What do people have against unique names!?

Question

Everytime I see people asking about unique baby names, their answers are incredibly rude more often than not.
Anyone who actually happens to like the name gets a bunch of thumbs down, and the asker gets tons of responses of, "How about Ashley?" or "I like John instead."

What is this!? As a huge fan of unique names myself, what is it with people that they want to name every kid in the world John? I don't get what's wrong with uniqueness.

Also, they get tons of answers saying "kids are cruel."
Well, I don't know where you grew up, but I have never in my life heard anyone get made fun of for their name.

Somewhat unrelated, but it's a huge pet peeve of mine on here that people offer suggestions for baby names that are complete opposites of what the asker is looking for.

I just don't get it. It's called variety. No need to stick to names that are 500 years old. How do you think those names ever came about? People made them up. It's like the circle of life for names.

Answer 1

Well I think you are wrong.
Of course kids pick on other kids for any reason and specially on the strange or different names.
I endured that all my life, because I have a different and unusual name. Also I keep on spelling it out to others even now after more than 35 years.
So don't tell me about unique names being nice.
It is stupid of parents giving that burden to their children for no reason at all, as there are thousands of nice name combinations without being weird or extremely eccentric.

Answer 2

I love unique names. However there is a fine line between unique and obviously made-up (taking a name and spelling it backwards for example) or intentionally misspelled to either make them unique or to change the gender.

I asked awhile back for opinions on unique names and most everyone who replied said 'those are too weird and they aren't pronounceable at all'. To each their own.

People tend to mock and criticize anything that they are not accustomed to. If it's unique and different, that automatically means it's bad to them.

I was given a weird name that I hated with a passion. I got made fun of because of it even into high school. There were a ton of things I could have been picked on about instead but I wasn't. So yes kids are cruel.

On top of that, my parents insisted on a pronunciation that didn't even match the spelling and would get pissed off to no end when someone pronounced it according to how it was spelled. It was very embarrassing and humiliating to go through that.

I know that most people won't agree with me, but if you have your heart set on a unique name, follow your heart and use it. Don't let random strangers decide for you because in the end, the only one who decides is you.

Answer 3

There are few points to consider.

First, I'm a big fan of uncommon and underused names. A few that I've suggested and/or given the thumbs up to include Atlas, India, Endellion, Journey, Leocadia, Hadley, Gideon and Malachi. The world does not need another Emma or Jacob, even though both names are pleasing.

But I think the desire to be unique can go too far. The following strike me as so unusual that they don't make for good choices:

* Choosing a common name and opting for an outlandish spelling to make it "unique."

Kaelyy or Peightyn isn't unusual; it's just misspelled. I think any name is half sound, half appearance. If the sound is common, then the name *is* common, no matter how many vowels are added or changed in the original. Four heads still swivel when you call "Chaela!" on the playground, and your kiddo will never, ever see her name spelled right on the first try.

* Choosing a noun name that is an awful lot to live up to.

I've given the thumbs down to Jolie as a first name more than once, because what girl wants to be named Pretty? While few people speak French in the US, jolie is one of those words that kids pick up, especially in high school when everyone's taking languages. Imagine - you're struggling with braces and acne when your classmates discover your name means pretty. Ouch! Likewise, some names are overly masculine, like Maverick. It's got an appealing sound, but it's too cool, too gunslinger for everyday use.

* Choosing a noun that has a negative meaning.

Bane sounds like a good name for a boy. Caprice sounds like a good name for a girl. But there's more there than sound. The definition for the first is, roughly, burden. And the second means fanciful - but also cruel.

* Choosing an exotic place name and changing the spelling.

Place names are fabulous. But changing Havana to Havannah is awkward. An unusual name that everyone can spell is the best of all worlds. An unusual names that everyone *thinks* they can spell, but you have to correct? Shudder.

* Inventing a name that doesn't have roots.

While I agree that most names were made up at some point, many of those creators were writers of rare talent. Shakespeare is a biggie. I don't write as well as Shakespeare, so I'm willing to concede that my DIY approach to naming might also fall short. So while Gracelyn is a pretty elaboration of an established name, Miloynia is just a random set of syllables strung together.

* Giving a name that has no escape route.

If you name your daughter Langston, her middle name ought to be clearly feminine. If you name your son Jory, his middle name ought to be something a little more common. Langston Kate and Jory Alexander are great names. But giving your kiddo the equivalent of Moon Unit - unusual first, unusual middle, no nickname options? Big mistake. Your child might grow into the name, but odds are better that your child will never be comfortable with it.

We've got not just 500 years, but all of written record to comb through to find names. I agree that there's no need to stick to the Top 50, Top 100 or even Top 1000 when choosing a baby name. But people come to Yahoo! Answers to get honest reactions from a wide swath of the community. And if an idea is less than great, you'll know - not only will the John/Ashley crowd not care for it, but neither will those of us who routinely give the thumbs up to the more exotic monikers out there.

One final point - unique means a set of one. Leocadia is a seldom heard name, taken from my trusty Book of the Saints. But even if I name my daughter Leocadia, or Leacadie, she won't be one of one. She'll be one of a handful throughout centuries. I think that's often the best we can do.

Answer 4

My daughter is named Brenna, it is unique and yet a very old name at the same time. My name is Lisa and I wanted something unique because there were at least 2 Lisa's in ever class that I ever had and I didn't want my baby having that problem.

She is 16 now, everyone calls her Brenda when they first meet her, never can spell her name and have always asked me in front of her where did you come up with that or plainly told me "That's different".

Kids are very cruel and I have heard of many kids being made fun of for their name.

Colin
Rebbecca
Andrew
Venicia
Delcia

I live in New England and kids do get made fun of for their names and any other made up reason here and everywhere.

My second child is Peter, when he was tiny and people would ask me what his name was and I would tell them Peter more often than not their response would be " Oh, such a nice normal name", then I would tell them, it is the right name for him just like Brenna is the right name for my daughter.

I wouldn't change their names, they are Brenna and Peter.

I will make sure that if I have another one their name will be very difficult to make fun of and if unique something strong and suitable with that baby.

Answer 5

I'm not sure if this is in agreement or not (kind of took a different turn toward the end there LOL), but I LOVE real, but completely underused names.

Those on our own lists often range from familiar, but not exactly top-ten, classics, to authentic Celtic choices some might not recognize (not simply misspellings of already-common choices, such as "Aidyn" and "Konner" ROFL) to VERY unfamiliar, but again equally real and historic choices.

Given that, I can nearly always appreciate an actual name that happens to be uncommon at the moment. It doesn't really matter if it's one I would personally use or not. After all, any valid name -- whether simply unusual or perhaps inherent to a certain language or culture -- should be respected for it's intriguing departure from the norm. ;)

And it's so unfortunate when you see comments like "Siobhan sounds nice, but I don't like YOUR spelling ... what about Chavonne?" or "Althea is old and ugly! Why would you do that to a child?" or "Mariska is a great name -- if you want your daughter to be teased mercilessly." Seriously, folks, with all the completely created names and blatant misspellings out there, I doubt a child with a real, but unusual, name will be the ones at the brunt of most schoolyard ridicule.

Quite the opposite, actually. Children have little concept of naming trends or popular vs. uncommon, so the little Daras and Desmonds in their kindergarten class will often be seen as no more unusual than the Emilys and Jacobs. However, as the years pass and they know a larger number of children with those popular names, they WILL recognize that Emmuleiagh and Jaykubb are the odd ones out, or that a Chaise is a chair (not just another way to spell the word "chase"). LOL In other words, uncommon is rarely the problem when it comes to children's names. It's the adults who assume there's an issue there.

And I have to agree. It's so tiresome to constantly see suggestions completely opposite of what the poster is asking for. If they're looking for unique, they get "Madison, Addison or Nevaeh!" LOL And if it's genuine Irish they're looking for, they get "Braelon, Katelynn and McKaylah!" ;) Seriously?

But I disagree with the last paragraph. The names that "are 500 years old" ARE usually the uncommon ones. Generally speaking, recently coined names are often looked down on because they are already boring and overused. By the time some random first-time parent hears something like Nevaeh (with the compulsory "Heaven spelled backwards" byline), it's already in the top 50! And yet they think it the most creative, unusual option out there. ROFL Unfortunately, that's the problem with names that don't have a great deal of history behind them. For them to be considered "new names" at all, they'd simply have to catch on. And when they catch on, they shoot up the charts, remain there for a bit, and start to sound very boring and dated, very fast.

Likewise, trying to actually be creative and "make up" your own name usually doesn't fare any better. Often because those trying to do this aren't actually using any new, previously-unused ideas. Rather, they simply opt to combine sound elements from already-existing names and/or add a fairly predictable set of random prefixes and suffixes (Ka-, De-, La-, Key-, -la, -ley, -lyn, -qua, -ka, etc.) in their attempt at newness. Given that, most of these creations still manage to sound oddly familiar, often only a sound or two away from names that are already common and overused themselves. So rather than actually using something unique, all they've managed is unfamiliar and less attractive, but still eerily similar to the same-old, same-old. Blah.

So to summarize:

Using one of the MILLIONS of properly-spelled names that happen to be completely underused or even rarely heard-of? Wonderful! Thinking yourself particularly creative for naming your child DeJaidyn'ley, Emison or Kireneg (that's "generic" misspelled backwards LOL). Um ... not so much. ;)

Answer 6

First of all "unique" means one of a kind not just uncommon -it is an absolute so there is no such thing as very unique - so let's get the English lesson out of the way.... second most "unique" names are some made up stupid sounding nonsense - examples are endless - I think the worst are the made up African American names with apostrophes in them. Bad also though is the "cutesy" or "unique" spelling some people use for common names - makes them look pretentious at best but mostly just retarded.

Answer 7

Well, people come on here and ask others what they think about certain names, and if they don't want to hear that alot of people think it's absolutely stupid and horrible, they shouldn't ask!
I agree about when people just start randomly suggesting other names. That's annoying.
I agree with other people about it's the unique spellings that seem to cause the most problems. As soon as it becomes obvious that you're trying to be different when naming your baby, it becomes annoying.
Poor babies.

Answer 8

I prefer unusual names peter , paul , mary , jane etc. so boring and old times change and people need to move forward not backwards a couple of people I know have named there sons George and Alfie WHY . Me and my husband are expecting our first baby a girl in 9 weeks and were calling her Akela Paige . I dont think kids get picked on for their names if children are going to pick on another child there many other reasons which have nothing to do with the name they have.
Your child your choice though I say .

Answer 9

I agree with you 100%. I actually wanted to name my daughter Nacona Wicappi.....it is a native american name meaning wandering star. I loved that.....but I ended up naming her after family members instead. Her name is an old name, but it is not used that much any more. Mary Wilayne. Her middle name is after my mother in law, that is very unique because her mother just made it up!
It fits her well, and Mary too!

Answer 10

Whatever happened to a little thing called personality? Try using your mind and your talent to distinguish yourself from others and let your children do the same.

Too many of these Uunikee names are just horrible made up misspellings. I am not against unique. I am for correct spelling. If you want to call your kid Turkey Baster Smith do it, but spell it correctly! Don't call them Terkee Beaisterr Smith and then get upset when people correct you or ask if you intended to spell it that way.

Answer 11

Im not against unique names or anything.. but I dont know what YOU grew up.. must have been middle of nowhere. because I grew up all over the world and everywhere you go people make fun of names.
Brooke Paige- (none unique name) people called her book page!
an ex BF of mines mothers initials were PMS- and she said she caught HELL growing up with those!

So believe it or not.. kids are cruel. they make fun of people for lots of different things. but if its not the name its going to be something else.

I think most people have issues with unique names because of getting the saying of it incorrect. People these days get so offended when someone doesnt say their name right that most people dont even want to attempt to say it! the spellings these days is rediculous. why do you need a million different ways to spell the same name?!