No, not sorry, but experience does tell you things you hadn't realized before. Like how my daughter, Jaime, always has people spell her name wrong. Her grandmothers took YEARS to remember how to spell it. She once filled out a form of some sort and when she later got mail back related to whatever the form was for, they had changed her spelling to Jamie.... as if she hadn't known how to spell her own name on the form. And my step-daughter, Emilee (pronounced Emi Lee) is constantly called Emily.

I'm so with you on the importance of chosing responsibly when it comes to naming children.

Both my husband and dd work with the public and are always coming home chuckling over the 'out there' names they encounter. Dh had customers--siblings--named Wax and Paper Flowers. DD has had so many--one named phonetically "Fe-MAL-lay. Spelled--you got it--Female! She also had a Clamidia--what WAS that mother thinking?

I named my dd a standard, old-fashioned, normal name. One that had a cute, average nickname that she used as a child, but now that she's a medical professional, she uses her birth name.

I liked my husband's grandmother's method, btw. She always tested the names she chose for her sons by putting "Dr." in front of them. If they didn't sound good like that, she didn't use them--LOL. I did that even with my DD's name!

As to Jr.s? Not a fan of ever naming a child after someone else. Aside from the confusion it creates (my husband is a Jr.--those poor kids get called 'little' or 'young' long past the time when it's appropriate), I believe very strongly that the start of giving your child his/her own unique identity, starts with giving them their own name. I considered myself very lucky when my dd was born--because had she been a boy, the inlaws expected us to name her 'the third'--which wasn't going to happen.

I think I've probably posted this before, but when I was in second grade, there was a little boy named "Extry".....yes, he was the youngest of about a dozen kids. I've often wondered if he kept the name or changed it, or what.

It was just in the news this week of strange names for babies. Here's what some Canadians are naming their sons for instance...Gonzo, Rexall, Anarchy and Natorious.

When it comes to names, parents have to think how it can be shortened to an unfavourable nickname by other kids, and what it sounds like when the child is older.
Tammy as a 4 yr old sounds cute, but maybe as a 60 yr old, she might not care for it..

No, I like her name and so does she. Her name is Erin Quinn, and at the time, Erin, wasn't a common name. I think a lot of people thought the same thing because she went to school with lots of Erin(s).

I would never name a baby a really silly name...like I know a little boy who is named Bo Jangles and his sister is Ellie Mae. I've heard worse than that tho. And I wouldn't name a baby a common name and spell it stupid...like Jaymez....which someone I know named their son. That's James, by the way.

I heard once, on tv, of a baby that the mother had named Placenta. She thought it sounded pretty. LOL!

My youngest, when he was in kindergarten wanted to change his name. His best friends' names were Herman and Nobert. His name is Spencer, but he wanted a "normal" name. We called him Homer for a while......LoL
Now, everyone at his work, and even his wife call him Chuck or Chuckie. Why? I DON'T KNOW! First time she started talking about Chuckie, I asked who it was.........

I agree that uncommon spellings can be detrimental. Honestly, I had no idea as a young mother that most of the girls I knew named Tammy were actually named Tamara. I had never heard the name Tamara before. When it came time to name my daughter, I pulled the name Tamar from the Bible and reversed the last 2 letters, coming up with Tamra. Thought I made it up. Nope! Of course, everyone spells her name wrong. She says it's not a huge issue, but I wish I had known better.

My husband is a junior and named his son the III. DH is a law abiding citizen, but was once arrested while on leave from the army because the officer that had pulled him over while driving didn't bother to look at the junior on his license and there was a warrant out for his father. They booked him, but figured it out before the night was over.

He has also received letters of acceptance for credit cards that he never applied for and changes of address confirmations that were for his son.

To top it off, his name is Richard and absolutely hates the nickname "Dick". He says you can call him Rick or Ricky, but not Dick. He got in lots of fights in school because of that name.

I thought I was giving our eldest a unique name, but I guess everyone else did too that year. I still like it, but it turned out to be the most popular girl's name for a few years. In preschool, she had two other girls with her first name, so they were called by their first names and their lat name's initial to distinguish them. She married a man whose family names the first son a specific name, and on their wedding invitations I thought "IV" after his name looked great. Now they have broken with tradition and given their son a different first name and the family's traditional middle name.

My cousin, the "III," was named after his father and grandfather, went into the same profession as his dad, and lived at home quite a few years after college and then in the same town. He was always getting his dad's phone calls. When they's ask which one they wanted, it got confusing because "junior" was the father.

I know I've told ya'll this before - my niece's last name is Land, and she named her DD Alison Wanda. Oh my....

One year in the Gr. 8 class I taught there were 8 girls named Sherry, all spelled differently. There was Sherry, Sherrey, Shery, Sheri, Cheri, Cheree, Cherry, and Sherree, all pronounced "Sherry".

I often wonder what parents are thinking when they give their children "cutsie" names. They must not take into account what happens when these children grow to be adults. I had a boy in my class named Corey Lee *****, which is not too bad when you are 10. But how seriously would you take a grown man with the name Corey Lee, as in "Prime Minister Corey Lee ****".

Maybe the governments in Quebec and some other places have the correct idea. If the name that the parents chose would cause their child to be subject to ridicule, etc., or is not the least bit appropriate, the government will not register the name and the parents must choose again.

In our family we have always stayed pretty close to "family" names. Sometimes a last name was used as a first name or middle name. My youngest brothers middle name is Barnes, because that was the last name of his Great GrandMother...My daughter's name is Susan. My favorite name in the whole world. I named her after my Great GrandMother ...I love her name. I really love the old fashioned names...some of the names I hear these days really make me want to laugh. A friend of mine had a child in her class who's name was phonetically..
Paj-a-May................spelled Pajama....

My parents named me Veronica (after the saint) and nicknamed me Ronnie. Growing up in the south where there were almost no Catholics in the 50s, Veronica was not common. For some reason Veronica never fit me (could be the saint thing)Ronnie does. Also, they didn't give me a middle name, which is fine with me.

I've posted about this before, but I go by my middle name and it has caused me untold grief. I get 2 jury summons (at different times), I have to explain all the time. Just today I went for shot and the form leaves a big space for "first name" and a tiny spot for "middle initial". It happens all the time. My advice is don't call a child by their middle name. I taught pre-K long enough to know to never spell a name a cutesy pie way. It will by a PITA to that child forever.

Sort of funny story.....
My not-so-sweet SIL pronounced on numerous occasions, that she hated her first and middle name.
When her daughter was born, guess what she named her? The same exact name that she has always hated.
When questioned about this, she said that even though she hates the name, there is not ONE other name out there that she likes better.
Go figure!

I'm fine with most names as long as the parents ackowledge the fact that it is an unusual name/spelling/pronunciation and don't act like the rest of the world is stupid.

I sub, ya know, mostly in middle school. So with 6 class periods a day, I've called 100+ names a day, and 100 more the next. There is always a name that looks like it could go two ways on pronunciation, I'm 50/50 for picking the right one. Then there is always a name that is so far out there, it looks like a typo and I just have to skip it, then ask "who didn't I call?" at the end so they say it for me. Mostly if I'm making an honest, respectful effort the kids are nice about it. Because I often go back to the same classroom or team of classrooms, seeing the same kids repeatedly, I do try to learn names as best I can. But sometimes I get a real twit who has to get all offended when I say their name wrong (Sorry, don't blame me, *I* didn't give you that ridiculous name! -no, I don't really say that, I just want to.). I really get annoyed, though, when a kid goes by a nickname which isn't on the role (teachers should make a note). I call the given name and no one responds, they all stare at me confused, call the name 3-4 times until the kid finally says, "Oh, I go by Pete." OK, Pete, are you new to school? You should be prepared to answer to both names just in case! How do you "forget" your legal name when you're 14? I do try to be respectful and get the names right, I make more effort than other subs I know. I know it's personal, and we both feel awkward when I get it way wrong.

I like the kids, though, who get all excited when I get their unusual name right the first time. "No one ever gets my name! You are so cool!" Instant bond. ;o)

If a parent chooses an unconventional name, they are also choosing the consequences and a lifetime of spelling, pronouncing and explaining. It's great if they accept all that, teach their kids to explain/correct politely. But if they roll their eyes and sigh rudely every time they have to say it, they picked the name to be difficult. A person is just looking for a reason to be offended if they do that, then get resentful of everyone else who has never heard the name before... or seen "Sarah" spelled with an E. I understand that some people want their child to have an original name, not one used by anyone else. I get that. I respect it, even, as long as they respect that doing so will require that they "teach" others the name politely for the rest of their life.

I knew someone expecting twins and wanted to name the boy after both grandfathers: Harrison Richard. Sound strong and normal enough. Then her brother pointed out the combination of nick names. That's all it took to convince her choose something else. ;o) That's why it's good to run these things by someone who will be honest with you.

My kids all have regular names, you can find them on pencils and keyrings most of the time, spelled correctly. I don't need funky names to make them unique, they figured out how to do that for themselves quite well. OK, I admit to wanting to name DD "Scout" (cuz To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite book) but DH vetoed that. So I named our cat Scout. ;o) My brother's name is Dirk. While it's easy to read, and not totally weird and you know there are others out there by that name, you can go your whole life and not meet them. So he did have to explain sometimes growing up, and he did not have the temperment to do that.

Met a kid named Pride a few weeks ago. THAT was wishful thinking on his parents' part! LOL! Let's just say I'll remember him. ;o)

I named DD Heather Teresa. I like it. She likes Heather fine but hates Teresa and refused to tell anyone her middle name if she can help it.

DGD's name is Erica Belle and we have always called her Erica. Recently she has decided she is Erica Belle. (Probably because Belle is a princess). Her name tag at Sunday School just had Erica so she complained to DD. DD told her who to talk to about changing it. Off she marched to ask the lady to change it from Erica to Erica Belle. The lady had no problem with that since it really is her name. The lady said at that age her DD wanted to change her name to Mary Poppins!!

Erica wants to name her new baby sister Marley Belle. Actually she wanted Erica Belle but was told that wouldn't work. We keep offering other names and she vetos them. She says she loves her name and wants to share it with her baby sister. DSIL told her "Mommy and Daddy have to sign a paper when they name the baby and I'm not signing for Marley Belle." Erica very quickly said, "I'll sign it!!!"

Linda

My son is a 3rd and I am sure he would have gotten teased if more
people knew he was a 3rd. I would love to change his middle
nmae but not for that, it would be for the fact that he named
after his father! I divorced his father 13 years ago and he (father)
has noting much to do my son nor our 2 daughters.
My son has some mental issues and his father is more worried
about his recent wife and his chicken farm then our children.
That is my only reason for changing his name, but since he is over
18 he must agree also.
Deb

LOL, This thread is so funny!
I have some clients who are Italian. Their first child is a daughter who they named Rosa Gulia after her mother. (call her Julia)
Her husband insists on naming their son Pasquale after his father. This of course is very common with Italian families. She was mortified when the second child was a son, and he wouldn't budge from naming him Pasquale. So he's saddled with that.

I love the ideas of parents now naming their sons the mother's maiden name......Hunter, Blake, Preston, Dawson, etc.

I was born in Canada, but my parents and brothers and sister were born in Sciliy. My parents gave me an ethnic name. I have never met another person with my name. I can't tell you how many times I have had to spell or tell people how to pronounce my name. I get everything from Sylvia, Alicia, Azelea, Sheila. When I was younger, I hated my name, but I have grown to live with it.

Ausilia

My husband and his same-age cousin are both juniors. Dads names were Victor and William, or Vic and Bill. Sons got used to the names "Vicky" and "Billy Boy". These 2 grown men are now both in their 60's and I cringe when I hear "Billy Boy" or "Vicky". On top of that, Vic Sr and Vic Jr got each other's financial identities mixed up. Vic Sr ran up a bill at Sears and wouldn't pay it. Vic Jr was a parking ticket scofflaw in New York City. These items appear on each others' credit reports. By the way, Vic Sr died in 1990. He still gets letters for jury duty once in a while.

I admit, I don't like clever, inventive ways of spelling a name. I had a last name no one could spell, even though it was spelled exactly how it sounded, LOL. People would take Calloni and pronounce it Cannoli. Yes, I'm lovely, but I'm no one's dessert.

When I got married 30 years ago, I changed my name to his because it looked so easy to spell - hah, it wasn't. The name is simple, but now people seem to add extra vowels in, because, really! wouldn't you want a few extra?

I know, Bah Humbug. You do your child a favor giving them a name people can both spell and pronounce.

I love to talk about baby names, but I had such a hard time with my kids for these exact reasons. I wanted a perfect pretty name that she wouldn't be teased about, misspelled all her life, or not taken seriously. (Supreme Court Justice-Trixie Leigh Tiffany!) Plus our last name is Smith, so it had to be somewhat different. You even have to consider the initials. For a boy we liked Michael Robert (2 grandfathers) but the initials spell MRS. I doubt a boy would like that! But we had girls, so that was moot. We finally decided on Olivia and Katherine.

I can't stand when people give their kids somewhat normal names and spell them strangely. I've seen Michael spelled Mykul, which I think looks awful, and makes the parents seem uneducated?

I'm also not a fan of names that have 100 variations-Kristin, Krista, Kirsten etc. I have a neighbor who I've known for 5-6 years and I don't really know her name. It's something like Alicia or Alicea. If her husband is around I wait for him to mention it, but he never does! But I"m way beyond the time of asking what her name is! lol

I never liked my name Teresa as a kid, I wanted to change it to Heather, which seemed pretty and cool! But now I love it, even though people always put an H in it! UGH! I was named after my grandmothers so it seems special to pass on the tradition. My maiden name is Sexton though and I wouldn't saddle that on any kid! I HATED the 1st day of school when teachers said your whole name!

My DH has the opposite problem. His name is Bob Smith. People think it's a fake name because it's so generic!

So, Ausilia, how do you pronounce your name...Is it Auh Silly Ah?

A comment on naming sons with their mother's maiden names...It works great if the name is something like Howard, Neel, or Sumner. What if the name is Gross, Grose, Butt or Butts? Sometimes, family names just have to be put aside.

I'm happy with my children's names. They are all family names and are the traditional spellings. My oldest child has the same first and last name as a famous person. The name wasn't an issue at the time he was born, but now it's popular. I might not have chosen that first name because of the connection, but it is still a good name. At least the famous person has a good reputation. It's not like he has the name Adolf Hitler.

Here is one that I just remembered...Our vet is the fourth in line in his family to carry his name...Let's call him James Jones and he is the 4th so want to guess what his nickname is....

Remember this is Tex....Around town he is called Cuatro! For anyone who doesn't know...that's 4 in Spanish...but he isn't even spanish...but that's what he is called. It's a small town and his family has been here forever...

When I was in high school, there were three kids in the family that lived on one side of us. The parents disliked nicknames, so gave their children names that they thought people would actually use, rather than calling their kids by nicknames.

One daughter was named Betty. Didn't name her Elizabeth, because they knew folks would end up calling her Betty, so they gave her the name Betty.

Another daughter was named Barbara. HUH? That kid was called Barb, Babs, and Barbie all the time. The parents goofed on that one.

Their son's first and middle names are Bobby Gene. Now, I think Robert Eugene is a great name, but they named him Bobby Gene. Why not Bob? Bobby is ok for a small child, but think about a 60-year-old man with the legal name of Bobby...

With some of these names, seems like Adolph isn't quite as bad as originally thought, eh? :)

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."

Wiliam Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Funniest one I'd ever heard (til tonight) was by a woman who'd been reading the want ads and found something that sounded beautiful. So she named her daughter Formica Dinette.

"With some of these names, seems like Adolph isn't quite as bad as originally thought, eh?"

An uncle on my mother's side was Joseph Aloysious. As a child, I always felt sorry for him for having Aloysious as part of his name. Now, many, many years later, I don't think it's bad at all. And in doing as much genealogy research as I've done, I've discovered that a LOT of men, especially with his surname, have Aloysious as either a first or middle name.

I named my kids Kaitlyn and Samuel knowing that we were going to shorten them, but I really don't like Katie and Sammy, so from birth we called them Kate and Sam. The second they went to school I realized that they would be called Katie and Sammy anyway because our last name starts with an E..... Kate E. and Sam E. Never saw that one coming, didn't even cross my mind :(

My next door neighbor's real first name is Billy. But as an adult he goes by Bill.

Cuatro is funny. I knew a kid in school who was the fourth and it was an awful name like Harry Herman or something, so he went by Ivy (Roman numeral IV is the 4th) Seemed to fit him really well.

I heard of a family from New Orleans where the son was Charles something the 7th!!! I'd never heard of anyone beyond the 4th. That's kind of cool! Even though DH is a junior and gets his mail/accounts etc mixed up with his dad at times.

I took care to name my kids names that couldn't be shortened. I like the name Nicole but was afraid she would become a Nicki so that DD's middle name. Both of my kids like their names although DS is globally known (due to the internet) by a nickname he gave himself online.

My BIL's wife's family had a boy named Boy.

Back 52 years ago when I named my daughter Kimberly, I didn't know any other Kim's, but she went all through grade school with another girl Kim and a boy Kim in the same classroom. Now her husband's mother must have been a fan of the old "I Love Lucy" show as his name is Ricky. He goes by Rick, but signs all legal papers Ricky.

I was named Rosemary Gail, but never called that. I sign all legal papers Rosemary G., but I bet my high school diploma says Mary Gail. Too many years later to worry about it.