Silly Names

I put a great deal of thought into naming my children for the very reasons you've mentioned. All have meaningful names, but some things there's no accounting for. After naming my second child in 1976, there was an Eastenders character of the same name in the 90's. Happily all my children really love their names, the girls all having slightly unusual ones and the boys being very traditional, but again slightly uncommon.

I recall being in a supermarket where a small boy was being particularly obnoxious, running up and down the aisles, banging into people, knocking things over, when a woman's voice roared across the shop " Torquil, come here".

i remember when i was an antenatal teacher, one of my colleagues relating that one of her couples had chosen Strontium for their newborn

I remember years ago, waiting to use a call box to phone for the doctor. I thought perhaps my youngest was coming down with measles and was trying to book a home visit (easier in the 70's!) A little boy of about 4 was racing around on the pavement while his mum was in the call-box. She leaned out of the box, still clutching the phone, and screeched, "TYRONE!!! You c'mere NOW!" The little boy who, I do remember had a really very runny nose, didn't comply....!

On a visit to a theme park several years ago we came across triplets named Shane Wayne and Duane

When I was small, I knew a Poppy Summers. Initials are very important too. Years ago an acquaintance called her son Paul Edward Evans.

In some European countries there are strict laws about what names can be given to children. Given the extraordinary choices some parents make, it might not be a bad idea here! My son says all names should pass the 'playground test' - i.e. will the owner of the name be teased unmercifully by his/her (but particularly his - weird names are worse for boys) playmates?

I went to uni with a Heather Glen! My sister taught Tammy Wynette Mc........
Dolly Parton Mc............., Johnny Carson Mc.............. and Buddy Holly Mc........... Honest!!

I heard a mother call out 'Spiral' to her daughter.
My great uncles name was Boxer Johnston. I don't know where the name Boxer came from.

There was an Alice Band at uni with me.

My mother always told me to think carefully before naming the children because she had gone to school with a Pearl Button and a Theresa Green.

My Mum's sister was called Dorothy May Knott. She lived on a farm in Yorkshire called 'Back o' t' Moon', and once got into awful trouble when a copper stopped her for riding a bike without lights, at night. He said "tell me your name, young woman!" so she told him. He thought she was taking the Mick, and asked where she lived. She told him "Back o' t' Moon". He was new to the area, and hauled her into the police station, where the laugh was on him. My auntie was really pretty, so she got away with riding without lights in the end.

When I lived in the U.S. I had a friend who's husband's family had named their boys: Larry,Barry,Gary,Terry and their sister Mary. Said in a mid-western nasal twang sounds really awful.
The trend for Americans to give their children surnames as first names ie:Taylor,Mackenzie etc has now come over here, including the other awful names Savannah and Cheyanne. My GD is called Jeanne Beatrice [known as Jeannie] I told my son she would probably be the only one in her school with that name as it is quite old fashioned. She was named after two beloved late Grannies. I like the name as its unusual without being either trendy or silly.

Some names seem more suited to adults than babies and vice versa eg old names like Gerald or Maud seem fine for adults but Poppy or Wayne are better for children [none of the names I've mentioned are in our family but I do have a great great grandfather whose name was Hezekiah with brothers Nehemiah, Jeremiah and, I think, Obediah!!!!!]

I always think that you should consider whether the names are too cute to be taken seriously when the child grows up and enters the world of work.
How seriously would you take the opinions of Kitten, Honey or Willow???

Beware of strange spellings too, people don't like to mispronounce things so, when all things are even, an employer may select John over Joaquin for simplicity.

When I had my youngest daughter (now aged 37) I had a lovely old fashioned ( if a little drunken) Irish doctor who bellowed from the end of my bed in the mat home - 'I'm not seeing that child if she has one of those new fangled names'. I had called her Helen Josephine so that was OK. Helen as I love clasical names and Josephine as I was reading a biography of Napolean at the time. I thought these names could take her anywhere as it turned out I was right she has always liked her names.
I hate mine Susan Carol and wanted to be called Isobel until I met my husband who said ' is a bell necessary on a bicycle'. I had never heard that before - I would still like another name!
My husbands name is Peter and he is a rock

Our 6th grandchild is due to be born on Friday; if it's a girl she will be Isabella - the only thing that keeps running through my head is my Mum saying, just as Susiecb's husband quoted - 'Is a Bella necessary on a bicycle' - funny how something heard years ago sticks in the mind! Maybe she will be a boy - I daren't ask what name is in the running....!

Be careful goldengirl there may be a mumsnet lurker looking for names for her IVF quads. and Googie Withers has just died in Oz so perhaps someone will recycle that name

We have a little girl in the village who is called Tallulah! She's 11. The only other Tallulah I can think of is Tallulah Bankhead, but I don't think that it's likely that the little girl's mum would be aware of this lady. A bit of a mouthful when the school register was being read out, I would think?

There's Tallulah in Bugsie Malone. Maybe the mum was a fan or played the part?

Oh it could be that one, Annobel! I hadn't known about her - and on thinking about it, the little girl's mum would have been of an age to watch Bugsie when it came out. Mystery solved!

I agree with the "playground" and "back garden" test. I was advised that all children & dogs should have 2 syllable names as they are so much easier to shout!
However, I am also aware that many names we now think of as lovely were "trendy" in their time.
It is also a shame, if inevitable, that any name that suddenly becomes popular then seems rather "overdone". I love the name Jason (huge fan of the story) but came to name my sons just after the 70s explosion of Jasons!

My son's class teacher in the mid '70s had 5 Jasons in her class. When I was at school my class was largely made up of Anns, Margarets and Elizabeths in roughly equal numbers. When it came to naming my younger son, I was into Arthurian legends and wanted to name him Gawain or Tristan. Fortunately I was over-ruled.

I knew of a family who named their daughters: Tallula, Tamara, Tanita and Tallisa. They went on to have at least one other daughter who followed the same pattern and then a son. I'd love to know what he ended up with.
Also remember a two sisters called Kestral and Heron.