bienville, way to totally miss the point…
:rolleyes:
Well, I got the “Lesley” gender confusion thing too, coupled with the fact that my dad was “Leslie”! Anyway, right from birth I was called by my middle name and only heard Lesley once a year or so. However…
You’d be amazed at what can be done to a nice, simple name like Ann. If it rhymed, referred to a bad commercial (Annabelle gets a free muffler! :mad: ARGH!), or could be used to comment on my butt (Hey! Annie-Fanny! :rolleyes: ), I heard it!
Ya just can’t win.
Now as far as Echo goes, I think of the character in “Every Which Way But Loose”. I always thought it was a very pretty name and I really wouldn’t object to it.
I say go for it!
We have friends with two daughters; Echo and Chorale (said, coral) an aural theme to be sure. I have been known to tease on occasion, saying to the mother, “Amber-ber-ber! Echo-cho-cho is such-uch-uch a fun-un-un name-ame-ame!” Maybe the next one should be called Trio!
She will be teased; but I their cool names. 
…um… that would be, " I like their cool names.
I have a cousin who was named Archangel. At her birth everyone thought it was a bit sus, but she is known as “Arkie” and nobody gives it a second thought. “Arkie” isn’t a common name for a girl, either, but children grow into their names. Having said that, Echo will no doubt have some teasing… but kids can be teased about anything. If Echo grows to be the kind of person who unfortunately invites taunts, it will just give annoying people a good topic to work with. The fat kid may lose weight, but Echo will always be Echo.
I think its a nice name, myself, and so is Marie.
My cat’s name Echo too. 
Personally, I think Echo is a lovely name, albeit one prone to lots of easy teasing from kids. (I also think Maria flows better with it, but hey, it’s not my kid.) But, like many people have mentioned, kids tease no matter what your name is. My name is Angela, I got teased with “Hey, Angela Lansbury!” My last name was Arnold, I got “Hey, Arnold Schwartznegger!”
I met a girl once with the name Annelise. I thought it was a really pretty name, then I saw someone making fun of the name “Annelise! Get it? Anal-Ease? har har har.”
My husband is named John. He got lots of toilet jokes.
My sister is Dawn. Dawn dishsoap, Dawn-ald Duck, etc. etc.
Seriously. People will find any reason to make fun of someone’s name.
Yeesh, Infectious Lass, I think you pulled out the projecting-much/defensive-much arguement and forgot to aim for yourself. Honestly, and maybe I’ve missed the post your reacting to, but I don’t think anyone has said anything as strongly as you have. For example, no post has even come close to this paraphrase: It’s her right to name it whatever she likes and everyone else should butt out. Up until now, the thread has been a reasonable discussion of the pros and cons of unique names, specifically “Echo,” and advice as to how Reeder should handle the situation.
Additionally, to those who have been teased about their names into adulthood, I’m really sorry. I can’t imagine, as an adult, going up to someone and teasing them about being named “Echo”–or anything else for that matter. The biggest problem I have with my name now is strangers (like the check-out person at the grocery or video stores) trying to pronounce it.
Anyway, I’m still for Echo.
I like the name Echo. It’s cute and quirky, but not to the point where I think of a parent just picking a random name/word solely to be different.
I love creative names in general and Echo specifically. I’m more likely to find someone named Echo interesting than someone named Mary (although I do know an interesting Mary or two), and I’m definitely more likely to remember her. However, if you feel strongly about it, I don’t think it’s so bad to say so. Once. But as entitled as you are to your opinion, don’t give the impression that a name you don’t like is therefore not a “real” name. This frankly strikes me as inconsiderate.
I love the name Echo. Really.
I seriously doubt that this name (by itself) will attract any more teasing than anything else kids routinely tease about: kids who are rich, kids who aren’t rich, kids who have blonde hair, kids who don’t, kids who have funny names nobody’s ever heard of, kids who have common names with common stigmas and rhymes attached to them, kids who eat the icky school lunches, kids who hafta bring bag lunches in stupid lunchboxes, kids who are smart, kids who are dumb, kids who take the bus, kids whose parents drop them off, kids who walk or ride ugly unfashionable bikes, kids who are tall, kids who are short, kids who are skinny, kids who are fat, kids who get in trouble, and kids who follow the rules.
In short, everyone.
Besides, if I grew up with a name like Echo, I’d learn to be quick on my toes. I’ll have my whole life to think of quick answers to stupid teasing, and the idiots who think they’re funny will be left behind.
Me: “Hi, I’m Echo.”
Wag: “Hi, I’m Echo.”
Me: “Echo is the greatest! I’ll give her five dollars.”
Wag: “Um…”
My given name does not appear on the top 1000 names of the Social Security register for any year for the entire decade in which I was born. Nice and unique. However, nobody ever knows how to spell or pronounce it or whether it’s a girl’s name or a boy’s name. But I wouldn’t trade it to be a Bill or a Mark or a John.
[QUOTE=KismetRose]
Or . . . CassandraQUOTE]
I keep trying to tell people that this name will lead to woe, but no one ever listens to me!!!
beinville is a man of many points, at times perhaps not the point, but really- anyone can stope by and hit the point. bienville hits point in the free-associative manner of GENIUS!
One day you’ll all appreciate me . . . appreciate me . . . appreciate me . . . appreciate . . . .
I hate completely made up names. I hate kre8tiv spellings. In general, I hate trendy names.
Even so, I think Echo is lovely. I would use it, kids will tease no matter what the name is.
Growing up, I thought my brother’s name, Clinton (goes by Clint), was horribly uncool, even though he’s a really awesome guy. Every time he meets someone for the first time, the first thing they mention is Clint Eastwood. Never bothered him a bit, and has even used Eastwood as an online nick. I now love his name, but that’s probably because of the personal association rather than the name itself. My name is very open to teasing too. What name truly isn’t?
Think of it this way - your granddaughter could be one of a hundred Delaneys, Caitlins, Madisons, Mikalas, Makenzies, Baileys, or Trinity’s, all spelled differently of course, or she could have a unique, easily pronouncable and spellable name that is clearly feminine (who knows if little Taylor is a boy or a girl anymore? And don’t forget the 10 Alexanders, Alexandras, and Alexis’s in the class, all going by Alex). I could be much much worse.
Ladies and Gentlemen, my name, in real life, is Ann.
Is there a blander, more traditional name? I mean, honestly.
My name was mocked mercilessly by my classmates. Because that’s where I fell in the pecking order. Other classmates, with infinitely more mockable names (Roland? Just think of the possibilities!) Didn’t get what I, simple, plain Ann got.
If kids are going to make fun, they’ll find something. They will move heaven and earth, leave no stone unturned to find a way to mock your name. I speak from personal experience. Echo is not Penny Cash, or Mary Christmas, or Ima Hogg. And if adults insist on mocking her name, she’ll have a simple asshole detector right there.
Some of us who give “unusual” names aren’t trying to be creative, we’re giving names that mean something to us, or to our family histories. One of the things I’ve learned from being saddled with the horrible name of Ann is that conforming just so I won’t be made fun of isn’t worth the trouble, and usually doesn’t work anyway.
[QUOTE=zoogirl]
You’d be amazed at what can be done to a nice, simple name like Ann. If it rhymed, referred to a bad commercial (Annabelle gets a free muffler! :mad: ARGH!), or could be used to comment on my butt (Hey! Annie-Fanny! :rolleyes: ), I heard it!
Ya just can’t win. QUOTE]
Hey, Bren_Cameron, my point exactly!
Hey, zoogirl, somehow I missed your post or I’d have quoted it. Annie-fanny. Sheesh, I’d repressed that one.
Monstro and Moreso. Cool names for twins.
For a second, when I read the thread title, I thought that Echo was being used as a feminine form of Junior. That your daughter was named Marie. I think it could work that way, as a nickname. That is, your Granddaughter could be named exactly your Daughter,'s (married) name, but called Echo.
Probably not practical. Oh, well.