Querky or alternative names - see my list of options

[Motherofrabbits87]

I like to be different. Just wondered what some of your querky and alternative names.
See my names list below for both genders, I think I would raise some eyebrows with some of them.

GIRLS:
nova
piper
raven
Harlow
Elara
robyn
xanthe
saxon
lexie
wren
kimberley
zero
khari
iris
kaia
tabitha

BOYS:
zakk
Harrison
Lincoln
falcon
corey
phoenix
jaxon
rex
Angus
hamish
blaze
ace
brandon
wolf
zeppelin
Zio
Balthazar
styx
toby
patrick
cooper

To be honest I like most of them!

I love Robyn and most of the girls ones apart from Zero.. for boys I like Zac and Rex from your list, hate the name Jaxon (sorry)!

Some aren't what I'd called quirky at all (Patrick, Toby, Kimberley), others are quite common (Harrison, Jaxon, Angus, Hamish Wren, Iris), and some are just a bit ridiculous (Zero, Saxon, Falcon, Balthazar)

I think a lot of them look like 90s teen series names or pet names! 🙈

@XmasSadface

I think a lot of them look like 90s teen series names or pet names! 🙈

Haha not what I was going for, I have just been adding names and I'm pretty sure some will not make the final cut. 🤣

Some of these are very common - Lexie, Harrison, Zak, Toby, Cooper, Piper, Tabitha & Jaxon especially
Not Quirky at all

I know some are not querky, I just added the whole list, with the alternative added in.

Piper is fav for a girl and Zakk is fav for a boy, we are considering one of the other alternative names on the list for middle names.

GIRLS:
nova - ok
piper - no
raven - lovely
Harlow - awful
Elara - awful
robyn - not that unusual
xanthe - not that unusual
saxon - boy's name
lexie - nn for Alexa
wren - ok
kimberley - not that unusual, I know 3
zero - boy's name, but even then ??
khari - also sounds like a boy's name
iris - love it
kaia - ok
tabitha - love it, but not unusual

BOYS:
zakk - prefer Zac/Zak, but it's not unusual
Harrison - surname
Lincoln - surname
falcon - ok
corey - nice
phoenix - ok
jaxon - awful
rex - love it
Angus - love it, but not unusual
hamish - love it, but not unusual
blaze - not sure
ace - bit much to live up to!
brandon - chav
wolf - cool, but it's been done
zeppelin - it's a hot air ballon, sort of, so no
Zio - love it
Balthazar - love it
styx - as in the river that leads to hell? Hell no!
toby - love it, but it's not unusual
patrick - love it, but not unusual
cooper - surname

Iris and Patrick aren’t wildly quirky!

Most of them are fine. Some are just a bit embarrassing – think of your kid as an adult applying for jobs, do they want to be a Wolf or a Styx on their CV?

Thanks for the responses. I wanted to hear other people's not be told off for my list lol, its just a list I have gathered, I will know what is right for my baby when it arrives.

Everyone has their own taste. I didn't know I would offend so many people.

Also never stated they were all quirky, just some of them.

If the name raises eyebrows, don’t use it. Why on earth would you saddle a child with a name that will raise eyebrows for the rest of their life?!

You’re naming an actual person, not a pet.

@PotteringAlong

If the name raises eyebrows, don’t use it. Why on earth would you saddle a child with a name that will raise eyebrows for the rest of their life?!

You’re naming an actual person, not a pet.

Wow this post has turned a bit nasty, I knew mum shaming was bad, but this bad...

Some people don't like tattoo, that would make someone raise their eyebrows, and I don't care what people think.

It was a fun post and was seeing if anyone had any names they were considering that might be seen as a bit different.

I'm not naming my baby based on social conventions but I will also think what's right for my child.

You sound terribly proud of yourself OP

Agreed that it sounds like a roll call for a 90s teen movie! Seriously, especially the boys with Patrick and Cooper in there alongside - STYX!

Hahahaha! Buffy come back, all is forgiven!

Seriously - I love Xanthe, and Angus and Hamish are fab.

Please don’t call your child Zero! 🤣

But if you have a tattoo that’s something you’ve chosen for yourself. And people still get them removed / covered up because they regret them.

That’s not the same thing as being named Styx and then having to change your name to William by deed poll when you’re 18 because you’ve had enough.

You’re not making the choice for yourself. You’re making it for someone else. And that doesn’t mean all names need to be a top 10 name. But you do need to think about the implications of what you choose if you want to go against social conventions.

I think Zero and Styx have very odd connotations for most people. They'd raise eyebrows but not in a good way.

An associate of mine is called Zephryn which is pretty unusual (female).

It's a varied list, some quirky, some not.
Think about meanings a bit - Styx or Zero, for example, aren't very nice in their meaning / inference.

As someone with a name that people struggle to spell and pronounce, I'd say go for pronunciation that is intuitive & straightforward spelling.
It is tiresome to receive constantly misspelled correspondence (honestly my schools couldn't even get it right) & to be unable to say your name without someone saying "oh, that's unusual". I shortened it at 14 to a common nickname & that's what everyone calls me.

Which are your favourites OP?

@Motherofrabbits87

Thanks for the responses. I wanted to hear other people's not be told off for my list lol, its just a list I have gathered, I will know what is right for my baby when it arrives.

Everyone has their own taste. I didn't know I would offend so many people.

Also never stated they were all quirky, just some of them.

The problem is that people often just ask for opinions on the baby names board. Most posters probably missed the bit where you asked the question for other's quirky names

I live in a rural town in the highlands and teach kids with 8 of the names off your list, including Piper and several Zakk, Zac, Zack variations, so they're not all that quirky or unusual.

I like most of them, and can’t be too unusual because I know some of them!

No to zero or khari, not keen on Jaxon or Brandon prefer Blake to Blaze I feel like Ace may feel a bit of a twat introducing himself (probably due to red dwarf) no to zeppelin or styx, sound like drummers in a band.

May depend on your surname for the rest.

Styx is the name of a local shitty snooker/nightclub here.

I wish we could pick our own names so parents didn’t have to experiment with our identities

I wouldn't go with Styx, because while it looks objectively fine, it sounds like Sticks and has a rather dark meaning in mythology.

But most of the others are pretty usable. I like the mix of eras as well - Iris alongside Kimberley and Harlow, Angus alongside Corey and Ace. Not sure Zeppelin will catch on, but Zep is quite sweet.

Are you a big fan of classic rock? Saxon, Zeppelin, Styx, Cooper (Alice cooper) Angus (Young, ACDC)… all I think of when I see your list is 80s hair metal