If you named your baby an unusual name

[GorgeousLadyofWrestling]

And they’re now older, how is it?

Just curious really. I was idly reading through some of the posts on here and for anyone asking about an unusual name, there’s a lot of posts warning the child will hate it/ they’ll be teased etc etc. So just curious about how it worked out for you. My DD has an unusual name and it’s very polarising on MN but she’s now 7 and suits it down to the ground.

I don't think having an unusual name is unusual anymore, iyswim. The name itself may be unusual but they won't be the other one with an unusual name.

Those darn millennials! Why couldn’t they just keep repeating old biblical names like Ruth, Paul or John??? We got Rachel, Michael and Adam too!

If you’re feeling really rebellious though we will accept (but quietly judge you) if you name them Amanda, Olivia or Thomas.

We’ve never gotten sick of ‘em so why would anyone else? What’s wrong with being the 20th Amanda or Michael in class. Who doesn’t like being addressed by the initial of your surname???

What’s wrong with being the 20th Amanda or Michael in class. Who doesn’t like being addressed by the initial of your surname???

Going by the huge numbers of Olivers and Olivias being born, many parents haven't learned that lesson, it seems.

But I agree and love my unusual name.

I’m very interested in this thread as we called our DD Violet which only 12 girls were named last year (Ireland). I’m worried she will hate it when she grows up and that we’ve made a mistake. Also find the Irish accent can’t pronounce it that well - a lot of the time it sounds like ‘vile it’. I’m very paranoid about it. DH maintains if someone wanted to bully her they could come up with something else if it wasn’t the name.

My son has a name that’s ranked outside the top 200 but it’s a well known name, so not sure it counts as unusual in perhaps the way meant. I think for some people it’s maybe seen as old fashioned but hopefully he will like it. He’s a toddler so has no opinion on it.

Also people talk about the issue with spellings with unusual names but there are still issues with known names like Ann, Claire, Caitlin, Alastair etc etc

I meant to add that the spelling issue is less of an issue now as people communicate more over the internet than by phone.

Both our DSs have Welsh names. Where we live it's probably more unusual to have a "usual" name and there is an amazing variety of vibrant names from all kinds of cultures that the kids just accept and would regard as no different to any other name. We live in London so perhaps that makes a difference?

I actually had some friends fall out with each other over the name Olivia. They both became pregnant around the same time and really fell in love with the name. One of them was convinced the other was a copycat but I think they actually both just liked the name and it was merely a coincidence. Lol. I was supposed to be an Olivia but my great aunt named her daughter that. My mother was not happy but decided to name me something else in order to avoid drama. It seems Olivia is the name that just sticks around destroying relationships like the blue shell in mario kart or something. 😂

I've got dd with the same name as a cartoon, not made up, old-fashioned. All gps hated it, one claimed to not have heard of it! Now they all like it, as it's sweet and friendly like her. However, I was prepared for some 'cartoon' comments from younger people, but it is literally everyone that hears it for the first time, old and young. It's getting a bit boring and I'm hoping when she's older people won't be so hot on saying it.

My child’s name both is and is not an unusual name is it is a hyphenated double barrel name. But both names on their own are quite ordinary on their own. They were originally going to be first and middle name but they rolled off the tongue so well we decided to stick them together. We get some mixed reactions sometimes. More often than not we get some really big compliments too. But I don’t mind if it is shortened or anything like that. The name is more symbolic than anything. We follow a very uncommon niche spirituality so it is a reference to that. I won’t say the name because I try to minimize my child’s online presence but it means new star put together. There was one lady that was particularly nasty about it. But I’m very confident that she was overreacting. I really went out of my way to make sure it was unusual enough to stand out a little bit but not so strange that she would be picked on for it.