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Rate my baby names - unusual

238 replies

laurielo · 16/12/2020 16:33

We're currently TTC and after years of been together we have the ever growing baby name list saved in the notes section

The girls name change every so often with 1 always being firmly at the top and boys names the same as o find these really hard, give me some more ideas or middle names

GIRLS:

Pollie
Posie
Maebel
Thalia
Iris
Nuala

BOYS:

Jaxson
Lockie
Reid

Smile
OP posts:
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Mamagotskills · 17/12/2020 15:17

Don’t mind any IF you spell them properly

gottakeeponmovin · 17/12/2020 15:18

I like all the girls names and know a number of people with them except Nuala although I do know a dog called that (German Shepherd). The Thalia's I know are pronounced differently one is th-al-ee-er and one is Tal-e-er.

The boys names are awful a bit chavvy

Yennefer19 · 17/12/2020 15:25

Jaxson was top of my list of DD was a boy, although I’m in the south east and it seems like every other boy being born is called Jackson which has put me off it a little bit. Other names we liked was Hudson, Leighton and Austin.

I really like Thalia and Maebel from your girls list. I’m with you in preferring the ie spellings on names and I really don’t think it will be annoying your DD would just say Pollie with an ie. Even popular names have lots of different spellings Stephen/Steven Sarah/Sara.

Other girls names you could have is Blossom, Maeva, Maevan, Maebry, Dahlia, Tansie.

frogswimming · 17/12/2020 15:26

I only like Iris out of your selection. I feel like the others are destined to be the Gary, Darren etc of the future. Unless you spell them the correct way.

Snog · 17/12/2020 16:58

I'm sorry OP but a lot of people will assume you are illiterate or of low intelligence if you use an "original" spelling. I'm not saying it's right but you will definitely be judged and this will also be unhelpful for your child.

florascotia2 · 17/12/2020 17:10

OP Obviously, your baby, your choice of name.

But when your baby goes to school, they will be taught that letters and combinations of letters make particular sounds. Apart from national and regional variations, this is not a matter of choice or taste or opinion, as choosing a name might be.

Spelling habits have developed to make communication easier and/or more precise. They change over time, and, maybe will change radically in the future (as in textspeak etc). But for people who have been to school in the 2nd half of the 20th century/early 21st century - ie most Mumsentters - certain ways of spelling are embedded in their memories and have become the norm. It's the same with computer spellcheckers.

Some posters objecting to 'youneek' spelling might perhaps be being snobbish, but I think more often it's because odd spellings are diconcerting, and even worrying. They don't fit in with what our brains expect.
And, as a previous poser said, they can make it seem as if the parents who gave that name did not know how to spell, whether that's true or not. You can't really add a label to a name saying 'we just prefer to spell it thisway'.

To take one of your names as an example: Jaxson.
Normally, in the UK, we expect the letter 'x' to make the sound 'ks'.
Normally, in the UK and elsewhere, the surname Jackson is spelled 'Jackson' and pronounced Jack-son.
But your chosen spelling would make the sound Jacks-son. We would read it as if it had an unexpected hiss (the sound made by 'ss') in the middle. And, probably without them realising why, this can set people's teeth on edge.

Names also have meanings.
To take another of your chosen names, 'Maebel'.
The name Mabel as usually spelled comes from a Latin word, 'amabilis', which means 'loveable', and that's very nice.
Mae (or May) is a short form of Mary (which means 'bitter'), another nice but completely different name.
If you mix up the two different names, Mae and Mabel, it can feel a bit like fingernails scraping down a blackboard, if you see what I mean.

There is a pretty name usually spelled Maebelle or Maybelle which means 'beautiful Mary'. That's perhaps less likely to seem odd or disturbing.

But as I said, your choice of names is of course entirely up to you.

florascotia2 · 17/12/2020 17:12

You'll see that there are a couple of spelling mistakes in my post above. I was obviously typing too quickly.
When we read them, they can make us stop, and lose concentration.
Names spelled very unusually can have the same effect.

harrietm1987 · 17/12/2020 17:14

It’s hilarious that you’ve got Nuala in there - it’s a granny name in Ireland, but really not trendy. Like calling your child Brenda or Sharon or something.

The others are ok but please spell them properly. It’s Polly and Mabel. Posy is a nickname to me and should be spelled like that, not Posie.

Jaxson...wtf. It should be Jackson. Or if you insist on the “x” then Jaxon - the s is totally redundant. Even then I really dislike surnames as first names, so don’t like Reid either for same reason.

GwenSpiderverse · 17/12/2020 17:22

Misspelled names make me think either the parents were thick as mince or they confused Different with Interesting. And I pity the child facing a lifetime of tediously spelling his/her name out.

My name is similar to a common British name that people often mishear/assume.m, as I discovered when I moved to the U.K. That’s irksome enough without deliberately choosing it for your child.

ProudAuntie76 · 17/12/2020 17:23

I have to admit, I’d assume that Maebel and Jaxson had parents who struggled with spelling, due to something like Dyslexia or being very young or from a socially deprived background which meant they had poor education or didn’t engage with it and had poor literacy into adulthood. In clinics, we did tend to find this was the case with a lot of spellings like Filissity, Natily, Zackari, Bakster, Tailer, we even had a Janathon (Jonathan) and a Pheobe (Phoebe)...mainly children from quite sad backgrounds with parents who really struggled. I’d also have guessed Lockie was a misspelling for Loki from someone not very educated. Sorry! It’s just the way of the world.

FestiveStuffing · 17/12/2020 18:23

I don't understand why your DM would be so offended by 'Jemma?'

Not offended, just felt a bit sorry for the person in question because she presumed the name had been misspelled in error.

newnamenancy · 17/12/2020 19:28

Thanks for explaining your thinking.

For girls you seem to want a fairly traditional girly name but spelt in a unique way. Bonus points for ie ending.

For boys you don't want anything Scottish, with a leaning towards surnames, and again, unique spelling.

You are fairly confident that your child won't mind having to spell their name out each time they say it, as your husband really enjoys doing this daily.

My suggestions for girls:

Rubie
Roesie
Peeonie
Phoebie
Ofeelia
Loocie
Topsie
Mopsie
Maesie
Nancie

Boys:
Smyth
Wryte
Reed
Read
Vynce
Bruwn
Macks
Machs
Feeo
Cartyr
Jonson
Bradie
Edwyrd

Let me know if you'd like more Smile

SunshineCake · 17/12/2020 19:31

Believe me it does have an affect on a child if their name isn't spelt the traditional way. I am sure there are actual names that end in ie.

RuthW · 17/12/2020 19:32

I wouldn't say any of those are unusual. I love Polly.

WhimsicallyPlain · 17/12/2020 19:47

Iris or Mabel if spelt correctly, I don't personally like any others on the list. I know we're all different with preferences! Be boring if we were all the same, but I work in a child's hospital and we all assume when names are spelt incorrectly that the parents are stupid (mean I know but we get some doozies!)

Anotherdayanotherdollar · 17/12/2020 22:50

Nuala is not popular in Ireland!

PriceEmUp · 17/12/2020 22:53

I have a Mabel, I chose it because it was the one old fashioned name that hadn’t quite been brought back yet.. and now I see a lot of Mabel’s😂 I still love it I just wanted something that wasn’t in every single classroom and now I think it will be 😁

SendHelp30 · 17/12/2020 23:20

@newnamenancy wins the thread.

Thanks for putting a smile on my face, it’s been a shit day!

ldnstb123 · 17/12/2020 23:29

Posie is gorgeous

JanewaysBun · 17/12/2020 23:32

Pollie - not unusual except for spelling?
Posie - love - almost used
Maebel - love but again the spelling could cause issues
Thalia - I know a few
Iris - love
Nuala - meh, a but bland

BOYS:

Jaxson - no
Lockie - yes but an odd spelling? Like a cute lock?
Reid - weirdly like it!

beautifulclouds · 17/12/2020 23:32

@newnamenancy

Thanks for explaining your thinking.

For girls you seem to want a fairly traditional girly name but spelt in a unique way. Bonus points for ie ending.

For boys you don't want anything Scottish, with a leaning towards surnames, and again, unique spelling.

You are fairly confident that your child won't mind having to spell their name out each time they say it, as your husband really enjoys doing this daily.

My suggestions for girls:

Rubie
Roesie
Peeonie
Phoebie
Ofeelia
Loocie
Topsie
Mopsie
Maesie
Nancie

Boys:
Smyth
Wryte
Reed
Read
Vynce
Bruwn
Macks
Machs
Feeo
Cartyr
Jonson
Bradie
Edwyrd

Let me know if you'd like more Smile

😂
Buttercup54321 · 17/12/2020 23:35

Terrible spellings. You child will have a lifetime of having to spell their name out to people. Just spell it properly.
Lockie is particularly awful.

Snog · 17/12/2020 23:44

How is Nuala pronounced?

Maigue · 18/12/2020 00:24

NOO-uh-la — middle syllable is a schwa and barely pronounced.

TheNanny23 · 18/12/2020 05:03

To be honest OP I think you should look at the national office of statistics baby name rankings. Iris is way way more popular than Megan, and Jaxon/Jaxxon/Jaxson is very common.

I echo others sentiments regarding misspelling names; the trouble is the ‘stigma’ exists based on the reality of class and education in the U.K. Charlotte may be a barrister, Chardonnae is not.

You would be better off scrolling down name ranking to find names that are actually unique names in their own right. None of these are top 200 names, some less than top 500

Girls:
Melanie
Cassandra (Cassie)
Callie
Pixie
Kiera
Carmen
Adele
Juniper
Juliet
Sabrina
Meredith
Lorelei
Samira
Larissa
Caroline
Leonora
Mariella

Boys:
Chase
Preston
Orson
Sullivan
Lawson
Curtis
Deacon
Leyton
Sawyer
Scout
Asher
Cash

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