My dad’s cousin named his kids “Vera” and “Lily”. My dad always comments on how only 70-year-old women are named those names.
I have mixed feelings about my first name. I’ve only met two other Summers so far. One of them was Summer Due and the other was Summer Rose, so I can at least thank my parents for not saddling with anything that made a coherant phrase. More than one person has told said that I look like a Summer.
I feel I’m fortunate to have an unusual first name. My last name apparently scares the hell out of anyone called upon to pronounce it, so my first name allows people to get out of it. For example, a TA passing out papers will be saying,“Mary Smith, John Jones, Juan Perez, Summer, um…” If my first name was Jenny, that wouldn’t work.
That said, my last name is not Camp, Vacation or Eve, I do not have any sisters named Spring, Autumn and Winter, and my name doesn’t change after August. Having my yearbook signed “Have a good summer, Summer!” was only funny the first time.
My name’s Whitney.
It’s not too common among white teenage girls but I still don’t like it all that much.
When I have children I have every intention of giving them names that aren’t seen every day, but nothing completely far-fetched and absurd. I actually heard of a woman the other day who was considering naming her child Vagina (She didn’t, though. Thank God!)
I’m not sure if I should link you, but perhaps it wouldn’t hurt.
Cynthia Jayne here.
Just call me Cindi, though.
My hubby’s name is Thom. Kids are Missy (though now she calls herself Crimson) and Eric.
I actually like the name, Ballybay. It’s unique without being pretentious.
Hey! I’m Catherine too - same spelling, which isn’t so common anymore (cathryn, katheryn, etc etc). I always say “Catherine, with a “c” and all the letters”
I’ve always had the nickname Cassie, though, which isn’t horribly common. People always assume my name is really Cassandra or the like. I’m also the oldest Cassie I know, at 29. I think it became a more popular name about 10 years ago, since I now know a lot of little kids with that name.
sic
Well, I went to high school with a Cassie – she was a year ahead of me, so I guess she’d be about 23 now. I think her name is Cassandra though…
I went to school in a class full of Michaels, Matthews and Michelles. I would never give any of those names to my kids. Also, I seem to attract Patricias. There are always Patricias in my life, ranging in age from 50 down to early 20’s.
I’m a Carol (not Caroline, and not Carole), and I’m 25. I’ve had emails saying “Carol… let me guess, you’re 45!”, because Carol was in fashion about 20 years before I was born. I only knew one other Carol my age, but I’ve met a couple older than me.
A girl I know had a baby a few weeks ago and named her Emma. She said she really wanted Emily, but her cousin had a baby girl named Emily. Now one of her friends is pregnant and wanted to name her daughter Emma, but is considering Emily because of the first girl’s baby! I think Emma/Emily are very pretty names, but they’re going to be another generation’s Michelle. And they’re so similar that I don’t think chosing one because you know a child with the other is going to help much - you’ll just have schoolrooms filled with little girls nicknamed “Em”.
Personally, when I have kids I’m going to select a name from the bottom 50 of the top 100 names chart - common enough not to be weird, but there won’t be too many to share with.
I’m a Darin. No one ever gets it right either. The spelling is from Bobby Darin, although my mom claims I’m not named after him.
<----- Gotta love that!
Of my five boy cousins in a family of six, you have just named three of them. The other two are Don and Joe. ( Patti is the girl.) [sub]All EXCEPTIONALLY fine individuals, too. [/sub]
From the incredibly perceptive Infectious Lass
Three phone calls away from ME? What are you a telemarketer or what? 
IRL, I am Joan. I am 34. I am the youngest of a post WW2 baby boom family. All the Joan’s my age that I have met are the youngest of a Baby Boomer Family. WE ALL HATE OUR NAMES. All my Joan friends have the same middle name: Marie. Except me, I am Florence. ( Which I like if one of my brother’s didn’t call me Flossie.)
**Welcome to my favorite RANT **
Joan reached it’s peak in the Mid 1930’s being on a top ten baby list and then disappeared forever. It is a name that will always be on the outskirts, never to make it inwards again, along with Hester, Dorothy and Mildred. I am named after one of my mom’s cousins who died before I was born. I think she probably killed herself, being named so cruelly and all. ( The other names up for consideration to name me were Diane and -ug- Mary Pat.)
Joan is not a blind date name. Joan is not the name that inspires lust in a guy. Joan is never a fashion model. Joan Allen is one of the finest actresses of the past twenty years, but no one ever remembers her.
Joan is the kind of name that gets a phone call at 2am to pick up all your drunk friends because you have a car and they don’t and, btw, you weren’t invited to the party. Joan is never in fashion. Never in style. Never with it.
She doesn’t put out and she doesn’t take crap. She bowls.
Joan can fix a flat tire, hook up chains and drag you out of a ditch and jump start your dead battery. Try to find a Tiffany to do that.
Joan is steadfast, reliable and loyal and passed over for the Katherine’s, Elizabeth’s and the unholy trinity of Brittany, Tiffany and Amber’s every Saturyday night. But that is ok, while the BTA Coalition of Slutdom were out giving head, Joan was making beau coup dinero ( in the world of a teenager) working and has always been the ‘go-to’ person in every job she’s held.
Naturally, when this internet world opened up and this Joan had a chance to re-name herself, she picks **Shirley **
Go figure.
**Names that should have a moratorium put on them **
Emily
Emma
Emmi
Brittany ( ban this name forever, please)
Hannah (great name. over used)
Dakota ( boy or girl)
Heather (ERGH!)
Lauren (Like a burnt steak, way over done.)
Cody (What is this, the wild wild west?)
Amber (and her sister Sapphire.)
AND if I may be so bold as to say **PEOPLE ** if you can’t come up with a decent middle name, please do not just throw in Marie because, it …well…fits. Marie is not like Khaki. Just because it matches everything doesn’t mean it should be used so GD much. It is a lovely name and deserves to stand on it’s own. Same thing goes for James. Another wonderful name ruined by unimaginative people.
My son’s middle name? Glad you asked. It’s Siegfried.
My daughter’s middle name? O’Hara. ( My grandma’ maiden name.)
Wait, thought of a few more:
McKenna
McKenzie
Michaela / Mikayla / etc
Alyssa -** Oh DEAR GOD WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THE FLOOD OF ALYSSA’S?**[sub]Is this a future cheerleader name or what? [/sub]
and let us not forget the locust of Josh’s and Zak.
I normally wouldn’t post to one of these threads but I couldn’t resist…
Growing up it was Laurel, Charles and William (my sister, brother and me)
My kids? Jennifer, Melinda and Zachery.
So what does that say about me? I dunno but I wonder why my Dad decided to name me and my brother after kings…
Ha! I named my son twelve years ago in Germany to beat the rush!
My seven month old daughter is named Emma. Emma Grace. The mother’s Idea, I suggested spelling it with only one M, but got voted down. (funny how that worked, with only two of us, the one with the womb has the veto power.) I didn’t know it was making such a huge comeback. I hate to go with trends.
My name is Ellen, and my co-grads in the class of '83 didn’t have many of those names mentioned in the OP. Could be a generational thing.
My main group of friends (mostly around the same age) are named: Peggy, Paula, Sarah, Cathy, Marcia, Mike, and Steve.
My brother (class of '75) is named Earl (after our old man).
I wondered about the Bobby Darin thing, but then my Mom told me about Bewitched. The Funkiest spelling I’ve seen is ‘Daron’. But that guy was black, and from Switzerland, so he had an excuse. Half the time I just say "Two R’s, I-N after my name, automatically, if I think someone is trying to spell it. You run accross any name books that tell us our name means “A Small Rocky Hill”?