 odd years ago.

I do Like Amber.

please do not name your child Amberleigh, you are

1 either saddling them with a lifetime of pain and awkwardness or
2 going to be very upset when they want to change their name because of 1

just my two pence worth sorry OP

Reminds me of the horse that won the Grand National a few years ago.

Pick the name you want.

Olivia is so dull.

You'll be saying your child's name countless times a day for years on end. Make it something you love. I wouldn't choose Amberleigh but I wouldn't choose Olivia or Jane or Chloe. My girls have weird names and I love them. Go with Amberleigh.

I like the name. Bit be warned, my daughter's best friend is called Amberleigh and everyone calls her Ams. Not Amber, not Leigh, just like hams without an H.

Olivia is a nice name but I just keep hearing the One Direction song of the same name and it's awful (the song, not the name.)

Oh and I'm not an adult Directioner, blame my daughter for me even knowing the song.

Olivia is dullsville. Amberley is a small village. Surely there's another name you like?

It will just get shortened to amber!

Use it as a middle name?

DEFINATELY Olivia. Or you could use your imagination and consider a third choice.

I know an Amberleigh. Same spelling as well and everyone pronounces it fine. If you love it go for it.

Plus, Amberleigh sound heavy somehow, like a large animal ambling around.

Why oh why would you give your daughter a name that you yourself have described as "chavvy" and "not liked"??! Please don't saddle her with that. If it's a very unpopular name (which the majority of replies here would indicate too) then there's a good chance that your daughter herself will hate it.

My DD had a friend named Emmaleigh. Her mother spent a small fortune on personalised tshirts accessories but the kid was forever known as Emily. No amount of spelling slowly and loudly helped; people thought if not Emily then is it pronounced Emma-eye-eee?

I am all for an easy life. Name your baby Amber Leigh.

How about Ember instead of Amber? Then she could choose Emmie for short if she wants when she's older?

Go with what you love. Amberleigh wouldn't be my choice and I read Amberly more like Kimberly I.e. Ending 'blee' rather than a defined 'lee'.

I think Amberleigh sounds nice than it looks, possibly because I don't like 'Leigh', and it does look like two names forced together so what about Amberlee or Amberley

There was a grand national winner called amberleigh house, so you really would be saddling her with that name

Amberleigh (Amberley) sounds like a place name (from a Jane Austen spoof novel) and is as far removed from Olivia as Kylie would be from Araminta or Jocasta.

And they really wouldn't go as first and middle names either - Olivia Amber (or the other way round) might just about work.