A thought about unusual or made up names

[PeggySioux]

When we gave dd1 a highly unusual name, one of the (many) criticisms that were leveled at us by interfering and rude well meaning family members was "she can't ever have a serious job with that name" and "what if she wants to be a lawyer rather than a pole dancer?" and "the bank manager will laugh at her" (I promise I haven't made those up).

Well, arguably the most powerful woman in the world is called Condoleezza Rice. C'mon... Condoleezza? That's not even a name - it's made up from the Italian musical term con dolcezza meaning "with sweetness". And top it off with Rice?

Hmmm... yet I don't notice anyone refusing her a bank account. In fact, like her or loath her, you can't deny that she gets taken pretty seriously and has done okay for herself.

"I should've called my son Don't Touch That. And his brother No We Can't Afford It. " LOL

As long as your child isn't named Yippee-Ki-Yay or something similar you should be fine.

but what is unusual now won't necessarily be unusual in 15-20 yrs time when these kids are getting jobs.
so irrelevant

My dd went to school with a boy called Jenson and his elder sister was Chynna (yes it was that spelling!).

No one batted an eyelid. FWIW, my dd has a perfectly everyday name that is routinely misspelt .

ditto, my first and last names are common as muck and both get spelled incorrectly all the time.

My surname is relatively unusual but it is often pronounced wrongly as well as being spelt wrongly (so my poor dd is doomed to spelling her entire name out all of her life). It's even got it's own 'group' on Facebook since this seems to be a world-wide gripe of poople to get to grips with saying it . Not that we're overly sensitive.

We thought we had given DS an unusual name until his first day at nursery.

nope, not seen it. and can't find it :S

oh no, just found it OMG

Peggy

I wouldn't worry about bank managers, teachers, the congress -whatever

By the time your dcs are that age, a WHOLE lotta, Princesses, Kings, and Dangers will have paved the way!!

"Sorry to be snobby but there are made up names that suggest that the parents are individualists/hippietypes/bit wacky and there are names that suggest that the parents are more likely to be found in front of the tv drinking lager."

• PMSL!!!

I don't really care what people call their children, but what does get me is when people turn a perfectly lovely name into some alien laungage by changing the spelling! We are going to be a world of:

Kaytee
Jaxsson
Lideah
Rachaele
Lora
Alixandr
Danyell
Jewley
Bethenie

It's not nice, it doesn't look good, it's not different - it's just stupid! Leave them as they are, if you want to be different, then use an unusual name. It just makes me

oh come on op..... what's she called.... how can we properly contribute if we have no idea of what your idea of "unusual" etc is?? spill. now. please.

I don't mind the made up ones quite as much as the wrong spelling.

Then you have my apologies NighbyNight - I obviously misread it as you having a go at someone who was already on this thread.

You can't start threads like this and not tell us what she is called.

I have nothing against unusual names (the Rivers etc of this world), I like them most of the time but DH is very much not liking of them.

I don't like weirdy spellings of proper names. We get enough hassle for having the "Australian" spelling for DD rather than the "Welsh" one. It is a real spelling ffs, not as if we threw in random letters for the hell of it, just not the spelling that aggressively Welsh family members wanted.

There are 379 Kaytees, and 141 Bethanies on facebook. 118 Alexandrs (male and seem to be all Russian, so fair enough) and 51 Alixandras who all seem to be American.

I am sure there was some character on TV who always pronounced Alex as Alix, but I can't remember too.

I have a feeling Alixandra is Polish too

(can't remember who)

I thought Alix (for a girl) was an older spelling of Alex?

Might be wrong.

Out of interest, do Elinor and Eleanor have the same pronounciation?

I wouldn't worry about other kids taking the mickey - they wouldn't know if it was a 'proper' name or not. My ds called her first doll fluffpot, and when she got another, and I asked what it's name was going to be, she said 'fluffpot'. I told her it couldn't have the same name as the first, so she thought for a moment and said 'ok, it's name is eyebrow' !!!!!????
Or do I just have a weird child?

no - 2 of my dd dolls are called annabelle, and annabelle-lop

I think unusual names are lovely when they have a reason behind them, be it cultural, family related etc but to name a child because of your own whim without really thinking what the child will have to put up with is selfish IMHO
I can't forget an episode of Changing Rooms where they were doing up a nursery for a couple who were expecting a baby boy.
'So have you decided on a name yet?'
'Yes, we're going to name him after the food I was eating when I found out I was pregnant'
'What's that then?'
'Raspberry'
FFS a little boy in a London school called Raspberry!

Also we had a girl due to start at work called Cola. We were all interested as to where her name originated from (Greek we all settled on), when we asked she said 'Nah, it was because my Mum drank lots of Coke when she was pregnant' - thanks Mum!
It was a name that we all got used to and suited her but she had had a lot of aggro over the years because of a parental whim!