giving your child an odd or marmite name

[toughgetsgoing]

people who have done this - is it helped if you give a 'normal' middle name so they can switch the order later on in life/ just use their middle or should names too 'different' be avoided in case your dc hate their names

If you like the name in question you call “odd” or “marmite” I wouldn’t worry!
I didn’t name my LB for weeks because I stupidly cared to much about people’s opinions.
But if it does make you happier do give your child a ‘normal’ / traditional middle name.
Sometimes growing up with a more unusual name is nice, I was the only one with my name throughout school. It’s not a ‘out there’ name either.

I’d use a normal middle name definitely
To give them another option. That’s the only time a middle name actually gets used in my opinion. I’ve got 2 members of my extended family that go by their middle names.
Many of my closest friends I have no idea if they’ve even got a middle name or what they are.

I wouldn’t be in the least bit bothered about the flow of the name at all. Just pick a middle name you like

What does a Marmite name mean? I'm a kiwi.

babynamelover - a name that is loved or hated - polar

If it’s a fairly unusual name (say, outside the top 200/250) then I’d give them a top 100 middle name. Infact i would deliverately pick two different styles of name eg modern fairly unusual first name (eg Rafferty) , traditional second name (eg Christopher or Peter)

• that’s just me though. Please no one attack me !

An 'odd' name depends on what base you're coming from, though.

These threads always make me remember that some people have clearly spent all their lives in places with no ethnic diversity, and think anything outside of Harry, Jack, Sophie and Mia is a bit way out.

You can’t guarantee your child will like their name regardless how you name them. Mine is dreadful. I don’t know what my parents were thinking. It’s not unusual (in someone my age anyway) but it’s horrible. I’ve never liked it.

My son has an unusual first name and common middle name. I don't particularly like his middle name if I'm honest, but my husband really wanted it, and he let me name him, so only fair we both had an input. I wanted him to have our brothers names for his middle names, but husband said no as has no respect for his brother.

Depends what you mean by odd. My parents gave me a Welsh name. Not odd to the Welsh side of the family, but considered odd by the English side. The name is well outside the Top 500 in the England and Wales Top 1000 girls names list.

To me an odd name would be something like Sunshine or Honeyflower.

An established but not commonly used name like Iseult or Hepzibah would not be odd to me. I also wouldn't consider names common to other cultures to be odd.

I know lots of people who consider names that aren't Jack/Sophie/Elizabeth/Thomas to be odd. FIL didn't believe DH when he mentioned a friend had named his son Arlo - he thought it was completely off the wall and made up. My mother was the same when a friend had a daughter called Phoebe. DH and I could call a DD Freya, Lyra, Juliet or Rosa and we'd get 'what an odd name' comments from family members on both sides!

My dd has a marmite name. She loves it. She has only met one in a store - name badge - and she asked if she could go talk to her!!

My middle name is Thistlewood 🙂

Depends on how marmite the name. Come on, what is it? I like giving children name choices, which is why I hate the whole nickname for a name thing.

I gave my daughter a very rare name (less than 12 girls in the UK given the name since 1996) it's an old 1920's name.

I also have her a more popular mainstream middle name in case she didn't like her first name.

Incidentally, her nickname is an Typical shortened Boys name popular in America.

@Hayfevered YES. I can’t agree with you enough. We just told a relative our name choice and he acted like we are naming her something really crazy - it’s in the top 20!

Depends where you expect them to be educated: Horatio and Persephone: Gawain and Isolde are fine in private schools or the demographically selective schools in Islington and Wandsworth; not so great in Sheffield or Potters Bar I imagine.