Professor Athene Donald....

[seeker]

...on Desert Island Discs this morning said that it was an awful name to have because to people who know who Athene was it made her an object of mockery and those who didn't couldn't spell or pronounce it.

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I heard that too and thought it was an interesting comment. A really pretty name though, I think.

Poor women. It applies to alot of names unfortunately but parents still insist on lumbering their kids with names even they can't spell or pronounce just to be 'different'!

Never understood it tbh!

I just thought it was a useful alternative view to the "everybody I know with an unusual name loves it" view prevalent on baby name threads!

My IVF consultant once told me that everyone she knows with an unusual name gave their children a 'normal' name because they know how awful it can be to live with a name that no one can pronounce/spell.

I know a few people with unusual names and they all hate them!

Most of the really weird names have only just started being used though so the children are too small to comment (and too young to change them! ).

I'm sure there will be exceptions who love being called Bagpuss or MoonUnit or whatever but most children like to fit in with the crowd IME and having a name no one can spell is a PITA - I should know, I have one!

I think Athene is a lovely name, but I would because...
a, my family's Cypriot (so it isn't an unusual name for us as such)
b, it's DDs middle name

but OMG, it so doesn't go with Donald, so I can understand her aversion. FWIW, I hate my name, but it's fairly common, people will hate their names whether they're in the top 5 or completely off the wall.

Apparently, her parents couldn't decide whether to call her Ann or Anne - so the called her Athene!

Some people really should be shot for the greater good!

Sorry, serenity, missed your post. I agree it's a lovely name if it's part of your heritage - and not teamed with Donald!

I met a Derrigan recently (apparently it is from Chaucer). She says she has hated having unusual name her whole life - a no middle name to use as an alternative. She especially hates her name as it gives no clue to whether she is M or F, and people assume it is her surname.

Agree that Athene and Donald are a particularly unfortunate combination. Not sure that Athene would go very well with many British surnames.

Athene Smith
Athene Robertson
Athene Harris

?

My Norwegian name's unusual for the UK but very like an English name so people just get it wrong and spell it wrong All The Time. This has always been a complete PITA. So I carefully called my son an easy name to say and spell ..... then inflicted Caitlin on my poor daughter because I love it, but because there are so many variants people are going to spell it wrong her whole life! we've already had Kaitlyn, Kate-Lynne ....

Hi SA! I'm afraid Caitlin is an unfortunate victim with the modern obsession with spelling names incorrectly differently!

I would always spell it Caitlin!

Now someone is going to come and tell me that isn't the 'correct' way to spell it!

Didn't hear the programme, but it sounds like she's been unfortunate enough to meet some rather unpleasant people. It's a great name - I wouldn't have minded being an Athene.

BC, people who can't pronounce or spell unusual names aren't necessarily unpleasant! I have been faced with quite a few of these names as a teacher and I really did do my best but sometimes the correlation between the spelling and pronunciation is so bizarre that I just couldn't get it!

Yes, but the people who make mockery are.

"If you don't watch out people will start to think you have a touch of the "he who doth protest too much" syndrome'

Don't understand - explain?

Happy with less common - my campaign is against bonkers!

"Didn't hear the programme, but it sounds like she's been unfortunate enough to meet some rather unpleasant people"

She's an academic in her late 50s who has done lots of media work in lots of places - she will have met a lot of people! Unlikely that they will all have been uniquely unpleasant!

"My IVF consultant once told me that everyone she knows with an unusual name gave their children a 'normal' name because they know how awful it can be to live with a name that no one can pronounce/spell."

I have a really ordinary name and gave my DD an unusual (but not crazy) name. I bet it works the other way round, too.

I think Athene Donald is actually rather a distinguished, classic and lovely name. She'd have something to complain about if she'd been called Sh'aaani-tialiamaria, IMO.

Well I have an unusual name (actually my mum made it up) so I can feel her pain.

However, despite all the negatives (the endless explanations, the spelling over and over again, the correcting of pronunciation) I wouldn't swop it for anything else.

(Although I have given my dcs very plain names!!!!)

metella, so you kind of prove my IVF cons' point then!!

I have like the plainest of plain names, first name, middle name and surname so I have always said that I would like to give my children unusual names. I think it does work both ways.

It is unfortunate that some really rather nice names end up with bad conotations. I rather like Pandora, but would a little girl end up with bad remarks her whole life because of it?!?!

I know I'm late to this thread but I find it very interesting.

I have a very common name. Every class and job I have ever been in there has been someone with else with my name. This has never been a problem for me and I was surprised when I was looking for names for dd that many people didn't want 'popular' names.

However if DC2 is a boy then we are thinking of naming him Raphael because its a name we both really really like.

TBH though I am struggling with this as I dont want him to suffer because of his name and Iknow from experience that having a popular name is not really ever a problem so why do something that may negatively affect him?

Its a very interesting thread IMO