"strange" baby names?

Question

I made a post before asking about a name for a girl and got many replies stating that it's bloody murder to give your child an unusual name and they will never succeed. well maybe I've been living under a rock but I had never heard of the name Condoleezza until Ms Rice became a public figure. So to say that an unusual name will hold you back in life is not enitirely accurate.

oops I forgot to add the QUESTION.
Why is there such negative connotation with parents giving their children names that aren't COMMON everyday names.

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Answer 1

Oh I think it's just personal preference. Some like odd and different names that stand out. Some like old world or old family names. Some like traditional gender names. Some like popular names that reflect the current times.
It takes all kinds, don't you agree??

Answer 2

I have an unusual birth name, and I always ask my mother what was she thinking? I think it's the right of the parent to choose whatever name they feel is right for their child. But on the other hand I think that many of those parents don't realize that the child has to go through their entire life with that name, and the fact is I know first hand through experience if you have a unusual name or a name that's hard to spell on a job application many have been discarded or put at the bottom of the barrel not to mention if you have a "black or ghetto" sounding name. Sorry to say, but it's true. And it's not fair. Most of the time they don't even look at your accomplishments if they can't get pass your name. And then there is the parents who give there children the very cute "baby" names and don't think about the fact that someday those kids will be adults, imagine your 30 something years old and your name is Abby or Maddy,Sammie or Timmy. I have a little girl and her name is pronounced Brittany but spelled Brytnei and when she started school nobody couldn't pronounce her name right and I thought is was easy to pronounce then again I was 19 when I had her and my friend at the time thought that Brittany was a very common name and she suggested the different spelling, I reget it and my daughter started writing her name as Britney and I keep telling her that it's not the right spelling of her name and now at 8 yrs.old she told me no mommy you spelled my name wrong , I'm just correcting you.

Answer 3

I think people want to control other people. So when they don't like unusual names they get all nasty about it. They of course can have their opinion but a lot of people want to go beyond that and dictate to them what to name their kids. Guess what? They can't. They CAN NOT make people do anything. It drives them crazy.
I think that kids with common names get teased too. My first name is common so they picked on my last name. Kids are going to pick on kids no matter what. The secret might be to help your child love their name by telling them why you picked it. If you LOVE the name at least the kid will feel that it came from a good place.
My son in law's name is Elohi. He is such a unique person and I think that is partly because of his name. He did go through a short time in middle school that he didn't like it but he got over that.
Of course everyone should put a lot of thought into giving a name since they will have it all their lives and in essence you are writing their history.

Answer 4

There is a group of words that people have determined to be names, these words generally don't have the connotations that other words have. Sure all names "mean" something, but generally the only associations that people have with names is through associations with other people have with those names. However, people rarely take those associations seriously when they meet a person with that name. (For example, you may have an association with the name William based on people who you meet or know of with the name William, but in reality you don't expect that person with that name to have the same traits.)

If you pick a person with a name that means something concrete to most people, you have created an association with that name for your child. Breeze means something, it means a light wind. Besides the literal meaning, it also connotes something that is not strong. (i.e. She had a breezy air about her.) I know that it sounds far fetched, but what if your child wanted to be a lawyer or president?

Sure there are exceptions, but I have never heard the name Condoleezza before Condoleezza Rice, but at least it sort of sounds like a name. If it were Rainy Rice? Or Fried Rice?

Hmmm...

Answer 5

my kids are Phoebe, not from friends but because my husband is a musican and Phoebe Snow was an old jazz singer. My 2nd daughter is Shaylee, it's Gaelic and means Fairy princess of the field. I like not hearing other kids with the same name. It's original and it shows character. It's not the name that makes them the person it's them making the name, so teach them to be successful. However, i don't like condoleezza, i think there's too many letters, and it might be difficult to learn could you imagine getting that on a shirt for soccer or cheerleading? And what if you were charged by the letter?

Answer 6

I see nothing wrong with giving your baby a unique name! Who wants to be like everyone else in the world?? How boring! I applaud you for not sticking to the overly-used everyday names like Matthew or Emma. Why would you want a name that hundreds of thousands of other people already have? I say name your baby a unique name, whatever you want, and don't care what other people think. A name is not going to make a difference whether someone works as a doctor or a waiter... it's the choices they make. Good Luck!

Answer 7

There are "cute but unusual" names, and there are just plain weird names. If your child has a weird name, he or she will be teased throughout school, chosen last in sports, and lots of other bad things can happen. Kids can be very mean.

The only way to combat that is to make sure you get your child lots of friends before school starts, and that he/she goes to school with those same kids, all the way through high school. Otherwise, a child with a weird name has to be really, really strong in order to not fail in life and be lonely.

Example: I had an older uncle named Milton. That was fine. However, I went to grammar school with a boy named Milton, and he was teased for as long as I can remember.

Think before you name. Think ahead. Way ahead. For your child's sake.

The strangest names I've ever heard were Gloell, named after her grandmothers Gloria and Ellen, and Renadika (ruh-nah'-dick-uh). Both hated to keep spelling it for everyone or telling them how to pronounce it, or explaining how they got it.



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Answer 8

I have found that common names while being nice are just that common. My name is Sara granted most people spell it Sarah but there were atleast 5 or 6 Sarahs that I went to school with all growing up. On the flip side, the only bad thing I can think of is its hard to find personalized stuff with unique names on it, unless it is made to order.

Answer 9

I have always felt that a child should be named whatever a parent decides unusual names have no effect on a child's progress thru life that is where the parent once again has the influence just because you decide to name your first born alphonse doesn't make him a gangster like al capone

Answer 10

My daughter's name is Reagan Natasha. Not TOO weird, but not very common either. I wanted something that stood out, that made her unique, but not off the wall, and something easy for other people to spell/pronounce/etc. I grew up always being the only Heidi in school, and I LOVED IT. I hated my middle name because it was so generic though (Lynne), so I made sure to give my daughter a unique middle name to go along with her first name.