BS: Unusual Baby Names

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 09:08 AM

Gueszt of 25 Aug 04 - 11:23 AM wrote

"Also try to imagine them as eighty year olds. There are going to be an awful lot of grannies called Britney and Courtney one day."

and reminded me of a high school friend's brother. This was in the mid 60's so the poor bugger was born in the 50s & his parent/s named him Sonny. Very a-typical name for the period, & well before hippies & alternative people started giving children unusual names. Somewhere in Oz there is a bloke a few years younger than me who answers to the name of Sonny. Maybe he changed it years ago to George or something like that, & now just cringes when his old Mum calls him that in public.

sandra
aunt to Jack & Gizelle - Jack got his name from the nickname his father John got from his workmates, & I can't remember how Gizelle was named, tho her mother is Edwina, & has a sister Roxana & 2 brothers with very traditional names.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: M'Grath of Altcar
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 06:01 AM

My mum used to work at the Office of Census and Population Surveys in Birkdale.

Funny names were put on to the noticeboard in the dining room.

Suspect names were checked by the head registrar of the place, so remember these are REAL peoples names, extracted from their Birth, marriage or death certificates.

Osprey Willow Rainbow Beetlestone Mortis.
Bentley Kneebone.
Peter C. Fearns changed name to Hermione Bayleaf.
Annie Struggles.
Minnie Mustard.
Willie Knocker.
Katie Custard.
Duane Pipe.
Annette Kurton.
Ha Ha Woof Woof (Checked by registrar. Client changed to this name by deed poll because he said everyone treated him like a dog.)
Sunshine Purple Velvet Frost.
David Dilemma.
Dr I.C. Wisely.
Lucy Lottie Liquorice.
Alexander Nobuga-Caires.
Gabriel of Avalon. ( A freind of mine - he's a taxi driver!)

Hope this gives your freind a few ideas. Or a few ideas of things to avoid.

Above all, I hope things go well for you all.

M of A (Ian)

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 05:44 AM

I always have liked the name Ezme and Rowan, and Jade and Olivia...

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Sorcha
Date: 26 Aug 04 - 01:13 AM

Oh,Bill, that is too funny! I love it!

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: GUEST,John Gray in Oz
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 11:56 PM

My 3 sons are named Ryder, Cable & Slade. I selected these from the biggest book of names I could find. They are surnames from the Melbourne & Metropolitan Telephone Directory. I had a long term plan in mind when I chose these names. If girls it was my wife's choice - what jolly bad luck for her ( said with false chagrin )
Anyway, I had to put up with the odd gripe when the boys were in primary school - "gee dad, there's 5 Matthews in my class but no-one has names like ours".
But at ages 14/15 the feedback was, " thanks for the name dad - the chicks reckon its groovy".
The masterplan worked !

JG/FME

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Bill D
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 11:19 PM

well, those lists leave me aghast....it makes me think of drug companies and auto makers trying to wring the last coherent combinations of letters out of the language which 'might' be useful in describing their product. Mostly, they are passing the bounds of credibility...and pronounceability...

17 variants on 'Jacardi' make them all sound alike and will eventually be a hindrance to the kid.

(and then there was the couple who were told jokingly that "Urethra" was a nice variant on 'Aretha', and bought it...*sigh*...

(yep, I know...it's not my problem...but..)

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 11:07 PM

Don't know if your friend knows about this site, but you can spend decades there:

Medieval Names Archive

Many cultures here, including Arab, Persian, Romany, you name it!

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: GUEST,marthabees
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 09:15 PM

True names of kids I have taught:

Lavoris (later requested to be called Butch) and his sister
Kiwanis (later requested to be called Kiki)
Areune (are-ee-un'-ah)like Ariana only not
Jyquonna (ji-kwon'-a)
Jamerica (like the country)
Isaish (Isaiah)
Tymeshionna (really! tye-meh-shee-own'-a)
Yianni (eek)
Tyqwanda (ti-kwan'-da)
Tyesha (tie-eesh'-a)
Jacardi (and piles of variants)
Jerrcari
Jacari
Jykarte (ji-car-tay')
Delaitre (duh-lay'-tree)
Khadijah (kuh-dee'-juh)
Ke'Vonte (kuh-von-tay)
Javonte (juh-von-tay) and 15 variants
Tre'Shawn (tray-shawn)
Carlnell
Dazzerell and her twin sister Tammerell
Davon and his twin brother Daveon (Duh-von, Day-vee-on)

Oh, my gosh, where's my role book when I really need it!

My understanding is that is is common in Africa (some places there anyway) to have a very unique first name and a common last name.
According to my experience, this practice is still common in the names of the descendents in my area.

So if you need an interesting name, I can provide plenty.

M

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: mike the knife
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 06:56 PM

oops- posted too soon... also worked w/ a woman in Germany named "Frau Slut" (pronounced w/ a hard 'U'). A bitter, bitter woman. We had a good number of US/UK customers & the look she would get from them when she handed them information would have been hard to bear on a constant basis. Felt badly for her on those occasions. And she was well aware of the translation.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: mike the knife
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 06:50 PM

Swear to God, this happened. I was working in a shoe store one Easter Saturday (big day for shoes) when I was a student. (don't knock it- decent hours & the commissions were good). A woman walked in w/ no fewer than 7 kids and lined them up according to age & height & started calling their names out. Among the names were: "Freon" & "Rayon". They all pretty much rhymed in the Creon/Breon range.
I thought I was going to have a stroke or rupture something from the accumulated stifled laughter. A refrigerant and a synthetic fiber. Priceless.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: GUEST,anabella
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 12:35 PM

do not give an unusual or weird name coz..if i am a kid, i hate when other people keep replying to pronounce my stupid name.

What the heck?
Nouri?
Mouri?
Muritius?
Noritta?
Nobita?
Monkey?
Huh...whutever...

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Chris Green
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 12:11 PM

My surname is Green. I decided a long time ago that if I ever have a son he will be called Soylent and if I ever have a girl she will be called Latrine.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 11:34 AM

Good sources:

Headstones at cemeteries
Genealogical records
Church baptismal records
Mudcat threads about blues names
Mudcat membernames
Books about Pern

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 11:23 AM

Also try to imagine them as eighty year olds. There are going to be an awful lot of grannies called Britney and Courtney one day.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Bill D
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 10:34 AM

I have long touted giving a child one name, and letting them choose another at age 18.

My mother HATED her middle name, and I only found out what it was after I was grown....she went thru life as Eudora Parilee. (Name picked by HER mother, Myrtle Saphronia)

(I think my parents were meant for each other...my mother had a sister named Patricia, and brothers John and Albert. My father had brothers Ralph and Louis--HE got Audley. You can imagine what life was like for Audley & Eudora in certain circumstances.)

Be very careful what you saddle kids with, and try to imagine them in school, initial combinations, obvious nicknames...etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Sorcha
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 10:28 AM

Running Bear??? All I can hear is.....'running bare, down the sidewalk, running bare.....'......????

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Grateful Ted
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 08:06 AM

Pension Plan.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 08:05 AM

If it is a girl and a boy how about Denise and Denephew...

Like to be of assistance.

:D

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: GUEST,jennifer
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 08:00 AM

A friend of mine once had a patient who had been christened Obvious. His mother had several kids already and someone said "oh are you pregnant again" and she said "well it's obvious, isn't it." And it stuck.

My son is called Arthur. Good, solid, dependable name, go back a generation or so to find some perfectly good names that are just slightly out of fashion. Frank, or Lily, or Agnes, or Frederick. That way they can make them their own and hopefully people will still be able to spell them.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: LilyFestre
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 07:41 AM

Keep all the great thoughts and suggestions coming! For the moment, my friend likes the name Riley Blaize. Daddy does not. I'm not fond of Blaize either but hey, this is not my baby!!! If I were to ever have a girl, her name would be Katherine Annzinette. My husband, who is Native American, has picked out Jeremiah Running Bear if we were to ever have a boy. We are in agreement with one another! :)

Thanks for all the ideas!!! Keep 'em coming!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: JennieG
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 06:48 AM

Take a word of advice from one who has worked in the school system for 20 years and don't pick a name that is fairly common but with a cutesy different spelling, as Sorcha has mentioned. We have a girl at the school where I currently work named Kersandra (not Cassandra) - she will have to go through her entire life spelling it out. And to avoid confusion at schools and in life generally it's also a good idea if children in the family have different initials!

I was named Jennifer (because my parents liked it) Grace (after my mother's cousin who died young) and there were at least 5 other girls named Jennifer in my age group at school.

And please humour me by not calling the poor little mites Madison or Taylor! *grin*

Cheers
JennieG...... whose mother's maiden name was Mavis Davis

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 06:34 AM

A friends daughter is called "Sapphira" (pronounced safeera). Lovely name...and a lovely placid girl. I believe that names can affect behaviours and expectations so choose wisely.
"Rhema"(pronounced Rayma)is a lovely name too.
Best wishes.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Bagpuss
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 06:02 AM

If I ever have a girl, i am thinking of Iona (my favourite scottish isle, and the place I got engaged).

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Grateful Ted
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 04:17 AM

Hand Grenade.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 04:12 AM

Try and avoid a name beginning with a vowel as a middle name - it can lead to embarrassing monograms... Limpit was going to be Phoebe Olivia (I ate a LOT of olives when I was pregnant) until I realised it would make her POD.

If you want both classical AND unusual, try that book in the Bible with all the begattings in. Literally hundreds there. I rather fancied Nehushta, which means snake maiden, great for a Goth or a deep south snake handling Baptist family, but maybe not for a London folkie family.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Amergin
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 04:05 AM

Fionn mac Cumhaill

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: MBSLynne
Date: 25 Aug 04 - 03:04 AM

I wanted 'different' names for my kids. The first is a boy and we found it very hard to agree on ANY name, let alone a different one. I wanted something like Brand, Bard, Bran or one of the Welsh heros' names but hubby didn't like any of them. The only one we could agree on in the end was Richard. He also has David (after two Godfathers) and Ansley, a name that most children in my husband's family have been given for the last three generations.
My husband was less against a 'different' name for a daughter and, being into genealogy, I had a couple of names in the family that I wanted to use. My 3xgreat grandmother was named Fortune, which I still think is a lovely name, but the one I really liked was my 2xgt grandmother's name, Shady. So she was going to be Shady for the early part of the pregnancy. Then my Dad, who had no granddaughters at that stage and was desperate for one said he wanted her to be called Sarah. We decided it was a nice name and would be great to give her her name as a present from her grandfather, so she is Sarah Shady, with the Ansley as a 3rd name.
Both my 'bumps' had names before they were born...Richard was Bartholomew and Sarah was Boudica

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Sorcha
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 10:21 PM

OK, neices names...Jonikka, Rivon and J'Nae
Friend's names...JanNora and JaNelle
Please try to stay away from the weird spellings of common names....as
Felitchia (Felcia), Umenda (Amanda), Umbher (Amber). I honestly think these are mostly the result of illiterate parents not knowing how to spell.

No Marys. Mine is Mary (Maaaa-reee with a Sothron accent) and I hate it. thank gods and goddesses I'm not Adaline too, as was my gran...Mary Adaline.....how awful. Not as awful as some but pretty bad....

Our kids are Lucas Cameron Wise and Kelsey Catilin Wise...LOTS of choices for nicknames in both.....which was what I went for in case they didn't like their Call Names....(but I do dogs too, LOL!)

Good Old Fashioned ones I like: Emily, Eleanor, Bess and Bessie, Thomas (but only if he is called Thomas, NOT Tom or Tommie...)

I tried to stay away from anything that could be 'ie'd'....Jimmie, Billie, etc....and NOT fond of Two Name Names...as in Billy Bob....

Also, try to fit the syllables and soft hard sounds to fit with the last name....harder with girls as they may change their name to a husband's name later.

I really, really wanted to name our Lucas Cameron....Oengus (Angus) Ramsey.....but it falls flat with Wise.....NEEDS a Mc name....and he is so thankful I didn't name him 'after a cow'.....LOL. I also intened to call him Cameron or Cam....but his granda introduced him to the world as Luke and that was it for that.

Remember, the kids have to learn to spell it......early on.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 09:10 PM

Hey Bill....

That site is just BAD!!!!!!!!!!!! Funny thing about names....I once dated a guy by the name Raymond The Last Poirier. Sadly, he was NOT the last!


Another friend had a daughter....he wanted to name her Amanda Lynn.
The wife did NOT find that amusing!
(but I did!!!!)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 09:06 PM

Websites....yep. She knows they are there and she also has quite a few baby name books. I just thought it would be interesting to share with her the names that people from all over the globe tend to favor.

:) Thanks!!!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Bill D
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 08:37 PM

put "baby names" into Google and you have 5 years worth of reading to do...
but send Mom to this site with a warning not to get TOO carried away..*grin*

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 08:29 PM

I scanned the internet when choosing my youngest's name. There are literally hundreds of name sites. Every nationality is covered and meanings given...which can be important.
They also have current lists of the 'most popular' names, they are good to see which names to avoid. Saves having six Marys in the classroom.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Leadfingers
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 08:25 PM

If it was Triplets , you COULD have one of each !


OK I will get my coat !

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 08:23 PM

For now, they are Baby A and Baby B courtesy of the Sonogram Tech who is almost as excited as we are!!!!!!!!   :)

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: TS
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 08:20 PM

How about Thing One and Thing Two? (from Seuss)

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 08:17 PM

Twins? How exciting. A friend of mine had twins recently. I am playing babysitter in September so that they can get away for a weekend and celebrate Mom's birthday.

I have always lived Amanda and Miranda. Ian is a neat name and not all that common in the States. Liam too.

Maybe Number One Child and Number Two Child until you know if they are male or female or both?

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: CarolC
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 08:06 PM

Chloe and Zoe for girls.

Subject: RE: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: Snuffy
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 08:01 PM

With twins there's always the problem of which one gets the second-best name: we solved it by having one of each and giving them a "flairy" and a "square" name each. (Fabia Jane and Augustus James)

Subject: BS: Unusual Baby Names
From: LilyFestre
Date: 24 Aug 04 - 07:49 PM

My best girlfriend is pregnant! *smile*

I get to be involved with everything...all appointments and the birth. *Bigger Smile*

Today, during her sonogram, we found out that she is having TWINS!!!!!!!!!!!!   ******OMG OMG OMG....Jumping up and down and giggling with wild abandon********************

Here's the dilemma. The daddy wants a solid, old fashioned name. Mommy wants something with a bit of flair...something a little unusual. I am hoping that you kind folks would share some of your favorite names from around the world.....

Thank you!!!!

Auntie Chell, who has been jumping and smiling and skipping and full of joy all day long!!!!!!!!!!!!!