7 Reasons to Be Cautious about Giving Your Child an Unusual Name ...

By Alison

Are you thinking of giving your child an unusual name? Choosing a name for your baby is rarely an easy process; if you pick something popular, your child may be one of many, and if you pick something more original you may saddle your child with a name that stands out too much. Here are some reasons to be cautious about giving your child an unusual name …

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1

Teasing

One reason to be cautious about giving your child an unusual name is that it may lead them to be the target for teasing. Of course, kids can be mean to each other and will always find some reason to do so, but an uncommon name makes them stand out, and most kids just want to fit in.

2

Future Career

It's not just their school days that you have to think of though. What about when they're an adult? A name that sounds cute and unusual when your child is young may be completely inappropriate for the adult world. Think about how the unusual name will sound if they want to be a lawyer or businesswoman - in most professions you need to be taken seriously, and an unusual name may make that difficult.

3

Embarrassment

Also consider that your child may well be embarrassed by having an unusual name. Some people get past that and learn to love their name eventually, but for others it continues to be a source of embarrassment and they never get used to it.

4

Spelling & Pronunciation

Some parents choose a fairly common name but give it a twist with an unusual spelling. The problem with that is that your child will spend the rest of its life correcting the assumption that it's spelled the conventional way. And a name that really is unusual will be even more problematic. Nobody will have any idea how to spell or pronounce it.

5

You Don't Know if They'll like It

It's difficult picking a name that you can be sure your child will like, and this is even more of a challenge if you pick an unusual name. Though admittedly you don't know if they'll like a more common name either! Some people grow to love having a more unusual name, while others hate it.

Famous Quotes

Happiness depends upon ourselves.

Aristotle
6

Associations

If you pick a name that isn't in common use, you may be saddling your child with awkward associations. If you call them something like Rebel or Flash, people are always going to link the name with certain ideas. Rebel Wilson can pull off the name because of her personality and profession, but could Rebel the judge or accountant be taken seriously?

7

Personality

Finally, you don't know what kind of personality your child is going to develop. Unusual names tend to demand unusual personalities to carry them off. A less outgoing child can find an uncommon name excruciating.

Of course, people will have to get used to the name you choose, however unusual it is. And it's your choice. But do consider your child's future. A good compromise could be to give them a more common name as a middle name, so that they can use that if they prefer. Or you could give them an unusual nickname. Do you have an unusual name, and how do you feel about it?

Feedback Junction

Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

I always wished I had a more unusual name. As true as all these facts may be, being one of 6 kids in a class with the same name is no fun either!

Try Lea for a middle name. It's pronounced lee. Nobody gets it's right. Even cutesy spellings can mess you up.

I have an unusual name, and I hate it.

My name is pronounced Kelly and simply spelled a different way. Probably since I could form complete sentences I have been correcting people who butcher it or spell it incorrectly. I like the idea of unusual names in the form of old-fashioned/traditional ones as opposed to names that are spelled differently or just completely made up...and I also think that some names are cute for children but imagine when these kids are adults...some of the names may sound childish.

I personally do not think you need an unusual personality to pull off an unusual name, it's a name not a description of how you should be! I would think it's awesome if I met a judge named Rebel!

The whole "cutesy spelling" thing has been driving me nuts! There are a million ways to spell my name that are acceptable, but "Allyssyn" .

I mostly like my name but I wish it was Melissa instead of Millissa because everyone spells it wrong :/

Named*

This is true, i thought about it too much before wanting the name johnny vicious for my baby

Is not one of them. Sorry, I accidentally posted before I was done. Anyway, spell things relatively normally, people! I don't want to be nauseated by a name that is usual like "Jane" because you're spelling it like "Jaiynne."

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