Regretted an unusual name?

[MickeyAndMallory]

Reading comments on other name threads, a theme seems to be people saying they loved 'insert unusual name here' but stayed safe and picked a more conforming/normal name. Wishing they had been braver to pick those wilder names they loved- but has anyone gone the other way- picked the unusual name and regretted it??

Yes, Isis had approx 50 registrations, per year, at its peak. Obviously that's dropped lately to around four!

I'd like to hear some of the names to know how unusual or rare they really were. I agree with poster above, Mango.

I know of somebody with a Phoenix who thinks it's rare and 'unique'

In my mind, unique names (ie made up ones, not those which are known, just not common) shout 'look at me, I want attention'. Unfortunately, it is the parent who is shouting, because it is they who name the child, but the child has to put up with it.

Personally, I think people should be remembered for what they do, not the fact they have a bizarre name. Note, I'm not against choosing names which are less common, but if no-one has heard of the name, the word isn't usually used for people but other things, or worse of all, even the word itself is made up, I just think the parents must have a deep seated need for attention and not know another way to get it....either that, or for some reason they think their child is so precious, unique and unusual so cannot possibly have a name that other children have....which in itself seems rather precious to me, but I think that perhaps is how some people feel about their children.

Well, I can't mention my step nieces and nephews names because they were definitely the only ones. Before they became top 20 people!

Another thing to remember that even if you pick the absolute top name of the year, that's still only one in about 50 babies of that sex. So you'd be pretty unlucky to have more than one in a reception class. And the numbers go down very rapidly once you get below the top 3 or so.

And having very popular names didn't seem to hold John, Paul or George back. Or Charlie, Ronnie Mick and Keith...........

I feel very strongly that the name will belong to one's child and that it is selfish to indulge parental whims. A young child shouldn't have to explain their name or its spelling unless of course they are expatriates of some sort when it may be unavoidable.
As far as nicknames are concerned they should develop naturally ..

A young child shouldn't have to explain their name or its spelling unless of course they are expatriates of some sort when it may be unavoidable.

So, third-generation British Asians should all be calling their offspring Emma and Jack in case some Little Englander can't get their head around Prakesh or Jubrinder?

Sorry I put that very badly ... I certainly didn't mean all our children should have WASP type names rather I mean they should be accessible to and for the child . My expatriate comment referrrd to when one moves abroad and the sound system or alphabet is wildly different... still not clearly put

I have a very common name, top 10 for its time, and was oh so bored of being "so and so number 5" at school. Even last week I was in a meeting of 20 people and 3 of us had the same yawnsome name.

DD has uncommon (just outside top 500) name, but it is easy to pronounce, spell and is an old classic.

I don't regret it per se, but I have on occasion felt a bit of a knob screeching it across the playground. I'm sure we are judged for it.

That said, she loves it (so far) and has a beautiful middle name to use in future should she wish. We chose a MN specifically for the wide number of shortening that can be used with it.

I've spent quite some time thinking about what else we could possibly have called her, and have only come up with Zoe. Zoe is fine, but it's not the right name, and DH hated it anyway.

My DC have fairly unusual names (

My middle names (hypephenated) are so awful that I hate them. They are so unusual. I just checked darkergreen and the first part has a few with the name but for the second, there have been 3 boys, ever, according to its records.
And I am a girl.

When I got married, the whole congregation went dealthy quiet and then tried not to laugh. I was mortified. I just hate it. There is unusual and then there is embarrasing and bullying material.
My brother has a misheard made up name from a Sci Fi series that my parents watched so he is even worse.

DS has a very common name, top 20. I'm pregnant again and DH and I picked a girls name long ago which is VERY unusual. Precisely 5 registrations in the UK last year :)

Depends how unusual, if it sounds cool or just plain stupid and you end up landing your kid with an albatross round their neck for the rest of their life.... speaking from experience I wish my parents had given my names more thought.

Somebody from the thread sent me a PM with their unusual name (well I did ask I suppose ). I can confirm it is indeed a rare name, and a very nice one too, and yet probably one you've heard of and can spell.

My child, girl or boy, has an unusual name, think Greek mythology. I do sometimes suspect the inward eye roll at our pretentiousness from some.

The people I know who have regrets aren't so much those with unusual names, but those who have fairly common names but picked unusual spellings

My name is not uncommon in England but in the country where I grew up nobody had heard of it. I didn't mind spelling it out for people when they asked.

DSD has an unusual (not sure if made up) spelling of a common name - think Emaly instead of Emily. Even when I spell it out, people write Emily automatically and a TA told her that she'd written her name wrong on her work! She does find that frustrating.

My ds is almost 2. His name is Irish and as such we used the Irish spelling although we are in England. It's been a pain as no one can spell it or pronounce it. Half the family pronounce it the Irish way and half the family pronounce it the English way. I flit between the two because I myself am not sure! He can himself only say it the English way. I wish I'd just spelt it the English way now!

Just had to laugh (long and hard) at the poster who thinks unusual names make a child/person more interesting!

Call your child what you want (within reason!) but trust me as someone who has met hundreds of kids in my job, it's not going to make them automatically more interesting - and in turn children with less 'interesting' names aren't automatically dull!

What nonsense!

paris pm me your Irish name! Dying to know it

PhyllisKemp - could you go by 'Fliss' instead maybe?? It's almost the same name (maybe even the same actually in certain accents) so not too much of a stretch for a nickname?

My DD isn't born yet; but we plan to call her Nerina. We've had quite a few people assume we meant Marina so far though and pull faces when corrected so we're wobbling a little in certainty.

We used the less usual fabulous names as middle names, they can switch when older if preferred
I've not regretted that, and couldn't imagine them as first names now!
My pet hate isn't unusual more try hard... Catherine and David with very 2.4 lifestyle and classic life suddenly giving kids a 'crazy fun' name ... Or worse a creatively spelt name
years of having to spell out own name

Phil not that you were asking us for views but there is also a really lovely flower called a Nerine. I have always thought that would make a beautiful name for a DD (pron in the Greek way - Ner-REEN-ee)

EveningShadows

I couldn't agree more! I actually thought that poster was joking, as it was such a silly thing to say.

I've said it on here before; the most interesting people I know are called things like Matthew, Richard, James, Alison, Frances and Jane!

Off the top of my head, I can think of one especially awesome person with an unusual name, but she is Turkish and I think her name is more usual in Turkey. Her awesomeness is in no way connected to her name!

I also grew up with a boy with a really unusual name. He was not a very lovely person. My friend now works in the same industry as him and his name is so memorable she recognised him immediately, despite not having seen him for years. So yes, unusual names can be more memorable, but that isn't always a good thing!

Yes, Catherine and David should definitely call their 2.4 'classic' children Sophie and Jack in case they are guilty of the ultimate Mn crime, that of looking 'try hard'. But Chelsey-Mae-Nevaeh and her boyfriend Dwayne-Patrikk should also call their children Jack and Sophie, to smooth their path to being QCs. Everyone should.

Ds1 - 18 born that year with his name
Ds2 - 2 that year
Dd - 12
Ds3 - 16