Babies being given unusual names.

I heard an unusual name when I was visiting my ds in the US - a small boy called Awesome. He was getting up to mischief in a shop and his mum kept calling on Awesome to behave.

When I told my ds about this he rolled his eyes and said ‘Mum, I suspect his name was actually Orson.’

I have an unusual surname - my husband wasn't English - whenever I am asked for my name I automatically spell it without being asked!

Our 6th DGC was named Charlie. I thought we used to say that someone «was a right Charlie»-not complimentary!
But it really suits him.
A lady I sing with, retired primary school teacher, said, when I told her of Charlie’s name that she’d taught several
Charlies and they all had a twinkle in their eye! Our Charlie does too!

Working in schools you come across all sorts of names and you can often tell what a child is going to be like from the name. We all used to groan when certain names appeared on our class lists. Usually, our predictions were right.

From this morning’s DT
^ Former favourites close to extinction^
Top five boys’ names
Oliver – 4,225 (no change)
George – 4,100 (no change)
Arthur – 4,052 (+1)
Noah – 4,042 (-1)
Muhammad – 3,710 (+2)

Top five – girls

Olivia – 3,640 (no change)
Amelia – 3,319 (no change)
Isla – 2,749 (no change)
Ava – 2,679 (no change)
Mia – 2,303 (no change)
Top 100 between 1924 and 1984, but now with fewer than 45 registrations
Keith – 5 (peaked at number 14 in 1944)
Graham – 8 (in the top 20 in 1954)
Jane – 18 (peaked at seventh in 1964)
Christine – 21 (third most popular name in both 1944 and 1954)
Colin – 27 (top 50 name between 1934 and 1974)
Marie – 44 (top 50 name in 1974)

Fewer than 30 registrations in 1996 but now in the top 100
Finley – 2,613 (16th place, boys)
Ivy – 2,166 (6th place, girls)
Willow – 1,982 (12th place)
Arlo – 1,908 (27th place)
Roman – 1,776 (26th place)
Elsie – 1,772 (19th place)

Apparent,y there were no “ Nigels” - I wonder why?

I have a French Christian name. People often spell it strangely!

The spelling of my name is not a common one. I’ve always had to quickly spell it out when it’s been needed. For a very long time I was the only person I could find with this spelling although that’s changed now to a degree. I’ve always hated it and vowed with my own children that they would have much more conventional names.

Zowie Bowie was never named Zowie. He was Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones.

I rather like unusual names. All 4 of my children are blessed with them! Not had any complaints yet. In fact 2 of my grandsons have unusual names as well.

I was always asked to spell my unusual first name and have never met another. However, a writer with this name has recently hit the best seller charts and so I no longer feel unique.

One of my DGS is named John after his late GF. He’s the only John in the school. Turn the clock back 60 years and he’d have been one of many!

GrannySyb My DIL has the same name, it’s such a beautiful name.

Weren’t there some pop stars children-Zowie Bowie?- who changed their names as soon as they were adult?
DH taught and used to comment on a year of Elvis/Kylies.
When naming ours I thought about it being difficult to pronounce or say (working in a Court having to call out names could be difficult although folk weren’t as sensitive as folk seem to be now!)
Also would it suit them as adults whatever they decided to be/do?
And imagine how they would feel when marrying and having to say their names as their vows.
Also was I prepared to shout the name out in public-when they go AWOL which DD2 did regularly?
I thought there was a prescribed list of names in France so you couldn’t just call the poor soul after an entire football team for example?

Doodledog

We deliberately named our children so that they had a choice of whether to use a shortened version (which we used when they were small) or the full, more formal one as adults. So far, they have both stuck with the shorter names, but they know that they have the choice to change if they want to.

We did the same. Two sons use the shortened name and the other prefers the longer one. As another poster said, some names can sound quite baby-ish and could be a bit embarrassing if you were a lawyer/doctor etc. It's good to have an option.

My name has always been shortened outside of the family, despite picking people up on it.,I would give a name that you like shortened because everyone does. Theses sill names like Tixie bell,must be so hard in the bearer. I would change it by deed poll.

Hetty57. Parents often do not know what the popular names are when they name their child. We didn't, when we gave DS one of the most popular names in the year he was born. Likewise DS & DDiL with their eldest.

Unless you have teachers or Registrars of Births among your family and friends, or lots of people you know have babies you really have no idea what names are the most popular.

Often it is a name you may have decided decades before that you would really like a child of yours to have because it was not popular or you thought was unusual and it is a shock when you finally have a child and give them that name to discover that the name you love is top of the pops.

I find the idea that parents might be 'timid' in naming their children a very odd idea.

Hetty58

I like unusual names and my children and grandchildren all have them.

I do feel sorry for those given poplar names. They'll find others in their class or peer group with the same name.

People will assume that their parents are timid - also tend to guess their age by their name later on.

plus their parents are parents with little imagination

Oh gawd Hetty57 This probably says more about you than you realize.

And correcting a typo?

Were you were trying to be controversial?

DGD ended up with a name that, although her parents did not realise it, was/is a popular girl's name.

There were three other girls with the same name in her class in primary school. Each with a different spelling!

Both my 2 where the only ones with their name throughout their school career. Until my daughters went into year 11 when another little girl joined in year 7.

My experience as a a teacher was that names come into and go out of fashion at fairly regular intervals.

Parents think they have given a child an unusual name, then discover when the child starts school that four other sets of parents had the same idea.

Often young parents choose names their parents found hopelessly old-fashioned or ugly.

I was blessed with both a given name no-one could pronounce and a surname no-one could spell. Both were the bane of my life at school!

*and key chains

I grew up with a very usual name with a not usual spelling. There is a US common spelling, then a French spelling.

As a child, I was always upset because I could never get things with my name on it like my friends did. Think bike license plates in the 70's of key chains. Plus, I had to spell it ever. single. time. I said it.

Because of my experience, when I named my children, I gave them the common spelling. One of them still has to spell her name because of all the unusual spelling out there, there are many choices to spell this one name, the most common being 1 L vs 2 L's.

Now, my name spelling is more popular. I even found it on a Coke bottle when they were doing that thing here is the US. I gave up spelling it to people years ago and just tell them to spell is however they want to.

I am now having to spell my last name, though it is common. People usually ask with a D or without.

It is what it is.

They're lovely.
I do like names. (Well, some of them)

A friend of my dil has given each of her 3 girls beautiful old fashioned names-Florence, Matilda and Cecily. I love them all.

MamaCaz, I did give my beautiful little baby that name and I apologised for it recently.
I can’t remember exactly what it’s supposed to portray but she is certainly white, middle class and bossy and I think those adjectives come into it somewhere.
She said she has no problem with that!
Lives up to the name.

I always spell my name otherwise people spell it Cybil!