Odd children's names (odd names of children, not names of odd children to clarify)

[Ben_Who]

A co-worker asked me to sign a couple of books for her nephews. I brought a couple in to the office the next day, found a reliable pen, and asked, "What're their names?"

"Dalton and Colt," she said.

[mathnerd]

When you've chosen a name, read it out loud. See if anything leaps out that makes you go NO!NO!
Don't be like Mr and Mrs Peacock,who really wanted to call their son Drew and did not do this...

Also pay attention to initials. I'd really liked the name Patricia Marie if I'd had a girl (which I didn't so it was never an issue.) The reason this could have been an issue is that my last name begins with the letter S.

[Kit-Ginevra]

There are lots of girl's names I really like,so I'm rather inclined to give it to my child regardless of whether they're male or female. Well if people can have non-gender-specific children or give their child a unisex name,then why not?

>> into tangent >> Why's it become PMS in American English?Here it's pretty much always still PMT.
PMT incidentally is a transport company in the Potteries.Its colours are creamy yellow with a red stripe down the middle.As teenagers,we found this hilarious...

[fireheart]

There's apparently a whole thread on Reddit of "Worst baby names" or something like that.

This article has a few of them.

Working in schools, I surprisingly did NOT encounter a lot of weird names, even if I worked in the more "bogan" schools (I worked in one for a while as a student teacher). The worst I got were Pierah, Fern, Phoenix and Douglas (Fern and Douglas you don't see a lot of nowadays, hence me finding them odd) and those were from a Steiner school.

Out of the sole "bogan" school I worked at, in my little class of kindergarteners I was student teaching, the "odd" names I had were Malakai (didn't last long-he moved ), Ivana, Johnny, Louise (another name you don't see a lot of nowadays) and Moqui (pron. "Moh-kee").

Of the kids I was looking after at the last school I worked at prior to me losing my job there, I had one girl called Daphne (name wasn't odd in an of itself, just not a common one nowadays-her siblings also had old names such as Maevys and I forget her brother's name) and another girl called Anaseini (pron. An-ah-see-nee). I also had a boy named Tadhg (pron. "Tygh"), another one named Vincent (old-fashioned name) and another one named Micah.

In Anaseini's case, she wound up changing it when she moved schools to Savannah.

[Antisocial_Worker]

I did my junior internship with an outfit that goes into schools to give children helpful tips on how to avoid being molested and/or abused. I'm hoping this is not a widespread phenomenon but I noticed while in my local schools, that in some desperate attempt to give a child a "unique" or "interesting" name, parents have given up on tradition altogether and are firing up the Random Syllable Generator (tm) whenever they have a child they need to name. Spelling traditional names incorrectly was also quite popular.

Having seen that, let me let you in on a little secret: It's not unique or interesting. Giving your child an unpronounceable, unspellable name is setting them up for a lifetime of frustration and constantly correcting people. Likewise, when you give a child a normal name, but spell it "uniquely" the only message you're sending is that you did not love your child enough to spell their name properly. Also, you are broadcasting in HD the fact that you as a parent are a vapid trendwhore.

[fireheart]

I did my junior internship with an outfit that goes into schools to give children helpful tips on how to avoid being molested and/or abused. I'm hoping this is not a widespread phenomenon but I noticed while in my local schools, that in some desperate attempt to give a child a "unique" or "interesting" name, parents have given up on tradition altogether and are firing up the Random Syllable Generator (tm) whenever they have a child they need to name. Spelling traditional names incorrectly was also quite popular.

I think it depends on the suburb and/or country. I haven't seen too many of those. Going out into the Steiner schools though, you do come across some very "hippie" names.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Some of the weird names might be something like tribal names so little Moogoowoowanka might actually be 'place of the twinkling stars'.
Some names tend to have definite ages to them- Shirleys and Patricias flourished in the 60s,you might not find many Ednas or Enids this side of 70(although there does seem to be a comeback-names like Florence and Lily and Alfie-once thought of as old lady names are returning).
Be a bit odd to think of old folks homes in 70 years being populated with little old Britneys and Kylies...

[EricKei]

fh - Douglas is still considered fairly normal/generic in the States Usually just gets shortened to "Doug," however. One must always beware of Doug

firing up the Random Syllable Generator (tm) whenever they have a child they need to name

You mean, Li-a (pron. "Li-DASH-uh") is REAL?!? O_O;>

[Aragarthiel]

There's a story my husband keeps telling about a mom who had her daughter, exclaimed, "It's so nice that the hospital names your baby for you!" and went about her life calling her daughter Female (pronounced feh-mall-ee).

When it comes to spelling names incorrectly, I think there have always been names with multiple spellings. This just adds to the confusion. Locally, though, it's all "Shantasia" or two names combined like "Kimmarie."

[KellyHabersham]

I definitely notice this when checking stuff in at the library, some of the more interesting names I've seen:

Blue Crystal
Velvet Love
Brandynn (I think it's a different spelling of "Brandon")
Baby Marian
Boss
Bee
Queenie
Catty Cat
Zero Love

[Antisocial_Worker]

You mean, Li-a (pron. "Li-DASH-uh") is REAL?!? O_O;>

I mean anything like that. There was one that was so bad I wrote it down and went looking through my notes just now to find it:

Khasiayiah.

There was also one that I don't remember, but I do remember it was six syllables long.

[Arcus]

I have one of the most common names with the most common spelling. You would be surprised how often people would get it wrong. It's like they can't understand anything that isn't the odd way.

[Kit-Ginevra]

Today I see a celebrity here has a six year old daughter called Lolita. Now it might be a lovely name,but all sorts of things spring to mind when you see that.And when she's old enough to have her own email,that could lead to all sorts of fun-if you're hiring and someone's CV has lolita16 as their email,will you take them seriously?

[NecessaryCatharsis]

I've never met one but Abcde seems to be a far more popular name than anyone sane would think:
http://www.vocativ.com/culture/socie...e-named-abcde/

I know a lot of girls with 'normal' names that are traditionally given to boys: Jordan, Brandon, Billy, Charlie, Beverly, Leslie, James, Aaron and Mackenzie.

It's so popular that my friends son is named Mackenzie and is constantly asked, is that not a girls name? Mackenzie King anyone?

[Kit-Ginevra]

Billy for a girl sounds dead Southern. Tracey used to be a boy's name. Ashley seems to be for girls now-it was always boys when I was younger.