Seeker, IMO you're wrong! Unusual names are awesome!

[dizietsma]

My DD has a weird(ish) name and I've got some other weird ones lined up if we have another.

The excuse that kids will pick on odd named children for their name alone is nonsense.

My DH is called James and people took the piss out of him for that. You couldn't pick a safer, or more common name unless you picked John. My name is very common, very normal (I'm certain you'd approve) and I still got the piss taken out of me for it at school too.

My point is, if bullies want to pick on a kid, they'll find a reason. If picking on a kid for their name gets a response they'll keep doing it. It's the reaction that continues the cycle of bullying, not having an interesting name.

Hearing about your nephew (?), I do sympathise, but I can't help thinking that giving in to the bullying by changing his name was actually a really bad lesson for him to learn.

I agree, if people bully then they are the ones in the wrong.

Not fair to name a poster though.

It's not you who had to live with your 'brave' name choice though, is it? I had to put up with 29 years of teasing because my parents picked a name they loved and which rhymed with my surname. It was horrendous and has shaped my character.

If Seeker's nephew is happy now he's changed his name, how is it a bad lesson to learn? Should he have been forced to suffer instead?

"if people bully then they are the ones in the wrong"

Yes, but it's not them who suffer is it?

Message withdrawn

Why have you started a new thread to make this point, when it is clearly in reply to a post on another thread?

Yeah, wot Hecate said

you hold her arms and I'll give her a wedgie.

seeker is wrong though.

haven't seen the thread though.

apologies for the two thoughs

Its not in reply to another thread though.

Its in reply to a view held by Seeker that she regulary posts on many different baby name threads.

I dont think Seeker will mind this thread TBH and will welcome the debate which I presume is what the OP wanted, I dont think she is having a 'go' at Seeker at all.

Anyway .. back to the debate

Listening to Seeker I have changed my mind and actually agree with her. I do believe, on the whole, that boys dont want 'different' names and would rather be Tom etc.ut wont

DH and I love one name in particular but wont use it as we consider it to different and we are opting for a more widely used name so he wont stand out in a negative way

I have an unusual variation of a common name - some people have always got it wrong but you know what? I would rather that than have the common version any day!

she is not wrong about baby names. It is her opinion. You disagree is all

I think its different to girls. I think Seekers opinion is only refers to boys names

Well, I was a girl last time I checked

I don't see how you can say anyone is wrong. Quite frankly these 'unusual' names, especially when they are spelt incorrectly, actually: 1) make the parents look illiterate and stupid; and 2) reduce the child's chances of ever being taken seriously for anything!

It's an opinion anyway, there is no right or wrong.

Unusual names fall into two classifications for me.

There are unusual names like Phoenix, Auberon, etc which are lovely choices and ought to be respected.

Then there are awful misspellings such as Madylynn (Madeline) and Mykynzy (Mackenzie) etc which really do make the parents look illiterate as SK1980 pointed out.

The world would be so boring if every child had the name Sophie or Ben. I am called Elizabeth and had the piss taken out of me for my name... "Lizard Breath."

I disagree with SK completely.

I have always been taken seriously and nobody has ever accused my parents of being illiterate. So what if my name isn't spelt as people think it should be but it makes a great ice breaker as people always ask where my name comes from.

Some "misspellings" of names are actually the original spellings when you look back through the history of the names too.

DS2 hs a name that is unsuual if not unknown and loves to have it.

We've made it clear he can ditch Stirling and adopt his midle name if he wants, he doesn't.

The ones that make people appear to have a alck of spelling ability (despite the fact that you'd need to know the right spelling to devise them) are perfectly trad names given new spelling, so Maddie-Lyn, MarKuss, Kor-reey.

Even then it comes down to parental choice and if thats the worst thing they do to their kids then lucky kids.