You’re stuffed, dude. Names pass like the latest 'flu through the new parent demographic. Choose your child’s name in total secrecy. Do not share it with anyone. It would be preferable, but probably not practical, to tell everyone you have named your baby John or Jane and keep their real name secret till they are about three.
Otherwise you will set off a wave that will see your unusual name suddenly become a common and trendy name to an extent and with a speed that will astonish you.
I have a tediously common name and this issue is a bit sensitive with me.
Consequently, my children’s names were chosen from books of names. We wanted names that were “accepted” (ie not something weird we’d made up) but highly unusual. It is amazing (but aggravating) how trendy these names have become. Whether this is because we have influenced others or unknowingly and entirely against our intentions been influenced by others I can’t say.
Three of my kids got classic-but-not-all-that-popular-at-the-time names, two of which (Jeremy and Timothy) later DID become popular and now every second redneck/bogan has the same. I chose better for my daughter luckily…boy names metamorphosed into girlie ones never really get up into the top ten, thankgod!
However, for the other son I decided to be creative and gave him a name that, upon Googling, finds only one other in the world, and I think THAT is a nom-de-plume anyway. He turned out to be weird, and I think it’s because I gave him such an unusual name…at least THAT is the excuse I’m using anyway!
IOW, be special but not TOO unusual. You’ll spend half your life spelling the kid’s name to various authorities who demand it, and the other half paying off their therapy bill!
I work in a public library, so whenever I’m making a new card for a child, I have to make sure that I’m spelling their name correctly. You’d be surprised at how many parents decided that traditional spelling was lame back in 1995.
Then again, when I worked in foodservice, I commented on a girl’s card listing her name as <i>M’chelle</i>, and got “Oh, it’s the French version!” as a reply. I dryly commented back that the original spelling was the French version and that she was mistaken, then told her to have a good day with a big smile on my face.
People will name their kids with stupid names, so I just roll with it, as I have a “normal” name that isn’t so common that there’s always going to be another one of me at work.
That’s like in East of Eden, when Adam was thinking about naming the twins Cain and Abel. He chickened out, though, and went for Caleb and Aaron (Aron).
I should have kids just so I can resuscitate some of the old family names. Betcha no one out there is naming their sons Calixte or Placide, right? And for girls, I could always go with the oh-so-euphonious Venerande or Mathilde.
(as it turns out, my name is also an old family favourite… it was my great-great-great-great-great-grandmother’s name too)
I’ll swear on a stack of Bibles that I had NO IDEA how popular my son’s name really was until I saw a report on the evening news - I was a bit upset at first, but I chose the name for personal reasons, not popularity.
My son’s (8) middle name is Jacob. This was chosen because it was my grandfather’s name (except he was European and spelled it Jakob). I was tempted to use the Euro version and then thought we don’t want to be one of those people who change a letter to be distinctive. The Euro-relatives were thrilled despite the Anglicizing.
I wanted his first name to be Morgan only to discover how it had been co-opted as a trendy girl name, rendering it useless to us. I wish that fad would stop because it’s always the boys that lose the usage. You never see a trend of "Let’s name our son Gertrude - no girls use that one anymore.
Another inundation name (around here) is Michaela (the correct spelling) and it’s thirty spelling-mangled derivatives (Mikayla, McKayla, etc).
Ok, that’s waay too weird. My son, eight months old, is a Leo, and if the one I am carrying is a girl, she will be Carys. Except we are using the Greek spelling, Charis. Carys means love, Charis is grace.
I know someone who named their daughter Mackenzie … but she calls her Mac. Sweet lil thing, named like she’s a whiskey-smelling truck driver.
My son’s name is so unique, that I would say there’s not another like him … except there is. His father, and his grandfather. Great-great grandfather, too, who was in the Civil War. Nobody can accuse me of selecting an unusual name just to be unusual!
I’m a Lisa, and yes, I’m a child of the '60s. You don’t see that one around anymore, thank Og. My son’s soccer team has 5 Michaels and 4 John/Jons. It makes it simple to cheer for the boys! My daughter, Katie, has a college roommate Katie, and there are two Katies across the hall from them. We did name her Kathryn to let her have many choices when she was older, but she’s pretty well stuck to Katie so far. I wanted to name a boy James Reuben after my dh and my grandfathers, but all anybody could remember was some song by Kenny Rogers. He’s Jon David.
You’re as confused as I am–I read that bit in the book and thought, “huh?”. Maybe I don’t get out much, but I do work in a primarily African-American hospital–and I don’t know ANY black males named Robert. Maybe it’s regional?
I see upon occasion older black women with names like Johnnie or Freddie–you know they’re female by the “ie” ending. But that’s about it.
Daughter’s name is Laura. Lovely name, classic etc, BUT–she came just before the vast tide of Laurens (a name I don’t care for) and so she has to correct people (and spell it. Gah).
#2 son is Johnathan. I wish I had stuck to my guns and named him Dwight. Or Simon (but that’s the cat’s name). Or Nathaniel. We just call him John.
Names I’d like to see come back:
Eleanor–why not?
Dwight–it’s nice. I knew a wonderful guy named Dwight who went and worked for the Peace Corps.
Carol
Edward
Beth
Beverly
David (not Dave. ugh)
Joshua
Millicent
Douglas
Peter
Robin (for both boys and girls)
Linda
Lisa (but name her Elisabeth)
I’m sure there are tons more–it’s hard to think of them off the top of your head (or it is for me). Just please, no more Js. Gah.
Just checked that socsec site. Robert is unpopular–29 out of 1000 births.
Edit window timed out. I read that wrong. Robert has been ranked 47th most popular. (I think?) I doubt it. :dubious: The only Roberts we meet are old men.
To hell with “original” names. My parents gave all 3 of us original names and it sucks. You always have to spell it, say it multiple times, teachers get it wrong, people just end up calling you the common name that sounds most like yours, etc.
According to this:
My name was 100 per 1,000,000 when I was born, my brother’s name apparently didn’t exist when he was born but has since become relatively popular (100 per 1,000,000), and my sister’s name does not exist (I literally made it up when I was 3 and when had a family meeting to decide the new baby’s name.)
My kids are going to get strong, common, but not trendy names. Alexander, Jack, George, etc.
One thing my husband said was that he’s always enjoyed his unusual name. Sure he has to spell it, but people remember him. Well, that and he’s such a memorable person anyway. Well, I think so.
Oh and Rigs, I like “Eleanor” too. “E” names are great! Unusual but not uncommon. E’s unite!
My parents tried, they really did. They gave me a name that was akin to “Jennifer” in India, here in the States. So, it’s common back home - if you google my name you get about a million results, none of which are me - and and totally unusual here.
I did wince a lot in school, though, as the teachers could never say my name. My last name starts with an ‘A’, so I knew I’d come up right away, and I’d just raise my hand and give my nickname.
Even these days I only let other Indian people use my legal name - they pronounce it just right. Everyone else gets my nick.
I know at least four Roberts. One of them is a dick.
Leo is rising in popularity. We considered it for our son too, now 9 months old. We decided against it since our first son’s name also starts with L and I was afraid it would look like we were those types who gives their kids all the same letter names. We also considered Levi, we went against it for the same reason (now in the past month I know 2 babies named Levi.)
We went with Miles. People seem to love it or hate it.
Well, I think so.