Okay, so the standard operating procedure at my university is that you are given a card in which you are supposed to not only write your full name, but a phonetic (not IPA, but something that makes it read like “standard English”) pronounciation guide for the person reading your name out loud at graduation. I did this for my full name, and the asshole at the mic completely ignored it and butchered the pronounciation of my entire name. :rolleyes: Just because it looks easy doesn’t mean you’re going to get it right on the first try.
Now that would just be silly! 
I’m missing the reference. 
Hm. Well I was only half-joking, but your wish that I never procreate and prediction that I’ll be a hated parent sure does give me warm fuzzies all over. Way better than simply asking me to reconsider.
If you don’t already know, the “Sera” variation is already in use. Check out Sera Cahoone, if not just for evidence, but for some great music too!
And as for the torture this poor girl would receive because her full name is some sick twisted pun perpetrated on her by her evil father, I would wager that if you showed the word “sera” to 10 average people on the street, 0 of them would say “That’s clearly the plural of ‘serum,’ what do I look like, an idiot?” like it’s some term in common usage.
It wasn’t even intended as a joke or pun. Just simply something that is inert on the surface, but has a connection if someone decides to look at it closely.
Though I do concede that if I were to choose such a name, I would be saddling her with an alliterative name, but that never did Peter Parker, Lois Lane, Reed Richards, or Bruce Banner any harm. 
It isn’t that inert, and it’s more than alliterative. You will note the characters are not named Peter Peters or Lois Loise or Reed Reid. Which is more liek what you would be doing.
However, I proceed from the assumption that should you become responsible for naming an actual human being you would likely notice first that she is an actual human being and adjust your desires accordingly. Most people do.
Good point, you speak the truth.
Hm… waitaminnit…
Truth. Truth
Hmm…
I think I’ve got that alliteration problem nicked! Thanks for all the great feedback, everyone!
That’s Major Major Major Major to you.
For me, the issue is not that people want to use bizarre pronunciations and/or spellings for what they name their children, but that they seem to get upset if others then “mispronounce” the name (meaning, pronounce as indicated by the spelling) or “misspell” the name (meaning, spell the standard way). “Mikena” to me reads as “Mih-KEE-nah.” “Caroline” is pronounced with a long “I,” just like “line” (and kudos to this thread’s Caroline for recognizing that this is an acceptable pronunciation and not getting PO’ed about it). To me, “Aedin Coughner Niquolos” would be pronounced “AY-den COFF-ner NEE-kwo-los,” not “Eden Connor Nicholas,” so apparently I’d be pronouncing every single one of the child’s names wrongly. It starts to feel like a trap, and that’s what makes it exasperating to me. There are rules for standardized spelling and pronunciation in English, and I think it’s unfair for people to intentionally violate those rules and then “correct” others for applying them. If you’re going to name your daughter “Chelsea” and then pronounce it “Kelsey,” fine with me, but don’t act surprised that you and your daughter have to “correct” people’s “mispronunciation” all the time, and at least have the grace to concede the problem is of your creation, not theirs. My name takes an “alternate” spelling (depending on who you ask), but at least it can only be pronounced one way. But since it can be spelling several ways I’ve just gotten used to saying “it’s ‘Jodi’ with an ‘I’.” If my parents had spelled it “Gowthey” I think I’d be hard-pressed to get in a snit that people didn’t immediately think “Jodi.” I also think I’d have to smack my parents.
I also think alternate spellings sound pretentious and fatuous. I heard “Niq” and I thought, “Puq.” I think it’s not a very nice thing to saddle your kid with a name like “Niq” so that everyone thinks he’s the pretentious or fatuous one, and there’s no way to nicely shoe-horn into conversation, “My parents did this to me.”
I respect people’s right to name their kids whatever the hell they want, pronounced and spelled however the hell they want. But I do wish people would think twice before they did it.
ETA: And I’m not in the least angry about it.
I feel that it would be prudent for me to apologize for this remark. I posted without having read the entire thread first and was unaware that Litoris had a child whose name was a “creative” spelling of Nicholas. I chose the name Nicholas as my example more or less at random. Though I stand by the statements I made (they are, after all, my humble opinion,) I did not intend to single anyone out by my post. If this is the impression that I gave, I am sorry.
Isn’t this somewhat superficial?
Isn’t this one of the reasons we have names?
gasp How have you survived to adulthood?
Normally tolerant Dopers get so judgemental and narrow-minded when it comes to names. If someone wants to be creative with the spelling, I say more power to 'em. But then I’m someone who likes names like “Moxie Crimefighter” and “Apple”.
I was blessed with three grandchildren last year. One of which was named Gabrielle. A very pretty name, standard spelling. I was happy UNTIL said daughter (this daughter joined our family when she was 15 years old) told me she’d gifted her daughter with a total of four names. Oooookay. Strung together as they are, they all flow relatively nicely, so we nod and smile. Then she shares that they’ll call her by a nickname … okay that make FIVE names total. What’s the nick?
GABY
Hmmmm … written it would appear to rhyme with BABY, but no, it’s her ghetto way of spelling “Gabbie” or Gabby". Poor child, I snuggle her extra tight when we visit. Her mama just doesn’t know, or want to know, any better. (yes, I realize I’m probably going to grandmother hell for refusing to ever write “GABY” on her gifts. She is forever more “Gabrielle” to me)
Oh, and on another note … today I called a place of business to get some information. The young lady was semi helpful and when I asked her name for my notes she replied “Sparkle”. I truly had trouble restraining my snerk into the phone. What was her mama thinking? I don’t care if this child gets a degree from a top university she will always struggle with being taken seriously because of her name.
This post is proof positive that I shouldn’t post after two very broken nights of sleep and two small glasses of wine on an empty stomach.
My name is Eleanor. Most people can’t pronounce it (I know, I know, but it’s true–it’s not El-ner or Ell-o-ner, it’s El-ah-nor). No one can spell it. Elinor, Ellenore, Eleanore, Elenore. Alenor etc.
but I think that’s because it (used to be ) an uncommon name. I don’t mind spelling it for people. I do mind having to correct them (if I am going to have to know them and they will be using my name–in passing, I don’t bother).
My parents gave me the standard (USA) spelling of a tradtional name. I like it. I hated it as a kid-I wanted to be Terry or Linda or Kim (names popular when I was young). I am glad I have it now. I wasn’t given a middle name, and I wish I had been. I gave all my kids middles, in case they hated their given one. (side note: #1 son’s name is Robert. We-and everyone else-call him Rob. I am not all that fond of Bob, but if he wants to change, it’s up to him. He’s 15 and so far, no signs of imminent change.)
I doubt my life has been ruined by having to spell my name. But I think that if I have to do this much for the standard spelling, what would happen if they had decided on Ellanor or Ailenore or Eleannorre? or some other abomination, Ailynor? Why do that to anyone?
My thinking goes like this: give the kid a simple name. Let them play with it, redo the spelling of it, create odd nicknames with it all throughout childhood and adolescence. But when it comes to that first job, the kid has a name that won’t embarass him or her in public.
I also can’t believe that with all that is available online and even in books re baby names that someone wouldn’t check to see if Brent or Emily wasn’t the most popular name at the moment–bad enough to have the Name of the Moment, but then to misspell it deliberately seems cruel to me. I am still shaking my head over Caughner. Sorry, but it’s true. I’m thinking what if we named our daughter Laughrrah, instead of Laura.
Read the book Freakonomics sometime on names-excellent tutorial on how NOT to name your kid.
My daughter is an Elinor. The less common but still traditional spelling of the name. I really liked the Mideval spelling - but I wouldn’t saddling her with Aelenore or whatever it was - too many vowels. She’s still going to be spelling it forever - even with the traditional spelling of Eleanor, its a word like Wednesday or February - most people are going to screw it up - at least her spelling has only a few letters. I picked it because it was the Austen spelling - and because you aren’t finding coffee mugs with Eleanor or Elinor on them anyway.
The weird one is the unanticipated. We call her Nell. And more than once, we’ve gotten Neil back. She’s gotten used to it.
I think Frosti is a really nice name! 
That’s probably the coolest name I’ve heard in recent times. I really like interesting names. I can see how that would have been annoying growing up, to say the least, though. I like names which not many people have. I prefer different and rare names that are still easy to spell and pronounce. I definitely prefer them to you’niqqe spellings of common names.
My name is Lynn Marie. You can see why I like more exciting names, hehe. Where I’m from though, Lynn is not a common first name. Everyone’s middle name where I’m from is Lynn or Marie. The worst I had to deal with growing up was everyone spelling my name Lynne as there was a Lynne in my grade as well. Bah. I wonder if she had as many people spelling hers Lynn.
My mom, Rosaria Alexandra Marie wanted me and my brother (Mark Ian) to have simple names. Partially because she hates hers and goes by Sandra instead. Pity, I love the name Rosaria.
My nick for awhile was Nell, and no one could spell it (!). I love Elinor–I have seen it around, but it is not common. Eleanor is becoming a popular name, just like my brother’s name (Carter) is. Go figure. Say hello to Nell from me–we Eleanors must stick together!
You’re in for a surprise then, I think.
I know a guy named “Richard Lust”. Good guy. Known him my whole life. But if you don’t think kids are going to be irresistably compelled to harass and attempt to bully a guy with that name, you don’t know kids (particularly middle-school-aged boys). (Granted, the surname there’s not a lot you can do about it, but why-oh-why did his parents name him Richard and not James or John or something? That’s just asking for a porn star name - Dick Lust, indeed.) I also know other poor unfortunate bastards with a similar problem - like Cocoa Fudge (kid in my school) and his sister Cosmo.
I, personally, have vowed to bitch-slap every single person who hears my given name and then feels compelled to sing the f-ing “Rhyme Song” at me.* I have actually bitch-slapped a number of people for doing it.
I’m sure the parents of these kids were deluding themselves into thinking they were doing a good thing for their child - making their name memorable, or unique. Or possibly they were overly-pretentions self-satisfied bastards. Either way, the person who gets to pay for their “creativity” is that child.
If you, as an adult, want to bestow a unique name on yourself - or change your name to some bastardized spelling to reflect your creativity and free-thinking, be my guest. More power to you.
A kid, however, is not a fashion accessory or a venue for expressing the creativity and open-mindedness of its parents. Inflicting a randomly-spelled abomination or poorly-thought-out combination (like either of the two I mentioned above) on another human being to make what is essentially a statement personal to you is obnoxious. You aren’t the one who gets to spend a lifetime correcting spelling and/or pronunciation or explaining how the hell you came to be stuck with that name. Naming your kid “Galadriel” because you’re really into elves is dooming that poor kid to a lifetime of spelling and having the following conversation a million times:
“What’s your name?”
“Galadriel Tinuviel.”
“Really?”
“Ya, really.”
“What were your parents smoking anyway?”
- You know that you know this abortion. “Banana-bana-fo-fanna be by bo banna. Aaaaaanna” etc etc etc.
Your name is Chuck? 
The song is called “The Name Game,” FYI.
Huh. It never would have occurred to me that Laurie would be pronounced like lorry. I have a relative named Laurie pronounced nasally, but then I’m from the midwest and we pronounce everything that way. Also, the people I know named Caroline all say it with a long I at the end. I didn’t realize these were at all controversial names!
I definitely prefer non-creative names. My son is Jack - he’ll have enough trouble telling people how to spell his French last name. My daughter’s name is the conventionally spelled Eleanor, but apparently it’s not a common enough name for the convention to be well known. She’s going to be spelling both names for people, poor thing.
There’s the solution - use middle names to get all creative to your heart’s content, parents of the world, but leave the first, commonly-used name alone. Then the kid can hide the weird name or flaunt it as they wish. It’s also fun for people to discover other people’s middle names.
As a kid, it was just one more thing to torture me over–I have redhair, massive freckles, was stick-skinny, and I wore glasses. As an adult, I get lots of compliments, and no one has ever thought I was a stripper.
Very few people can resist commenting on my name. I don’t mind anymore–it’s a nice ice-breaker at meetings and stuff. Everyone feels like they know you after you’ve talked about what drugs your parents might have been smoking when they named you after a snowman (even though I was around first, dammit!).
What was extra fun was when I worked with Jolene* and Roxanne**. We all had songs and mine*** was certainly the best of a bad selection.
*Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Joleeeeene, please don’t take my man…
**Roxanne, you don’t have to put out the red light. Those days are over, you don’t have to sell your body to the night…
***Frosty the Snowman, was a jolly, happy soul
:: checks location ::
I pronounce Laurie as lorry. The midwest is a great big area, please don’t say that all midwesterners pronounce something the same way, as that never seems to be the case.
I’m fond of the name Eleanor.
My first name is not unusual but it has two common spellings. About 70% of the time people default to the one that’s “correct”. The rest of the time it doesn’t bother me, except for those people who consistently use the wrong spelling despite seeing my correct name in print repeatedly. When you reply to an email, I think you could at least make an effort to address the person with the same name they used in their original email. I mean, come on, it’s right there, appended to the bottom of your reply.