Anyone else think in the pursuit for a ‘unique’ name children are getting called more and more ridiculous things?

[Anotherdayanotheropinon]

and what is behind this desire for a unique name! I feel sorry for all the children whose parents seem to want a unique name to satisfy something in themselves without any regard for the poor child saddled with the name.

This also seems to be a new thing in the last 20 or so years - leading to so many made up names.

I tnink those countries that have a register of names are doing the right thing.

See thread on wanting to name child ‘Falcon’ or the ever popular Neveah (it’s heaven backwards) 🙄 and so many other terrible names.

@monfuseds

What counts as a ridiculous name though? MNs seems to have a problem with names that aren't English.

I think you mean MN has a problem with names that a pronunciation can be guessed by monoglot English speakers. Any non-obvious letter arrangements will cause problems, and attempts at the pronunciation need not be accurate.

You can borrow a name from any culture. We chose a scandi names because we've been to Ikea a few times, and out DC are called Ivar and Tove which we say as Ivor and Toe-vee

every time there's one of these threads, people post the "ridiculous" names they know and they turn out to be perfectly normal names from another language or culture, like Tomasz or Princess.

Yes, this. A lot of Welsh names get this treatment like Alys, Mari and Betsi and Tomos, Jac and Harri.

@FayCarew I mean what I said. I find it strange as in real life I regularly meet people with names I've not heard of. I'm fully aware that the world has lots of different languages

Tbh prefer out there names to one of those godawful dull names Grace/Olivia/Lily/Isabel/Eve every other girl called one of those.

@monfuseds. Yes, you probably did.

On MN it is fine to say a name the way you want to say it not how the name is pronounced in that language. Any name that a poster suggests might cause problems is fine because apparently you only have to explain once how to say it. The other poster explains that this is once to each person so actually quite a lot of times in a lifetime.

DC have MN-approved nice safe names and aren't from a tenuously-linked 'heritage'.My examples were examples of mispronunciations that would probably be ok on MN

I really dislike the name snobbery on mn. I often hear names that o don't personally like, but my children's names are also unusual, so presumably some people don't like them either. One of my best friends has a very unusual name and she loves the fact that she's never met anyone else with the same name, and doesn't struggle to think of email addresses. It makes less sense to me to call your child a name knowing they will share it with many others, probably even within the same class group, but I totally respect that decision.
I also agree that there are often undertones of racism and classism in these discussions. And I would get very cross with my children if they ever laughed at someone's name.

I can't recall it for sure (proving that when it's that ridiculous, you can't remember much other than you know it was ridiculous) but there was someone with a grandchild genuinely called "Storm-Water Puddle"

Yes. People will laugh.
Yes. It's unfair on the child because they had no control on the name that has been inflicted on them.
Yes. As parents you will be judged for calling your child that, and evidently caring less about them being bullied or laughed about, as it's more important you look edgy and yoo-neek.

There were 40 pages of people feeling so sorry for this boy and sympathising with the grandmother. Pages of people saying how they had a mother like that, for her own image, they had been blessed with birth names such as "Rainbow Dance" and "Moon". And how they had a miserable time for it, and they had all changed their names at the first legal opportunity. Good job mum.

And those pretending "it's other people with the problem if they don't like the fabulous yoo-neek name I've imposed on my child" are only demonstrating how self absorbed they are, because it's their child that has to deal with their choices.

people do judge on names though. If you said 'Janet in Accounts' you'd not expect a 25-yr old, or if you said 'Blessing or Dayana in Support' you;d make guesses about their heritage'. If it was 'Debbie and Ian in QA', you'd probably expect them to be middle-aged but the only issues on your assuming these things is your actions. So you don't treat Janet, Debbie or Ian differently because they're old not young and you don't treat Blessing or Dayana differently based on their heritage.

And those pretending "it's other people with the problem if they don't like the fabulous yoo-neek name I've imposed on my child" are only demonstrating how self absorbed they are, because it's their child that has to deal with their choices.

Yep, children (and adults) might be kinder nowadays than a few decades back. But, even if no one says anything, i doubt there are many people introducing themselves to new classmates or colleagues as Phoenix-Blu or Rainbow-Belle who are unaware that people are thinking to themselves "the fuck?! Poor sod."

Instead of the "Can you imagine a doctor/CEO/ Prime Minister called x?", I think that what would probably be better is thinking "Would I want to introduce myself as Moonbeam/Chastity/Bitsy-May for the rest of my life?"
I'm guessing most people wouldn't.

@MsTSwift

Tbh prefer out there names to one of those godawful dull names Grace/Olivia/Lily/Isabel/Eve every other girl called one of those.

The thing that makes me laugh is that there are countless threads asking for opinion those kinds of names. There just run of the mill names. What variations of opinions can there be?

We live in a multicultural area and I love that there is such a variety of names. Very different to my school days where the class was full of Claire's, Sarah's and Emmas.

The only time I raise an eyebrow is where parents give their child an unusual name that sounds like a common name. I know a little Pax that everyone hears as Max, and a little Maple that everyone calls Mabel. That must be so annoying for the child.

@FayCarew I have a cultural name that some people don't know how to pronounce, although lots recognise it these days. I have no problem with someone checking the pronunciation with me.

If people judge on names, why are we blaming the parents doing the naming rather than the people doing the judging?

Exactly.

Every single name was made up. Unusual names are much more interesting and memorable than a top 10 name like Harry or Sophie.

I know soo many adults called Steve - very difficult to remember their name!

I really dislike the name snobbery on mn. I often hear names that o don't personally like, but my children's names are also unusual, so presumably some people don't like them either. One of my best friends has a very unusual name and she loves the fact that she's never met anyone else with the same name, and doesn't struggle to think of email addresses. It makes less sense to me to call your child a name knowing they will share it with many others, probably even within the same class group, but I totally respect that decision.
I also agree that there are often undertones of racism and classism in these discussions. And I would get very cross with my children if they ever laughed at someone's name.

I agree 100%

We live in London and thankfully many people are very open minded, and we come across all sorts of lovely and interesting names!

I feel sorry for all the children whose parents seem to want a unique name to satisfy something in themselves without any regard for the poor child saddled with the name.

I feel sorry for you, op, for being so judgmental and making assumptions about parents' naming choices.

@Blubells

If people judge on names, why are we blaming the parents doing the naming rather than the people doing the judging?

Exactly.

Every single name was made up. Unusual names are much more interesting and memorable than a top 10 name like Harry or Sophie.

I know soo many adults called Steve - very difficult to remember their name!

There are some names that I think 'WTF were the parents thinking?' and it is hard not to judge. The names are either extremely unusual or dodgy on cultural grounds.

I don't get that overwrought about youneek names, but I do get annoyed at parents who give one to a child, tell the school how to spell it, and then themselves spell it inconsistently on school paperwork thereafter.

If you're going to call your kid Dixi-Jo, stick with it. Don't confuse the poor little sod by spelling it 'Dixsy' half the time, with the odd 'Dixi-Joe' thrown into the mix.

*Name changed to protect the innocent.

My kids don't have unique names but certainly the youngest two are very uncommon and the eldest is uncommon. Thing is, when you see their names amongst their peers, they won't overly stand out (it appears one of them raised pronunciation qns but I don't understand why). Kids go to a diverse school.

@Footnote

If people judge on names, why are we blaming the parents doing the naming rather than the people doing the judging?

Said perfectly. When I see threads saying names are targets for bullies can see exactly where the bullying behaviour starts.

It's odd because, as adults, the common names don't make you think anything at all of the wearer.
If I get a cv of a Charlotte or a James or Steven, I don't think, "gosh, I'm not hiring them. Their parents had no imagination"

If I get an unusual name, I think "that's unusual" and that's about it. Unless it was offensive, I don't think anyone else cares once you're an adult!

The idea that names are made up isn't really accurate. Most names track back to a noun or concept of some kind in a language, old or new.

If your boys are called Peter, Henry, and Thomas, they are really Rock, Ruler and Twin, for example, but you aren't necessarily conscious of this all the time because those words are of another language.

A really made up name would be something that had no meaning in any majority language, like, maybe, Wuzdt or Frelek or Hikjula.

The idea that names are made up isn't really accurate. Most names track back to a noun or concept of some kind in a language, old or new.

All words are made up. Every sound we make as human beings is made up!

I know two men who had to change their names aged about 8 after bullying re said name ruined their small lives.

Silly, thoughtless parents damage,

I like double barrelled names and unusual names.
I don’t like mn snobbery about names. Really find it quite distasteful.

I say to the dc ‘Wouldn’t the world be a boring place if we all liked the same things’
Does that resonate with anyone?

@Supersimkin2

I know two men who had to change their names aged about 8 after bullying re said name ruined their small lives.

Silly, thoughtless parents damage,

But what was wrong with the names? Unusual or offensive? There's a massive difference between calling your son Fartarse vs Lyreno or Hitler vs Churchill