What's your opinion on quirky or unusual names for kids. Safe or unusual names and why?

Answer 1

I like quirky and unusual names if they suit the child. It depends what they are.

I know a lot of children with unconventional names and one of mine is called Blue. It suits him and he loves it, we have only met one other child called Blue until recently when I met a boy who had been named furious but changed his own name by the time he was 5 to Blue!

I think the meaning of the name is very important as well as the sound and spelling. But most of all that it suits the child.

Answer 2

I think it depends on on quirky or unusual a name is as to whether it could pose a problem for a child. If you have never had children or been in a school environment on a regular basis you may not be aware that children can be quite cruel. Having a name which is more on the bizzare side might be enough to cause that child to become a target for other children to pick on. If you have the ability to instill a strong sense of self it will help the child cope. It's been my experience that children now a days will look for any differences as excuses to assert themselves over people who are different. I personally think that everyone should be taught how to appreciate their uniquenesses but in reality I wouldn't give a child to strange of a name because they will have so many other things to cope with so why set them up to have to deal with teasing over their name.

Answer 3

I think that personally an unusual name might add to the character that is built as the child grows up. And I mean this by saying that he or she doesn't have a name so strange, that all the other children will make fun of it. Because that's just asking for trouble from both sides of the border.

Interviews have been known to also go bad because the interviewee has had an odd name.

If you are planning on going with a name that is not known by others, then please, go with something that isn't so out of the blue that your child will have absolutely no future.

Getting a name change isn't all that easy.

Answer 4

Hi,

I don't think it matters too much if it traditional and 'safe' or unusual and 'quirky' ... it depends on your OWN personality and what you feel you want to name your baby.

I do like both traditional baby names and some unusual names but I don't like the names that are TOO OUT THERE as I feel you can too far with name and you have to think about what is in the best interests of the baby too.

It hard choosing a name but like I said it depends on what you feel is right for you and your partner and whether it goes well with family name and other siblings names etc.

Lx

Answer 5

There's a big open space between "safe" and "unusual" and I think the best names fall into that category.

It's no fun bearing one of the most popular names in your generation - Jennifer, Amy, Michelle in the 1970s; Emma, Hannah, Isabella today.

There are different burdens associated with bearing an off-the-wall name, or even just an unusually spelled name. I know a Teri who still remembers *never* being able to get personalized pencils and barrettes. I know an Andromeda who doesn't mind her nickname Andi, but dislikes having to explain that yes, her parents were hippies. Neither like their names, but both have made their peace.

The best thing seems to be to strike for the center. If you choose an unusual first name, balance it with a classic middle and vice versa, preferably with nickname options. So if your daughter Kayleigh Elizabeth Smith turns out to be a very serious neurosurgeon, she can be K. Elizabeth Smith, M.D. Likewise, your Caroline Vrai Smith can be a perky cheerleader called Carrie, a sophisticated artiste known as Caro or something else all together.

For boys, I think there's even less tolerance for truly quirky names, and a smaller range of classics from which to choose. Life's not fair; there are also fewer racks of boy clothes in most stores. I think naming your son Diviell just to make sure he's unique is foolish.

And, of course, is your last name is a tongue-twister, all of this gets just a little bit harder.

My son has a classic, common name - which he just happens to share with his grandfather - and an equally classic, though rarely heard, middle name that we also plucked off the ol' family tree. He also has a rather unusual nickname based on his given name. I've never been unhappy with our choice, though I sometimes wished that we went for the Italian version of his middle name.

As with many things in life, I think there are hazards to both the extremes, but lots of room in the middle.

Answer 6

I don't mind uncommon, but TOO unusual could be detrimental. Names spelled incorrectly for the sake of uniqueness usually just end up looking Illiterate. (My cousin recently named her daughter Autumn but spelled it Awtaim at her her sister's behest. What a travesty.) I like the name Autumn, just not spelled like that. I have a relative named Karia (Greek origin) and she loves it. She was popular in school and had no teasing issues because of it. She says having a unique name was more rewarding than harmful and plans to name her daughter Kasia and her son Kestrel. Safe or popular names can be too common and make them lose identity in school where there could be several Brittany girls or John boys in the same class. A name that is not too far off the beaten track, and is spelled correctly, is often a good conversation topic, making it easier to talk to new people.

Answer 7

I definitely understand that parents want to give their children unique names, but I feel it's gotten kind of out of hand. I see nothing wrong with naming your kid something unusual, but it seems like parents are competing with each other to see who can come up with the weirdest, most original name. so sooner or later the trend will change because unusual names will have become too common, and we'll be back to John and Mary.

Answer 8

I had a friend growing up who had an unusual name that people had trouble pronouncing (even though it was spelled phonetically!) She legally changed her name because it bothered her so much.

Another friend of mine plans on changing hers for the same reason, but is waiting until she gets naturalized, because it's easier then.

My name is Katie and it was probably a little TOO common when I was growing up. I was always "Katie with a K" or "Katie T." or "long haired Katie" or "tall Katie" because there were too many of us.

I think the ideal name is something people have heard of but don't have bad associations with, but isn't in the top 20 names on the social security website.

Answer 9

well, there is nothing unusual about "ulysses" or "bertha" it is just those names are no longer the trend; "heather" and "tiffany" are rather new names and would have been considered unique and unusual during the era when ulysses and bertha were common names.

names follow trends...there will be a time when we will consider "tiffany" and old aunt name.


but anyway, about names....whatever name a person has doesn't define them as a person. however, i dislike "unique" name spelling such as kryztofer or jezzyka it makes me think the parents weren't creative enough to think of a non-traditional name and so they chose to completely mess up the spelling of a traditional name. that or they are dyslexic.

Answer 10

I like traditional names that are unusual purely because they are old fashioned. Like Edith and Arthur. Nothing worse than "chav" names like Brooklyn or Darcy. The worst is when people (particularly English people trying to be American) pluck surnames out of the ether to give thier kids, to try and make them sound like they come from an old, established family. I also think its quite unimaginative to give your child the most popular name of the time. Out of 12 girls in my daughter's class, there are 3 olivias.