Just wanted to chime in and say that I like Echo as a name, and I’m the holder of an unusual one myself (and, on top of that, it’s spelled funny too.) The only problem I’d have would be combining it with something like Marie. That seems to take all the thunder away from such original planning.
But hey, that’s just me and I’m the one who for years loved Camden and other assorted last names to go in front.
So, another vote for “go with the flow.” There are infinitely better things to do here at the end of her pregnancy than to bicker over this. Everyone should be happy and enjoying all this as much as possible. Maybe, very briefly, let her know your preferences, than let it drop and see what she/they want to do.
And once she reaches adulthood, people will generally be kinder than schoolmates, but she’ll spend her life explaining the name to people which is a damn hassle.
I say don’t worry about it. My parents saddled me with a name that’s uncommon even in India…think very “Mildred”-like (and no offense to any board Mildreds-I’m just trying to indicate extreme old-fashionedness) which only resulted in endless teasing during my upbringing in the United States. My sister got a modern Indian name that’s not unheard of in American society and still got teased. Chances are that she’ll give herself a nickname and by the time highschool rolls around everyone will have forgotton about it except for the first day of school when a teacher will make a lame joke. And by the time she reaches majority she’ll either change it to something she likes or revel in its uniqueness.
Put me in the camp that thinks it’s cool no matter where she got it.
I think Echo is a cool name.
Will she be teased? Of course, but she would also be teased if she were tall or short or fat or thin or…whatever. Kids will tease kids no matter what.
And as I mention in threads like this, Miss Ima Hogg was a prominent and well-loved matron in Texas society and did quite nicely with her name.
Besides, with the outrageous names that are now popping up in urban US areas, Echo might be the most normal name in her kindergarten.
I am sure a few decades ago there were a couple of neighbors back in Tennessee who thought, “how the hell could that woman name her kid Elvis…with a name like that he ain’t gonna amount to squat…”
Let her name the child “Echo” if she wants. It’s not your decision and your opinion doesn’t come into it. It’s an unusual and pretty name, IMO. You won’t love the child less, will you? She may or may not be teased, none of us can see the future. It’s the raising of the child that matters. We are all just handing out our opinions here but since this isn’t your choice, don’t make a mountain out of something that’s not even worth it. I say, learn to love it and help raise a confident girl!
Just my odd two cents for a previous poster… any form of Rhianne or Rhiannon is just beautiful. I see no trash in it. Maybe Bobby Jo something similar but not Rianne.
Sorry, but the teasing will probably never stop. My daughter-in-law is about 30. Her name? Jude. Every goddamn day, it’s “hey Jude”. Do you really think that people will stop with the “Hi, my name’s Echo”…“Oh, how do you do…do…do?”
My niece named her son after her grandfathers. Sidney Carroll Chefniece. For a boy. He’s either going to grow up tough or bruised, I guess.
This ranks up there with those who saddle their kids with Mykynzy and other bizarre variations on normal names. It doesn’t make them unique or special, it just makes them targets. Childhood is tough enough without being singled out as different.
Funny thing about this is that my first name is Leslie. But that’s the masculine spelling of the name. Lesley is the feminine. To this day I get mail addressed to Mr. lastnamehere.
But my mother preferred that spelling so that’s what I got. Doesn’t bother me any. However, for years my grandmother purposely spelled my name the other way and I don’t think it earned her any brownie points with my mom.
I kind of like Echo. It’s not like kids won’t find something else to tease each other about if not the name. It’s a universal law.
Although my viewpoint is admittedly biased, count me in the “pro-Echo” camp.
My own name is pretty unusual (In all my 34 years I’ve met one other person with it, and that was a woman, while I’m male). I was teased about it when I was a kid, but it didn’t bother me too much. And from about age 14 on, I’ve been nothing but happy about my name. People remember me, and I never have that annoying experience of hearing someone calling my name, getting my attention, but meaning someone else.
Also, I think Echo is a pretty cool name. The question is, is 8 years of teasing worth 50 years of having a memorable above-average name?
Of course, “Echo” might lead to more teasing than a typical odd name. And maybe it’s worse for girls.
As for the OP, I’d bring up your concerns in a non-confrontational manner, but be prepared for her to hear your arguments and keep the name anyway.
As one of those unique-named individuals, I can pretty much tell you – the teasing will not stop, it will last an entire lifetime, and it takes a lot of work to build up the willpower to smile in the face of idiots who think they are being amusing.
Like the “Jude” in the previous posts, not a day went by in school that SOMEONE didn’t sing my name back to me. As an adult, in college, and in my professional life, at least every three days or so someone thinks they are being witty by singing to me.
Secondly, being male, my name is constantly mispronounced in the feminine version, and people consistently confuse my gender in initial phone calls, mailings, and business correspondence. If I were to receive any information from an “echo”, I would assume the male gender because of the -o ending, and I’m sure so would many others.
Its just… a pain in the hindquarters.
Please let your daughter know that Marie Echo would be a better combination, as it gives the option of the “normal” name to come first in almost all legal documents, school documents, etc.
Personally, I think Echo is a fine name. But every other girl in America has the middle name of Marie.
No matter what they name the kid, she’s going to get teased. Why not give her a pretty and unusual name? The only thing that is going to change is the content of the jokes.
Or Medea, Cassandra, or Philomela.
Yeah, it might be a good idea to look up what stories the names were attached to, if you care about that sort of thing.
(And how could anyone hurt you for that comment, matt_mcl? I got a good chuckle from it!)
How funny. My sister’s name is Leslie, and she had the exact opposite reaction in school. She was always thought of as a boy. Even to this day, she gets bills and school notices addressed to Mr. Leslie Lastname.
I have the same problem, my name at one time being a more predominantly male name. (A well known actor has my name, but a different spelling). Now it’s so cutesy-sickening GIRLY I may have to throttle my mother. I can’t even imagine being eighty years old with my name. It just won’t fit!
However, back to the OP. I like the name Echo. I am a huge mythology fan, and though the story behind the name is sad, I still like it. A lot. I also agree with what others have said. Granddaddies need to butt out of the naming-the-grandkids-saga. It is their child. Let them be stupid/silly/whatever (in your eyes) and go on with it.
IT’s not as if it’s a choice between Echo and some completely common name, like say, Jennifer. (No offense to Jennifers, just saying it’s a common name).
I like uncommon, but still recognizable names like Josephine, Tatiana, or Olivia. She wouldn’t be one of five in the class, but it’s not completely unheard of.
(Of course, I also like the names Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, but I don’t think it would be a good idea to have four daughters and do that to them.)
My cousin named her eldest daughter Pearl after her mother-in-law. Pearl would be about five or six by now, I would imagine. It’s not a very common name nowadays, and it has an old-fashioned ring to it. I like it.
So you don’t have to go and name your kid Echo or Destiny or Moonbeam, just so they won’t have the same name as every other kid.
ARGGGGGG!!! Now where is that “Things that are just NOT right” thread…
Please. Something cannot be more unique. It is either unique - one of a kind - or it isn’t. It cannot be more unique, it cannot be almost unique. Please.
Meanwhile, Echo is a terrible idea. I would go with the idea of a real name, like Rebecca, that allows you to use Echo as a nickname. Then if she likes it and want to keep it she can.
Some friends of mine wanted to call their girls Mina and Bella. They actually christened the girls something more grown up so that when they grow up they switch if they wish.
