We didn't try to give our kid a popular name

[QUOTE=don’t ask]
A few years ago the NSW Under 19 Rugby League team (13 players) had 7 players named Jason. Now one could be called Jase but how to distinguish the rest?
[/QUOTE]
Ask George Foreman how he does it. Or don’t ask.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

A friend of a friend named her first daughter Alexandra. Then she named her second daughter Sasha.

Sasha is a nickname for Alexandra (at least according to my baby name book) - guess she read a different book! :smack:

Rank in 1976: #9.
Rank in 2005: #493.

I love the name.

My first daughter, if any, will be Lisa.

Hell, I would probably marry a Lisa in preference to an equivalent nonLisa.

[QUOTE=Alma]
Along those lines, it seems to me that one of the better ideas is to name your kid something that was popular when you were growing up. There were a total about forty kids in my class in grade school–four of them were Jennifer and there were three Brians. From the Baby Name Wizard linked previously, I see that those names have dipped in popularity considerably, and so have most of the names of my other classmates (Susan, Mary, Melissa, Eric and others).

It’s a lot easier to be far behind the trends than out in front!
[/QUOTE]

In that case, I think I will name my kid Jesus. It was a popular name back then (No, not Jesús, just plain Jee-zuss)

My sisters and brother have pretty unique names, partially due to spelling and cultural reasons, but also even if you changed them to the more common spelling.

My name, Paul, used to be reasonably common when I was born, in 1969, though not overly so, but it isn’t all that common anymore. It’s a bit of a plain name, I suppose.

[QUOTE=Queen Tonya]
Tact is always important, but what I think is a really great idea is for all parents to run the potential name by an obnoxious third-grader. Only when you consider all the ways it will be used to tease a kid can you make an informed decision.
[/QUOTE]
I was bemoaning the fact that my father overruled my mom (as always) and she didn’t get to name me Daria. My co-worker immediately thought that kids would have taken that to the diarrhea place, something I hadn’t thought of in all those years. So perhaps I dodged a bullet!

[QUOTE=Darryl Lict]
How about saying “Moose and Squirrel” for me?
[/QUOTE]

You know, it’s people like you that made me hate my not only my first name but my middle name as a kid and wish I were named Violet after my grandmother’s first name.

I also have a mild loathing for Rocky and Bullwinkle. Yay for childhood teasing from adults. :rolleyes: It’s not cute when they pull out the same stupid line every time they see you.

[QUOTE=Frylock]
But how is it relevant what you would like to be the case about their name?

[/QUOTE]

While it is not the case legally, in Spain godparents are still considered a sort of co-parents. Before “living wills” were introduced, they were the first people considered when the parents couldn’t take care of their kids for whatever reason. For example, at one point my great-grandpa was out of town (he was a cop and would get sent to different places for 1-2 year periods) and his MiL was dying, so my great-grandma, being gggrandma’s only daughter, went back home to take care of things. Grandma and her two sisters spent about a year living with each of their godparents.

This is one of the reasons why most people go for married couples as godparents; also to avoid getting two godparents who may not be around if they’re needed (my godfather died when I was 3, the godmom is still going). And one of the things that I’ve seen people do when they get unmarried godparents is clarify beforehand which one would get the kid…

And if you don’t see why I don’t want to get the giggles when the priest asks “what are you naming the child?” well, then I just can’t explain it. I’m saying that literally, not as some sort of literary image. I don’t think I’d be able to say with a straight face “we’re naming her Nutella.”

Our firstborn ended up with the fairly common name Samuel. Not a top ten, but in the top 30 for the past fifteen years or so. It’s ok, he’s the only Sam in his daycare class and one of two at Sunday School, so I don’t forsee a lot of problems there.

We’ve done a little better this time around (our daughter will be born a week from today). Ellen Susannah is pretty darned uncommon. . . Ellen hasn’t broken the top 100 in over 15 years, and Susannah isn’t even in the top 1000 according to the SSA.

[QUOTE=Rigamarole]
In that case, I think I will name my kid Jesus. It was a popular name back then (No, not Jesús, just plain Jee-zuss)
[/QUOTE]

You aren’t a vendor of cartoon balloons, by any chance?

My wife wanted to name our son Travis. I agreed if the middle name was Thomas. Then I would call him Travesty.

[QUOTE=Nightingale]
Our firstborn ended up with the fairly common name Samuel. Not a top ten, but in the top 30 for the past fifteen years or so. It’s ok, he’s the only Sam in his daycare class and one of two at Sunday School, so I don’t forsee a lot of problems there.

We’ve done a little better this time around (our daughter will be born a week from today). Ellen Susannah is pretty darned uncommon. . . Ellen hasn’t broken the top 100 in over 15 years, and Susannah isn’t even in the top 1000 according to the SSA.
[/QUOTE]

Don’t be shocked if Ellen suddenly gets a resurgence - It has the Elle - Ellie - Eleanor - Emily, Emma thing going for it. She likely won’t be the only Ellie (says the women with the Elinor) if you choose to call her that.

[QUOTE=Rigamarole]
In that case, I think I will name my kid Jesus. It was a popular name back then (No, not Jesús, just plain Jee-zuss)
[/QUOTE]

Jazz it up with a creative spelling! How about Gyzus?

[QUOTE=Marley23]
How about Gyzus?
[/QUOTE]
Hmmm, but that might confuse people, like “gyro” does.

[QUOTE=Dangerosa]
Don’t be shocked if Ellen suddenly gets a resurgence - It has the Elle - Ellie - Eleanor - Emily, Emma thing going for it. She likely won’t be the only Ellie (says the women with the Elinor) if you choose to call her that.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I’ve wondered about that. Draax swears we’ll never call her Ellie, but I kind of think it’ll be unavoidable. Right now I figure the biggest hassle will be explaining “No, it’s not Ella. It’s Ellen. With an N.”

At least we’re probably safe with Susannah.

My husband and I have been talking about having a baby. We are already settled on a boy name. Andrew for a first name, which is pretty common, but still nice. And we’ve already decided that his middle name will be the first name of my husband’s best friend, who we have tentatively planned to ask to be the godfather of our children. He has an unusual name, so we like it, and it sounds good with Andrew. And since we have it settled, we will probably never have a boy…

I have a girl name that I have liked for about ten years or so. I read it in a book, and I have never heard it, and it hasn’t been in the top 1000 names for the past 100 years. Although I did google it once and got a few hits. It is the name of a main character in this book. But if I share it all of the pregnant dopers may decide they love it and snatch it up. :stuck_out_tongue:

[QUOTE=Jelymag]
I have a girl name that I have liked for about ten years or so. I read it in a book, and I have never heard it, and it hasn’t been in the top 1000 names for the past 100 years. Although I did google it once and got a few hits. It is the name of a main character in this book. But if I share it all of the pregnant dopers may decide they love it and snatch it up. :stuck_out_tongue:
[/QUOTE]

Pssst…see post #67…maybe it IS time for a comeback. It’s my ~40-year=old cousin’s name.

[QUOTE=gigi]
Pssst…see post #67…maybe it IS time for a comeback. It’s my ~40-year=old cousin’s name.
[/QUOTE]

Wrong name. Sorry! :wink:

She doesn’t appear in the book until part II.

[QUOTE=Jelymag]
Wrong name. Sorry! :wink:

She doesn’t appear in the book until part II.
[/QUOTE]

:smack: Your secret is safe! :stuck_out_tongue:

[QUOTE=elfkin477]
Even with the internet, it’s hard to gage what’s the current trendy names are. When I started a novel for Nanowrimo in November, I named my main characters Jared and Islene. Jared was relatively popular when I (and the character) was born, and Islene is pretty rare. I gave their preschool-age kids normal but not too trendy names: Avery and Owen. Or so I thought. They’re both in the top 60 for boys names as of 2005. Oops. Oh well, they’ll ring true for kids born in the early 2000s now.

You parents don’t have it easy!
[/QUOTE]

I’ve only encountered 4 or so Jareds in my time on this earth, so atleast for my age it’s relatively unknown.