I like it. A lot. I went to school with an “Echo” but I didn’t know it until about a year ago.
Grandparents should butt out of the name thing. It’s none of your business and downright insulting to jump your daughter’s shit over this.
Incidently, my cat’s name is Echo. She’s waaaay cool.
I think “Echo” is a lovely name.
I think “Echo” is a lovely name!
I like it. You got to name your children the names you liked, so don’t give your daugher a bunch of grief about the name she has chosen for her child.
My dad never liked the name I picked for my daughter, and still doesn’t let me forget it. He even came up with a nickname for her that I don’t like. Heh, I guess you could be like him, but then, we think he’s an asshole.
I have a somewhat unusual name, and it stopped bothering me around age 13. Now that I’m an adult, I appreciate it.
I like it. But, I think it’s a bad idea. It’s not like people might make fun of it. They WILL. They MUST. Ask your daughter: “Do you want every conversation in her life to start 'Hi, I’m Echo.”/“Hi, I’m echo. Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. You must get that all the time…”
Shade pretty much said what I was going to say. Why set her up for a tired joke for the rest of her life?
I think you would have made your point better if you’d just copied my post verbatim 
I think that this is clearly Bush’s fault…
Echo’s a great name. If she doesn’t like it, she can always go by Marie. You can’t try to protect kids from stupid jokes, because they’re everywhere. Kids in elementary school would call Andrew “Gaydrew” before they came up with an Echo joke.
Please. If she’s going to be saddled with a name like that, at least let her have a relatively common first name, or at least a prettier Greek one, something like Daphne, Helen or Selene.
My name is slightly unusual (Vina), and everyone I meet who fancies themself remotely clever has made a crack about the anagramming possibilities. (Vain, Ivan, etc.) It’s usually the second sentence that comes out of their mouth. I shudder to think about how many cracks about her name this poor girl will get, especially when it’s so much easier to make fun of.
The teasing will serve to make her socially awkward. Even the most well-adjusted child will feel embarrassed and awkward when the other children tease her about her name every single day she is at school. This name will not build her character, and it is only unique in an awful sense. It’s like shouting out to the universe, “Hi, my name is Echo! Please tease me every day for most of my life!”
And the universe will reply, “Hi, my name is Echo! Please tease me every day for most of my life!”
I’m sorry, I just feel really strongly about this.
When my daughter was born, my (ex) husband jumped in with the first name Jessica (I didn’t like it then anymore than I like it now), but hey, the labor drugs were nice, so I didn’t put up a fight about her name. Fast forward to third grade, where she comes home sobbing. “The kids are making fun of me!” she sobs. “They’re making fun of my name!” I’m thinking, what’s wrong with Jessica Hall (her last name)? Seems they were calling her Jessica Hall of Medicine (after the cough drops). Of course, I don’t have much sympathy, since I grew up with Patty Pitts. (And for the record, Patty Pitts DID grow some tits.)
Anyway, when my son was born (husband by then was an ex, so I got to name the baby myself, without assinine input), I wanted something which would clue into our Irish heritage, so I came across Egan (which is Gaelic). Of course, that gets translated into Eagan, Ian, Eamon, Edan. I guess it doesn’t matter WHAT you name a baby–what’s most important is the name you call them at home. (Jessica got translated into Jed, and Egan became Monkey Face, which is much more endearing than it sounds to outsiders, hence is why we only use it at home and not in public.)
I looked it up in Bulfinch’s Mythology (Avenel Books,® 1979.) There’s a sad story about Echo and Narcissus, which I’ll paraphrase to honor the copyright.
Echo was a nymph, and a pal of Diana, goddess of the hunt. Echo was a real talker. She always got the last word. One day, Juno, Jupiter’s wife was trying to catch her hubby flirting with the nymphs. Echo distracted Juno with her chatter while Jupiter and the rest of the nymphs slipped away. Juno copped to the ruse and cursed poor Echo. Forevermore, she would only be able to reply, never to start a conversation. What a drag for a chatterbox like Echo!
Then Echo met Narcissus, a very handsome lad. She was smitten, and longed to speak with him. She couldn’t. Finally, he spoke, “Who’s here?” Echo replied, “Here.” He said, “Come.” Echo answered, “Come.” When nobody came, Narcissus said, “Why do you shun me?” Echo bounced back the same question.
He said. “Let’s join together.” She was thrilled, and answered in the same words, and she rushed to him. He recoiled, saying, “Get away! I’d sooner die than you’d have me!” Pleading, she answered, “Have me!,” but he was gone. In her sorrow she took to hiding in caves and mountain cliffs. She wasted away until all that remains today is her voice. She still gets the last word, though.
Narcissus broke the heart of another nymph, and got his comeuppance, but that’s another story.
So, now you know. Echo was beautiful, but too talkative, and she came to a sad end. Is this a good name for a little girl? It’s not for us to decide, but you might show this story to the mother-to-be. It’s her call.
Jesus! I happen to know an Echo and guess what?
She likes having the name.
Maybe we should just revert to numbers so that no one will ever get teased again about their name. It must be tough never wanting to stand out from the crowd…
I think Echo is a lovely name if they are choosing it because of the classical references or because they are drawn to the myth. If they’re just choosing it because it sounds kewl, then a smackdown is in order.
My twin and I have unusual names (my sister moreso). All that talk about character-building blah-blah is nonsense. A name is important. You don’t give someone a name to build character (there are better ways to do this) or because it sounds “cool” at the moment. You have to use both your head and your heart.
All that said, I don’t think Echo is that bad. It’s unique (which I’m all for) but not completely made up (which I also think is good). I don’t know how well “Echo Marie” goes together, though.
I’m going to break closely held privacy on this board to make a point.
I’m only 34 years old, and my middle name is Elmer.
Unusual names certainly can be a character building experience for a young person. Make sure the parents know just how cruel kids can be when they decide on names.
No lasting damage was done, so if it’s a name you like and really want, you can certainly help your kids get through the teasing.
(Yeah, Elmer’s Glue, ha, ha, ha. First time I’ve heard that one.)
There are just too many problems with the name. Every name will have some problems, but “Echo” just comes with a whole list:
I actually rather like the name, but I think there are just too many strikes against it.
But look on the bright side–at least she doesn’t want to name her Kaighleighee.
Regardless of what you or anyone else thinks of the name, I think you should have one rational conversation with your daughter about it, present your concerns clearly and unemotionally, then let it go.
No parents-to-be I’ve ever known have enjoyed defending their choice of names. And harping on it over and over again while being a Cassandra will strain your relationship. (And if you turn out to be wrong, unlike Cassandra, that’ll be even worse.)
Yeah, Echo is unusual. But we’re living in an age where every kid has an “unusual” name. The top 10 names combined now go to less than half of the babies born in a given year – they used to make up 80% or more.
While I’m sure kids still get teased about names, I don’t think it’s as big a deal as it was 20 or 30 years ago.
(Also, count me in in the pro-Echo camp. I think it’s nice. I wouldn’t pick it, but I hardly think it’s a disaster. Far better than iPod or something.)
I’m gonna have to go against the popular vote and say keep your mouth shut.
Has she asked for your opinion, or said ‘we’re considering this name’ or has she said, ‘this is our daughter’s name?’ If she has announced it as the name, I think it’s too late. What happens if you go on record as not liking the name and they name her that anyway? She’ll always know that you think her child’s name is stupid.
It’s not going to ruin this child’s life, IMO. There are (a few) occasions where it is justifiable to step in and question a parent’s choices, but naming a child is not one of them. The name isn’t obscene or anything.
I hope that no one tells me they don’t like my baby’s name, and we are specifically not telling what the name will be until we have decided for sure, for this very reason. Not that we are coming up with bizarre names or anything, but there will always be someone who doesn’t like the name. Once we have said, ‘this is the name of our baby’, I don’t want to hear discussion about it from people, including my family.
That said, you know your daughter. If you really think she would be open to your opinion, have at it. I just know how I would feel if I had truly decided on a name and my parent told me not to use it.
Shoot, I had a totally normal name, in the top twenty surnames, though spelled a bit differently, and I got teased about it anyway.
Kids rhymed my last name with all sorts of silly objects and so on. If kids are going to tease, they’re going to tease they don’t need a reason.
When I was pregnant with my daughter 25 years ago, WAY too many women my age also having daughters were naming them “whitney/britney/courtney/chelsea” Or the “Jennifer/Tamara/Genevere” one.
I refused to have my poor daughter go to school with the possibility that she’d have the same name as 4 or 5 other little girls in her class, no matter HOW “normal” and popular those names might be.
I named her something pretty unusual, and NO other little girls had her name. Most adults thought it was really pretty, but during her school years she hated it because it WASN’T 'whitney/britney" etc like everyone else.
Once she got out of school and grew up, she loved it becuase of its rather unusual dramatic quality (it’s “Scarlett” from the book).
Now, I’ve seen a few models and even one actress also named Scarlett. And when I used to deliver papers to the courthouse as a one of my first jobs, there was actually an older lady there named Scarlet.
Echo is a bit more unusual than Scarlett, but I looked to my daughter’s adulthood when I named her. She came through the teasing (hey “Red/magenta” How’s Ashley etc etc) just fine, and is a lovely, bright and neat young woman.
I didn’t go out and ax murder anyone over the teasing that I got in school either. Lots of us get teased for various reasons, some much more unpleasant that our names (overweight kids, etc), and we manage not to go postal.
A parent’s one privilege is that they get to name their kids. While you may not be too crazy about it now, it may grow on you, and you can always choose your own nickname for her.
Hehe…MY grandmother refused to call my daughter “Scarlett” as the movie had been somewhat controversial, (if you can imagine that, next to janet’s boob!!!) grandma thought it suggested that she was a “painted lady”. She always called her “Carly” or “Charlotte”.