A Boy Named Friday

[IDrinkaRum]

Not sure if this is where this article should go, but it seems to be the best fit.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071218/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_italy_name

Parents in Italy give son unusual name of "Friday". Courts in Italy say they can't do that and re-name the baby Gregory for the Saint on whose day the baby was born.

The court said that a child with an unusual name will be ridiculed and won't be able to make nice friendships.

I'm torn about this. Yes, it's nice that someone wanted to smack the parents upside the head because they named their kid after a day of the week. However, is it really the court's/government's duty to see that children are named properly?

I know this isn't in America, but it just seem silly. However, the mention of superstitious Italians who view Friday as evil might make the child's life miserable.

Anyone else have an opinion?

[MystyGlyttyr]

I think that there should be some form of mandate in place to help curb the horrendous names I see inflicted on little children...some of the ones on my obits are so bad that my spellcheck tries to hurt itself. And I KNOW these names have no meaning, they're just something the parents make up that "looks cool" or that they think might be "ethnic" but it's really just a mess (and if they spent three seconds with the right baby name book, they could find a true ethnic name).

But I think it should just be used in the sense of names that could really, really be bad...like a guy I know actually named Kotex. Yes, he is a miserable son of a bitch. Or the children who will get in kindergarten and have to learn how to spell their name when it's something like, and I'm using actual names from my files for today here, MonTashia'arya or Sha’Asyaee (for the record, on the last one, the e's are silent). No, I promise you, I did NOT just make those things up. I have to call more funeral homes regarding the spelling or capitalization or freaking PUNCTUATION of children's names than ANYTHING. I think names like those border on child abuse.

But something that's a little unusual can actually be a good thing. There's a family around here where just about every guy is named Cash Register, and they LOVE their names. And I've known people named Tuesday and Wednesday and they functioned just fine.

For God's sakes, my last name is FOOTE. You think I didn't get teased for that? Further, there were three of us so we were always getting "OH, it's the YARD children! Three Footes, huh huh." (American measurement for those who don't know...three feet = one yard.) And the bitterness and resentment I feel for my peers has nothing to do with that. Hell, it was about the only mildly clever thing they ever came up with.

I'm sort of torn between the rights of parents to name their children and the rights of children not to have to live with that crap. So...I can see the point of the ruling and even agree with it to some extent. If it was a name like Kotex, I would totally agree. Something like Friday, that's just a bad luck thing, eh. Anyone who would pick on a child for something out of their control like that is either completely immature (i.e. cruel little children) or just looking for something to bitch about.

Eh, overall, I don't know about this one. I sort of see both sides. I just think the ruling was a little too stringently applied here.

[AFPheonix]

Kids will always find something about other kids to make fun of, no matter how perfect the kid's name is, how mainstream their clothing is, blah blah blah. Kids are assholes by nature.
I do agree with cutting down on absolutely retarded names, though. Some people and they way they spell their kids' names.... I don't think Friday is all that weird though, I will grant that I'm not Italian and perhaps it has a stronger connotation for them than it does me.

[Banrion]

The article doesn't quite make it clear whether they were actually trying to name the child Friday in English, or Venerdi (Friday in Italian), either way I believe it is the parents' right to name a child whatever they want. If the kid doesn't like it, he can change it the day he reaches the age of majority, and can probably start having friends and other acquaintences call him by his chosen name well before any legal change takes place.

Kids in general are cruel and mean, because children have not developed sympathetic and empathetic responses to social situations yet. Children are by nature selfish, and cruel, and must be taught how to appropriately function in a social group. I have a borderline unusual name, and by sheer coincidence, there was one other girl in my grade level who had the same name. ( For the record, my name is unusual for a good reason, hers was just because her parents wanted to be different. My name is Krysta- K is my moms first inital, Rysta was her maiden name, my mom was an only child, and her father was the only male of 12 children, at the time I was born, he was very very ill, and my name a small homage to the family name) I being the chubby unpopular girl got called all kinds of horrid names and teased endlessly to the point I would go home crying everyday from 4th grade through my freshman year of high school. She being the cute popular cheerleader never got any of it.

I agree with Mysty, there are too many people just trying to be different with names, that names are getting out of control.

[CancelMyService]

Besides, with a name like Friday he could be king one day:

http://www.factropolis.com/uploaded_images/rogers-767958.png


http://www.customerssuck.com/board/images/smilies/rimshot.gif

[IDrinkaRum]

That's cute CancelMyService. :D

Right before I changed the TV station to Disney, the TV was actually on a news channel station. The anchor person (2 boys & a girl - well, 2 gentlemen and a lady) were sitting around, talking about this, and the woman said: "There's an actual law in italy that says you have to name your first born son after a Saint?!?" And then one of the guys chimed in, "There aren't any Chads in Italy?" I don't know ... it grated on my nerves for some reason (could be because I have just woken up and haven't had any coffee. :p)

I have no feelings either way for naming the kid (though the more outrageous spellings/names (like naming your kid Del Monte) should really be banned). However, the parents are Italian they know there are superstitious people in Italy and how these types of people view Friday. They really should have known how the Courts would react. They can name the kid Gregory and give him the nickname Friday. Compromises are always good.

[Boozy]

I don't know how a so-called free democracy thinks it can get away with telling parents what they can and cannot name their own children.

Italy is a perfect example of a country that allows religious belief to intrude upon civil rights.

We may think the names are dumb, but we don't have the right to judge. Who are they hurting? Its just a name.

Will kids make fun? Sure...but there is no way that I'd accept that as an excuse for being a dick. "Sorry, but his name was Friday. I had to mercilessly tease him until he cried. I had no choice." Please.

[MystyGlyttyr]

We may think the names are dumb, but we don't have the right to judge. Who are they hurting? Its just a name.

There's a difference between a name that's dumb, like anyone naming their child Fannie in this day and age...or a name like Kotex, where the fellow in question admitted to me several times that he thought about killing himself a great deal during his younger years because he thought his parents hated him to give him that name. I asked him WHY his parents picked that and he replied that they "just liked it." They didn't see the problem! When their son came home from school in tears from the teasing, they would give the old standby of "Oh just ignore them, they'll get bored, blah blah blah." And of course, it didn't end, it still hasn't.

Kotex is 17 and he swears that as soon as he's legally able (which will be in June), he's changing his name, and after that, so far as he's concerned, his family is disowned from him. To hear a 17-year-old guy talking about getting a will written up just to ensure that should he ever be worth something, his family won't get any of it, tells me how deeply the wrong name can affect you.

Sure, it's an extreme case, but it can still happen.

I actually sort of like the tradition of "milk names" that I think it might be the Chinese or some group of them use...where they give the baby a temporary name until they're old enough to choose their own. Then if you get a dummy name, you got no one to blame but yourself.

[Boozy]

I'm not questioning the effects of a terrible name. Kotex is an embarrassing name and his parents are clearly idiots.

I suppose that a case could be made in this situation that his parents subjected their child to ridicule tantamount to child abuse. But that's a slippery slope. If the parents are at fault, then what responsibility do his tormentors have?

The situation in Italy is slightly different and more concerning. "Friday" is considered an "evil" day, and thus the name is deemed unacceptable. The government is making a subjective judgment based on religious convictions - ones that the parents (presumably) don't share.

The child is currently only 15 months old, so any argument that the court could make that it is protecting the child from peer ridicule is premature and impossible to prove.

The same court then ordered the child be named after a Catholic saint.

There is obviously no freedom of religion in Italy.

[XCashier]

Besides, with a name like Friday he could be king one day:
Or a police officer!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fa/Jack_Webb_250.jpg/220px-Jack_Webb_250.jpg
"My name's Friday. I carry a badge."

[rahmota]

I'll agree that names and words have power. The wrong name can be quite dangerous and detrimental. Maybe not the supernatural power some people think but definate social power.

Should people take great consideration in what they name their children. Oh most definately. It took me and the wife 3 months to come up with the names for our children. We bounced various ideas, made lists and practiced saying the name aloud to see how it would sound and how it could be made fun of. We settled on some nice relatively special names that are both common and traditional as well as unique to our children. (No I am not going to say them for privacy reasons)

Should the government be able to deny people the decision and choice to name their children. Definately hades realm no! Might as well let them decide what your name will be anyhow. That happens look out for everyone to have names like THX 1138 or something. At least they didnt name him Sue.....:)

[DesignFox]

Working with children...some of the stupid ass names parents give their kids...or the weird ass spellings.

At least, last year, when I was working with kids, I had to make name tags. Some of the spellings of the common names were outrageous. Or, the name would be spelled one way, but pronounced another way. I think some parents seriously just threw a bunch of letters in a hat and pulled randomly...

Thankfully, most parents weren't uptight about it- they'd just let me fix any errors...but some people got their panties in a twist. Here's an idea. If you don't want people fucking up your kid's name all the time, spell it like the rest of humanity, or follow some of the basic laws of the English language. :rolleyes:
(I grant exceptions for peoples of different cultures- As an example, I know people in Poland don't name their kids the same way we name ours- the language being different and all)

Can we tell this annoys the bejeebers out of me? My mom wanted to give me a "weird" spelling of my name to make me feel special, but opted on the side of good sense and spelled my name like normal people would. She figured it would be better for me to have the same name as someone else than to never be able to find any name thingies with my name spelled right (hey, that's important when you're a kid!) or have people messing it up all the time...or get teased because of it. People had enough trouble with our last name as it was...

[ArenaBoy]

A few of my friends have named their kids these names: Ludovic (French name), Rinoa (After the character from Final Fantasy 8), and Taj. There was no questioning on them. Although some names when combined with certain surnames are bound to be disaster. Look at some of the names we've seen.

Off topic: Since I started watching soccer, I've been subjected to some very unique names, the most unique being Eidur Gudjohnsen (An Icelandic player). Pronounced I-der Good-yon-sin. Elongate the Goo part and you're good.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Many countires in Europe have strict rules about giving kids names. Here's a German case of a Turkish family in Germany wanting to name their child Osama Bin Laden.

http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/09/05/germany.osama/index.html

Denmark is another country with extrememly strict rules; in fact they have a list of 7,000 names which are acceptable and you must pick from the list, they do not allow any other names to be used for babies born there. Here's an article about Denmark.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/08/news/danes.php#end_main

[rahmota]

in fact they have a list of 7,000 names which are acceptable and you must pick from the list, they do not allow any other names to be used for babies born there
Well no wonder there are so many karl jorgs or whatever. Almost soudns like that bad sterotypical joke of calling a chinese operator and asking for wong. "Which Wong you want?"

Still I can see some cultures not exactly wanting to have kids named certain things. Like germany and adolph or osama bin laden or something. But somethign like Moon Unit or Friday or Punky (I knew a girl named Punky, yes she was named after the show.) while beign stupid and strange choices are still the parents perogative. If they make a bad choice yes the child will have to live with it until they are old enoug to go to court and change it but oh well.

[machinest]

I have two step brothers with weird names one from Aztec mythology and one from Tolkien, however both of them were given perfectly reasonable middle names as an alternative if they so chose.

[Seshat]

A piece of advice I once heard for naming a child: imagine the name with '(Name), President of the United States' or 'Dean (Name) of Yale University' or something prestigious like that.

If the name sounds right with those titles, and equally right with - say - '(Name) who works at the local shelter' or '(Name) who manages the coffee shop', then you've got a good one.

If it only sounds right as '(Name) the gang member' or '(Name) the junkie', you definitely don't want to give it to your child. If it only sounds right as the ultra-high-status stuff, it's too pretentious.

If it fits for any social standing, it's a good name.

[MystyGlyttyr]

I always heard about the backdoor test. Go to the backdoor and yell the name at the top of your lungs about a dozen times (or up the stairs, whichever). That's the way you'll hear it for the next 16 years. If you still like it after that, use it.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My name is pretty unusual for this day and age cuz it's oldfashioned. I was the only girl with that name at my school, cept for one other who spelled it differently. Now tho, I like it and also there are at least two others at my workplace with the same name. XD

On the subject of embarrassing names, there was a girl at my school who had a brother named Richard Head. You know Dick is short for Richard, right? O_o

[Ree]

My daughter has a friend named "Candida"

They call her "Candy" and I always thought it was "Candice".

One day, I saw "Candida" written on her books, and thought someone had been teasing her, or they gave her that as a nickname. (For those who don't know, candida is a genus of yeast that causes yeast infections.)

I guess her clueless Mom just liked that name.

Someone should have smacked her up the head.

My daughter wanted to spell her baby's name just a little differently than the traditional spelling.

It's a beautiful old-fashioned name. I told her, "Spell it the way it's always been spelled, or she will spend the rest of her life correcting people and every time she has to sign a legal document, she will get a hassle over the spelling and have to get them to correct it."

[AFPheonix]

I had a kid in yesterday that I feel terrible for, since apparently his mom is a nerd.
She'd named him Anakin.
Seriously.
I like Star Wars as much as the next person, I still post on a SW board, although attendance there has dropped off and we don't really talk SW a ton anymore, but still....

[Lace Neil Singer]

Just thought I'd throw this in:

http://www.snopes.com/racial/language/names.asp

Very interesting; especially the bit at the end that lists real life occurances of stupid parents calling their kids things.

[IDrinkaRum]

Ree's post about Candida and its meaning reminded me of a joke. Can't remember the exact wording, but the mother had named her kid Ampersand (which is the and symbol: &). The punch line was: "I just wish I knew what it meant."

I know Ree's post was serious, but it just reminded me that people need to research names (and their meanings) before saddling their kids with the name.

As for the yelling of a name out the back door or up the stairs? I read that routine in "Fatherhood" by Bill Cosby. He's a funny man. :D

[Lace Neil Singer]

Someone else; this poor kid who was the brother of a girl I went to school with was called Wayne Kerr. He has since changed his name.

[Seshat]

I knew a Wayne with a similar surname. It's too awful that there's at least two of them!

[Lace Neil Singer]

XD One would be bad enough. O_o

[AFPheonix]

Haven't had a Wayne Kerr, but there is a family of Wanks who come to our store....

Had to explain to my boss what that word meant.

[daleduke17]

Someone else; this poor kid who was the brother of a girl I went to school with was called Wayne Kerr. He has since changed his name.

What about the NASCAR driver who has since retired? Dick Trickle.

Sadly I used to work with a guy who had the same last name with the first name of "Richard". He went be "Rick". :-p

[IDrinkaRum]

That reminds me of a guy an ex-bf of mine knew in college. The guy's last name was "Head". He always told everyone who would listen that if he had a son, he'd give the kid the first name of Richard and nickname him "Dick". Nice, huh? :rolleyes:

[Lace Neil Singer]

I actually once knew a girl in my art class who had a brother named Richard Head. O.o Not to mention the girl in my science class called Emma Thompson... not rude, but there was an actress called that.

[Amethyst Hunter]

When their son came home from school in tears from the teasing, they would give the old standby of "Oh just ignore them, they'll get bored, blah blah blah." And of course, it didn't end, it still hasn't.

To hear a 17-year-old guy talking about getting a will written up just to ensure that should he ever be worth something, his family won't get any of it, tells me how deeply the wrong name can affect you.

Oh this is so very, very true.

To this day I am at best ambivalent about my last name, because I grew up hearing all the wonderful bastardizations that can be made out of it. "Douche" was one of the *nicer* things I got called. People ALWAYS spelled and pronounced it wrong - some on accident, more often on purpose. I flat out told my mom one day that I wanted to change it - and she said my dad would kill me if I did. :mad:

I'm of legal age now, so I could theoretically do so if I wanted to (and I still kind of want to). But it would definitely create some bad blood in the family, and we have enough of that shit going on as it is. :( So I guess I'm stuck with it. (Marriage is pretty much off the list for me for a couple of reasons, not the least of which being that I don't think that I can handle living with someone else's insanity in addition to my own at this point in my life.)

I HATED the "ignore them and they'll stop" bullshit. NO, fucktards, THEY NEVER DID STOP. :mad:

Kids are assholes by nature.

Which is just reason #2347 why I don't want and won't ever have any myself.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

I have an unusual name. It's pronounced differently than Americans tend to say it, and it's 5 syllables long. I have always loved it. In fact, as a child my Mother gave me a very simple, recognizable nickname for it, and I HATED it more than anything else on earth. As soon as I hit high school I started going by my full name.

It often depends on personality as to whether you like having an unusual name or not---I like the fact that my name is spelled and pronounced in an unusual manner. It's great to start conversations with people who are doing paperwork for me or something. I have no problem correcting someone's pronunciation or having them correct the spelling, it's an opening to have an interesting conversation with them.

My sister, on the other hand, is an extrememly quiet, conventional person. She was given a very unfashionable family name, and my Mother did not like any of the nicknames for it, so she made up an unusual nickname to call her. My sister hated it and now she goes by the most mundane, normal nickname she could come up with.

My poor Mother does not understand why we hate the nicknames she came up with for us, and she still insists on calling us by those names.

My daughter has a friend named "Candida"

They call her "Candy" and I always thought it was "Candice".

One day, I saw "Candida" written on her books, and thought someone had been teasing her, or they gave her that as a nickname. (For those who don't know, candida is a genus of yeast that causes yeast infections.)

I guess her clueless Mom just liked that name.

Someone should have smacked her up the head.

I think it is rather rude of you to assume that that girl's Mother was 'clueless'.

Candida is a very, very old Catholic name. It existed long before yeast infections were called by the scientific name. It comes from 'Canditia', which is Latin for white, and it was the name of several early saints. The girl may have been given an old family name; Catholic children often are. She may have been born on one of the Saint Candida's feast days. Her Mother may be Italian, as it happens to be an extremely popular girls name in Italy, as well as Spain, two overwhelmingly Catholic countries. You should think before you assume that someone is an idiot just because YOU don't understand their motives for doing something.

[Lace Neil Singer]

The same goes for Gay which is a girl's name, but most parents wouldn't call their girls that now.

[Seshat]

Oddly enough, I used to know a Gay (or Gaye) who was named in the 50's or early 60's, and who was lesbian.

Odd coincidences.

[AFPheonix]

Yep....
I imagine in about 50 years we'll have new parents puzzling over names and wondering why on earth people would ever name their daughters Madison or Britney, such old fashioned names :p

[Sylvia727]

I fully intend to name my future hypothetical children something unusual and extraordinary. My own name is very white-bread and boring, which is bad enough, but its meaning is also shallow. I want my kids to have names that mean something, like naming my daughter Serendipity or my son Pharoah. Unfortunately, due to schoolyard bullies I shall probably settle for Melody or Vanessa for a girl, and Ezekial or Tobias for a girl.

Names do have power--I really want to name a daughter Cinnamon, since it's a pretty name and a delicious spice, but my sister convinced me that it's a stripper name.

[AFPheonix]

I had the best customer name today:

Johnson Wang.

I'm still giggling like a retarded junior high boy.

[IDrinkaRum]

Originally I wanted to name my daughter Lavendar Blue or if I had a son Obadiah Farthingblitz. Hubs shot me down both times. :cry: :D

However, when I'd get irritated by every person I came into contact with who would ask me what I was going to name the baby, those names would come out of my mouth and the looks (:eek: :mad:) on their faces were pricless!

[AFPheonix]

Oh, another one today: Dick Bone. Bwa hahahaha!

[protege]

On the subject of embarrassing names, there was a girl at my school who had a brother named Richard Head. You know Dick is short for Richard, right? O_o

I have an uncle Richard...who does by Dick. Considering he acts like one bout 99% of the time, it's pretty damn appropriate :p It could be worse though. My company does business with a guy named Richard Small...

[Lace Neil Singer]

Originally I wanted to name my daughter Lavendar Blue or if I had a son Obadiah Farthingblitz. Hubs shot me down both times. :cry: :D

However, when I'd get irritated by every person I came into contact with who would ask me what I was going to name the baby, those names would come out of my mouth and the looks (:eek: :mad:) on their faces were pricless!

I don't plan to have kids; however, in picking embarrassing names I could either name boys after hair metal rockers with girl's names, or name them after my fave Shakespeare heroes/heroines. :D

[horror]

As a person with one of these "weird" and unconventional names I am going to officially state that people (the general sense of "people", not those on the board because to be honest I've yet to read all the replies) should STFU.
I happen to love my name and love the fact that my parents gave me a unique name.
To quote my mother, "What? Do you think I would have named you something retarded like Tiffany?" :D

[daleduke17]

My wife and I were looking at names for our soon-to-be child and I couldn't believe some of the spellings they had for "simple" names.

We ended up choosing Caitlyn if it is a girl (which we found it is almost certain it is).

We never really chose a boy's name, but I had a couple picked out I wanted:
- Shawn Michael (yes, Mysty for good reason)
- Cordell Dennis (I'm a Walker, Texas Ranger, Dennis for my dad)

[blas87]

When you have a name like mine, which can be spelled so many different ways, it's really irritating. And my mother did it on purpose just so people wouldn't spell my name the "traditional" way. Yes, it's nice to be different, but I've spent most of my life having to correct people and don't even get me started on my last name.....

Everyone I know has a Madison or a Mason. I swear, in the paper, everyone names their kids Madison (girl) and Mason (boy). Either that or a lot of people my age are giving their kids African American names.

[MystyGlyttyr]

We never really chose a boy's name, but I had a couple picked out I wanted:
- Shawn Michael (yes, Mysty for good reason)

I can't say much, heh. The names I've picked out if I should ever breed are Eddie Gregory and Bobby Christopher.

[daleduke17]

I can't say much, heh. The names I've picked out if I should ever breed are Eddie Gregory and Bobby Christopher.

Hmmm....Guerrero, Helms and Lashley. Good choices.

Is Christopher for Jericho, Benoit, Sabin or Daniels? (much credit if it is for Sabin)

[rdp78]

When you have a name like mine, which can be spelled so many different ways, it's really irritating. .

Tell me about it and not's even my first name but my whole name that can be spell several ways, all which are right. There are at least two common ways to spell my first name (one's a name of bird) and well, there are six ways to spell my last name (two are common words). Now my middle I think you can only spell one way but I think there is another way but I think it's a guy's name.

The only frustrated thing I have is relatives spelling my name with the "i" not the "y" which is well, I how spell my name and it's how I have spelled it since I was started writing (y'll should know that). I guess is because it's the most common spelling but still can be irating when someone who knows you for a very long time still doesn't spell your name they you wanted it be spell. I mean they do know how I spell my name since I have given them cards and stuff but I'm not sure if I should let them know that it does hurt my feelings that they don't know how I like my name to be spell.

I also think my parents are a bit weird because I wasn't named after a relative or person but yet both brother was named after I think one their grandfathers and maybe a great-grandfather. Maybe it's because my dad was in charge naming me and my mother decided he didn't do a good job so she decided to name the next baby. I mean I kind of wished I was named after relatives especially my grandmothers which are Josephine (paternal) and Elizabeth (maternal) those would be very nice names to have but mines okay too. I'm kind of glad they didn't give me or bro any family names but than again one is a name of a city so it would be a great ice breaker.

Oh, someone is actually named Richard Head and you know I had thought about it a few days, thinking what a funny name that would be especially considering one of the nicknames for the first name is.

[AFPheonix]

My name has many different spellings and I have kind of an oddball version, although it makes perfect sense when you're going for the shortened version.

It just means that I never got to have any of those pre-printed license plates or personalized stationary or pencils or what have you with the correct spelling of my name.




Goddamn it's hard to spell after your 3rd glass of wine......Good shit though.

[DexX]

It's weird... over the years my wife and I have picked out a set of names that we both like, and the girl names tend to be weird while the boy names are quite ordinary. Due to biological complications it seems we may never breed (still hoping, though) but here are the names anyway:

Girls
Amethyst Margaret (Amy for short - my wife loves amethysts, and my mum is Margaret)
Ayisha Lynn (found it in a baby book and both loved it - Egyptian for "princess" - and we settled on the most phonetic spelling, and the Lynn is just there because we figured an odd three-syllable first name should have a snappy middle name)
Zillah Anne (I was never sure of this one, and with the resurgent popularity of Godzilla I doubt we would ever inflict this on a child, even if my wife loves it - it's Biblical, Ruth's mother as I recall)

Boys
Richard Lee (named after my father-in-law - he was an only son with no daughters, so Richard is taken from his surname Richardson)
Peter Robert (nothing complex here: just my dad's name)

I quite like Taylor for a boy as well, but it's a bit overdone these days. Seems like the old traditional names will be more distinctive and unusual by the time I finally have kids!

[Lace Neil Singer]

I remember once a co-worker saying in all seriousness that she liked the name Tommy Lee for a boy... I said, "Oh, like the drummer in Motley Crue?"; she had never even heard of him so that had never occured to her. She eventually decided on something else for her hypothetical child.

I so want to call a child Othello or Loki; hmm, maybe that's just another reason why I shouldn't have kids. XD

[BookstoreEscapee]

I think some parents seriously just threw a bunch of letters in a hat and pulled randomly...


I actually know someone whose parents did this (friend of a friend). They actually came up with a name that is unique but doesn't sound completely ridiculous.

I have a unique name, which I will not share. Suffice to say, I went through school with the lovely nickname of "Alien." Frankly not very creative...:rolleyes: I hated it as a kid, but as an adult I like it. I'm often told I have a pretty name, and it is a family name, so it's nice to carry that on. I do, however, have mixed feelings about the idea of passing it on to my own daughter some day, should I have one, as my mother would like me to do. (A part of me hopes for boys just so I don't have to make the decision ;).)

than to never be able to find any name thingies with my name spelled right (hey, that's important when you're a kid!)

I never could find any of those things. The only time I could get anything with my name on it was if it was specially personalized (like the personalized pencils my elementary school made available for us :)). My brother has an easier time of it. His name is Bryan. Used to be you could usually only find "Brian" but I've noticed recently (looking at those little Christmas tree ornaments in the craft store) that they often have both spellings these days.

I have an uncle Richard...who does by Dick. Considering he acts like one bout 99% of the time, it's pretty damn appropriate :p It could be worse though. My company does business with a guy named Richard Small...

There was a scientist in the field of nanotechnology, who (along with 2 other people) won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1997(?) named Richard Smalley...

He went by Rick. (He was my aunt's ex-husband. He passed away a few years ago. I never met him, but it's neat to have a family connection to someone so highly revered in his circle.)

[DesignFox]

It's not so much that I mind the odd names, just the people who get bent out of shape about it being misspelled/mispronounced. If you picked random letters out of a hat for your kid's name...expect that you'll have to correct people either on spelling or pronunciation...and do it gracefully. If you're an adult and you have a weird name- accept it gracefully when people make a mistake, or freakin' change if it bothers you that much.

My aunt hated her name. She got it changed, legally, so she wouldn't have to go by it.

If you have an unusual spelling or name- Great! But don't hate me if your kid's name is Xylepheneus Pernicalliac and I have problems spelling it or saying it! (ok I'm exaggerating...but seriously, I've dealt with people like that!)

I think I was ranting a bit in my first post and didn't make my point clear...it's not the weird names I have a problem with, just the people that get all insulted when you make a mistake pronouncing or spelling them.

[AFPheonix]

The other wierd ones are people who have a name that's spelled exactly like a common name, but they've chosen to pronounce it some weird way, then act like YOU'RE the idiot when you pronounce it the way that pretty much everyone else does.

People with the name Andrea seem to be the worst about that. I guess they feel specialer when they pronounce it with a long A.

[DesignFox]

The other wierd ones are people who have a name that's spelled exactly like a common name, but they've chosen to pronounce it some weird way, then act like YOUR the idiot when you pronounce it the way that pretty much everyone else does.


Yes, AFPheonix! That's another thing I didn't mention- but is exactly what I'm talking about.

[Sportsmom]

I have two step brothers with weird names one from Aztec mythology and one from Tolkien, however both of them were given perfectly reasonable middle names as an alternative if they so chose.

That's what we did with out dd's although their names are not quite that outrageous. They're Savanna, Maire and Delaney, and they all have "normal" middle names that come from family, so that if they want to use a more traditional name as they age, they can.

[Seshat]

Beware of using names that come from living family. My middle name does, so even though I wanted to stop using my first name, I couldn't use my middle name without inviting major confusion. Not until the relative dies, by which time (hopefully) I'll have lived most of my life.

Now I have two middle names - my original first name, and my original middle name. I added a name, and paid for the legal recognition of my new first name.

[Amethyst Hunter]

It's not so much that I mind the odd names, just the people who get bent out of shape about it being misspelled/mispronounced. If you picked random letters out of a hat for your kid's name...expect that you'll have to correct people either on spelling or pronunciation...and do it gracefully. If you're an adult and you have a weird name- accept it gracefully when people make a mistake, or freakin' change if it bothers you that much.


For some of us it's not that easy. I have a last name that I dislike quite a bit, as it gave me no end of grief in high school. Even though I'm an adult, however, I *can't* change it without upsetting my parents greatly. :mad: (that, and the fact that I don't have the money to do it)

[I8DaCookie]

I have an unusual first name and went through hell up until HS with all the nicknames people used to tease me. Eventually I adopted one of the nicknames to help people pronounce my name.

I came to reconsile with my name in HS but now it drives me nuts again because it's the same name as a crappy "singer." So when I tell people my name I get, "Oh, like the singer?"

That phrase pisses me off more than people using the common translation of my name (which I do not respond to and threaten people with death if they insist on using it)