Eye-rolling baby names

JCbride2015

Cookie Pusher said:

JCbride2015 said:

Oh fun fact on spelling.  Both my first and last names are common nouns, spelled exactly the same way you would spell in the dictionary.  But the last name is also commonly misspelled when it's used as a name.  Like if the noun was Carpenter, but people constantly want to spell it Charpentier.  So I'll hand my license or credit card to someone at a register and say, "My email is spelled like THIS" and spell it out C-A-R etc.  I'll watch the person write down Charpentier because that's the way they're used to spelling it, and they just start tuning me out the moment they hear the word pronounced.

I'm still undecided on changing my last name.  Fi has a really unique Italian name.  But at least people pay some damn attention when he spells it, because they've never heard it before!

My last name has TWO LETTERS. People always spell it wrong. I sign for all our UPS/FedEx/USPS packages, and always spell my name for the carrier. It's spelled wrong on the receipt confirmation every time. Every. Single. Time. For the last 3+ years. And we have the same 4 or 5 carriers every time, too.

I see that-- same problem as my last name, people think they know how to spell it because they've seen it another way, so they stop paying attention to you.  Lazy fuckers!  

But it's my email too, so if I think I'm going to get spammed by whatever store I'm giving out my email at, I just don't bother to correct them.

beethery

Cookie Pusher said:

My last name has TWO LETTERS. People always spell it wrong. I sign for all our UPS/FedEx/USPS packages, and always spell my name for the carrier. It's spelled wrong on the receipt confirmation every time. Every. Single. Time. For the last 3+ years. And we have the same 4 or 5 carriers every time, too.

Things like that make me happy about two things: 1. That I don't have a two-letter last name that no one can spell for some reason, and 2. That I don't live in some kind of HOA neighborhood because I would get in trouble for spray painting it on my car or house in humongous letters.

HisGirlFriday13

DH's (and now mine) is a noun. A common noun that people use every damn day.

Not one person can go from lower-case green to uppercase Green without either misspelling it or mispronouncing it.

JCbride2015

HisGirlFriday13 said:

DH's (and now mine) is a noun. A common noun that people use every damn day. Not one person can go from lower-case green to uppercase Green without either misspelling it or mispronouncing it.

Same here.  And saying "Like in the dictionary," or "Like in the Bible" never helps.  I've said, "Spelled like the actual word: someone building something with wood" and then they go, "So, C-H-A-R-P-E-N-T-I-E-R?"*

*Not my real name but I'm going with the Carpenter example still.  Make me stabby.

Also on a tangential topic.  Fi randomly said to me the other night, "So I've been thinking about you keeping your name.  And I don't really like it.  But I understand how you feel and I'm okay with it."  I sort of just want him to be okay with whatever choice I make.... and then I'll maybe change my name once I feel like I'm not pressured.  KWIM?

HisGirlFriday13

JCbride2015 said:

HisGirlFriday13 said:

DH's (and now mine) is a noun. A common noun that people use every damn day.

Not one person can go from lower-case green to uppercase Green without either misspelling it or mispronouncing it.

Same here.  And saying "Like in the dictionary," or "Like in the Bible" never helps.  I've said, "Spelled like the actual word: someone building something with wood" and then they go, "So, C-H-A-R-P-E-N-T-I-E-R?"*

*Not my real name but I'm going with the Carpenter example still.  Make me stabby.

Also on a tangential topic.  Fi randomly said to me the other night, "So I've been thinking about you keeping your name.  And I don't really like it.  But I understand how you feel and I'm okay with it."  I sort of just want him to be okay with whatever choice I make.... and then I'll maybe change my name once I feel like I'm not pressured.  KWIM?

I do, and that is totally reasonable.

CMGragain

I've posted this before, but I thought the newer ladies might enjoy it:

My rules for naming my grandchildren.

1.  If you have never heard of the name before, don't use it on your innocent child.
2.  No names with unusual spellings.
3.  Do not plan to call the child by his middle name.  DH has this problem, and he hates it. 
4.  The last letter of the first name must be different from the first letter of the last name, or it runs together.  Not Greg Green or Bill Lane.
5.  Try to avoid strongly ethnic names, especially if the ethnicity doesn't match the last name.  Wang Li MacTavish?
6.  No alliterative names.  Not Lois Lane.  (I really do know one, and she hates it!)
7.  No names with hidden meanings, like South West.
8.  No place names.  No car names, either.
9.  Before deciding on the name, say the full name four times, fast.  If you are having trouble pronouncing it, decide on something else.
10.  Last step - fill in the blank with the baby's name:  Supreme Court Justice _____ ___ _________.
Fifi Towanda Jones doesn't make it.  Sarah Ann Jones does.

lovesclimbing

People always mispronounced my last name growing up.  It would be like if my last name was Carter but someone pronounced it "care-ter."  My married name people pronounce right, but it's usually spelled wrong because it has double letters where it doesn't really need them.

Bad baby names - Anything with crazy spellings. Any trendy pop culture names. (A friend had a kid last year and named her Bella.)

Anything super common.  Even if it's a pretty name and passes all of @cmgragain's rules, if you know four or five people who have that name, maybe consider giving your child something different.

kaos16

CMGragain said:

I've posted this before, but I thought the newer ladies might enjoy it:

My rules for naming my grandchildren.

1.  If you have never heard of the name before, don't use it on your innocent child.
2.  No names with unusual spellings.
3.  Do not plan to call the child by his middle name.  DH has this problem, and he hates it. 
4.  The last letter of the first name must be different from the first letter of the last name, or it runs together.  Not Greg Green or Bill Lane.
5.  Try to avoid strongly ethnic names, especially if the ethnicity doesn't match the last name.  Wang Li MacTavish?
6.  No alliterative names.  Not Lois Lane.  (I really do know one, and she hates it!)
7.  No names with hidden meanings, like South West.
8.  No place names.  No car names, either.
9.  Before deciding on the name, say the full name four times, fast.  If you are having trouble pronouncing it, decide on something else.
10.  Last step - fill in the blank with the baby's name:  Supreme Court Justice _____ ___ _________.
Fifi Towanda Jones doesn't make it.  Sarah Ann Jones does.

This is the only rule here that I wouldn't agree with.  There are a few B names that go with our B last name that sound amazing together. I would use one in a heartbeat . . . . . although, there are some that don't

theartistformerlyknownas

I hate the misspellings of real names the most. I can live with popular names, especially the ones that are common and nice like Emma or Daniel... even with trendy names, I'd much rather see a hundred Jacksons than a bunch of Jaxson, Jaksyn, Jacxson, Jaksynn, etc. Blah. Stupid. (I'm lookin' at you, Jay Cutler and Kristin Cavallari. Their other kid is Camden!) I know of a girl named Karsyn. Why would you do that? 

Two names smashed together gets equal eye-rolling - Emlyn? Ashlyn? What? Stop it.

Naming your kid Nevaeh is guaranteeing that she grow up to be a stripper. Not even an "exotic dancer," a straight up stripper who works the Tuesday afternoon shift.

HobokensFury

As a teacher I've seen some crazy names. Tequila and I-true are on the top of the list.

LadyMillil

HisGirlFriday13 said:

DH's (and now mine) is a noun. A common noun that people use every damn day. Not one person can go from lower-case green to uppercase Green without either misspelling it or mispronouncing it.

My maiden name is a common adverb. I had the same problem. It's like "really? the obvious way of saying it was too obvious to be correct". Think bear instead of bar.

DH has a last name that is very uncommon in North America. People can't pronounce it or spell it. 

grumbledore

beethery said:

Those names I mentioned earlier, I had to look at FB because I couldn't remember.

Lundyn, Madysun, and Khyrstyne.

You're welcome!

Those parents need a punch in the fucking eye.

I side-eye every unusual spelling.  I have such loathing for the parents who do this to their children.

The new one around here is Jackson, which is a fine name imo.  Until you spell is Jaxon.  Fuck off.   

cupcait927

It makes me so sad that Jack has become ridiculously popular. FI and his dad (and the three generations of fathers before FI and his dad) all have the same first name with a different middle name (middle name is the maternal grandfather's first name). So FFIL is "Thomas Peter Smith" and FI is "Tommy John Smith". FI really wants to have a true junior, rather than carrying on the family tradition and we wanted to call him Jack because it gets SUPER confusing when FI and FFIL are both together and people start calling for "Tom" and they both respond. Plus Jack was FMIL's father's name and it's a nice way to recognized both families. But now it's become super trendy. Sigh.

As far as alliteration goes, I gotta disagree with some instances of it. FI and FFIL both have BB names and they sound fine together. But I do agree that sometimes it can sound a little ridiculous.

theartistformerlyknownas

Oh man this list is fantastic.

http://www.stfuparentsblog.com/post/79164903260/yoonique-baby-names-2014-edition 

wandajune6

My mom's maiden is a difficult German name. Her brother took to using "Wang" for reservations and the like because it was easier.

My last name is unusual and long though nowhere near as difficult as people make it. FI's name is much shorter but very similar to a slur in his native language. I'm tempted to change my name but his relatives think I don't understand the level of teasing I'll receive. Since I've never actually seen the teasing it seems like an overreaction to me.

I've always been teased for my first name because of pop culture references. It's a family name and I'm ok with it (wandajune is just a stupid nickname).

I tend to prefer more traditional names but it seems to me that the more difficult the surname, the easier the first name should be. And above all else, avoid giving a kid a name they'll be made fun of for!

JCbride2015

lolo883 said:

Oh man this list is fantastic.

http://www.stfuparentsblog.com/post/79164903260/yoonique-baby-names-2014-edition 

Ledjend makes me shudder.  I have to wonder if the parents misspelled it on purpose or accidentally.

A few more I've run into over the years: Tiara, Princess, and Abcde (pronounced Ab-sah-dee).

rajahmd

DH's cousin named her kids Cannon and Boston. When we first started dating, I had a hard time believing that they named a baby after a large explosive weapon. Apparently it's something to do with a hockey team in, you guessed it, Boston.

My mom's a teacher, so she has great name stories. The best one: Va-ji-nay, spelled Vagina.

A resident I worked with once said she knew a kid named A-shol-ee, spelled Asshole.

Because the best names come from body parts.

cupcait927

Oh! I just remembered two good ones. I work for a health insurance broker so we see a lot of interesting names during enrollment periods. There was a woman at one of our employer groups who had named her kids Hardcor (yes, with no E), Trotsky and John. Another employee had a husband named Riot. So bizarre.

rajahmd

ckel24 said:

Oh! I just remembered two good ones. I work for a health insurance broker so we see a lot of interesting names during enrollment periods. There was a woman at one of our employer groups who had named her kids Hardcor (yes, with no E), Trotsky and John. Another employee had a husband named Riot. So bizarre.

Do you think John likes being the only one with a normal name, or does he feel left out?

manillabar

I hate hate hate Neveah!  One of the pediatricians at my school said the worst he ever heard was Klamidyah.  It's supposed to be pronounced clam-uh-DEE-ya,  but you just know the kid's gonna be called Chlamydia for the rest of her life

cupcait927

RajahBMFD said:

ckel24 said:

Oh! I just remembered two good ones. I work for a health insurance broker so we see a lot of interesting names during enrollment periods. There was a woman at one of our employer groups who had named her kids Hardcor (yes, with no E), Trotsky and John. Another employee had a husband named Riot. So bizarre.

Do you think John likes being the only one with a normal name, or does he feel left out?

That was my first thought when I saw all three names! I think I would hate to be named John when my other two siblings had super unique names. Not surprising, John was the youngest.

emmaaa

I like traditional names. No unique spellings, locations, or car names. I also say that you should think of the child introducing themselves. Can you really imagine a businessman or woman introducing themselves as "Bentley" or "Brooklyn" and being taken seriously? No.

I am also in the camp that children should be named what they will go by. My name is Mary Emma, I go by Emma. I like the sound of Mary Emma together but I hate correcting people. FI is James, goes by Jay. We want our kids to go by the name they are given.

There are a lot of the names on the "most popular" list that I like but wouldn't use simply because I know 500 Jacksons and Avas. Great names, too popular. even though my name is on the most popular list, I only know 1 other "Emma" that is my age. The others are older and a relative I was named after.

PS, I like biblical and strong names.

lizzypoo96

chibiyui said:

beethery said:

Those names I mentioned earlier, I had to look at FB because I couldn't remember.

Lundyn, Madysun, and Khyrstyne.

You're welcome!

All of them, but especially the bold. 

Dear parents, you are not helping your child with these spellings. You are though making everyone who ever comes across your childs names special spelling think that you, the parents, are freaking dumb. 

Signed, the girl with teh misspelled name that every English teacher I ever had pointed out how and why it was spelled wrong. 

We had a Shyhan (pronounced "Cheyenne") at me school and her parents couldn't understand why she had serious issues in reading and spelling. *facepalm

KPBM89

RajahBMFD said:

DH's cousin named her kids Cannon and Boston. When we first started dating, I had a hard time believing that they named a baby after a large explosive weapon. Apparently it's something to do with a hockey team in, you guessed it, Boston.

My mom's a teacher, so she has great name stories. The best one: Va-ji-nay, spelled Vagina.

A resident I worked with once said she knew a kid named A-shol-ee, spelled Asshole.

Because the best names come from body parts.

Well now I know my future kids' names.  I think Vagina and Asshole might have a hard time at school, but at least I get to be the real Dick by naming them that. 

Cookie Pusher

A friend of mine is currently dating a hipster douchebag who had his name legally changed to an onamoneapia. Jerkface apparently had a very normal name, but as an 18 year-old pothead hipster fuckwad, jumped through all the hoops to have it changed to a sound. Good thing he's in some creative field because there is no way I'd take him seriously as, like, my lawyer or something.

grumbledore

eg72 said:

I like traditional names. No unique spellings, locations, or car names. I also say that you should think of the child introducing themselves. Can you really imagine a businessman or woman introducing themselves as "Bentley" or "Brooklyn" and being taken seriously? No.

I am also in the camp that children should be named what they will go by. My name is Mary Emma, I go by Emma. I like the sound of Mary Emma together but I hate correcting people. FI is James, goes by Jay. We want our kids to go by the name they are given.

There are a lot of the names on the "most popular" list that I like but wouldn't use simply because I know 500 Jacksons and Avas. Great names, too popular. even though my name is on the most popular list, I only know 1 other "Emma" that is my age. The others are older and a relative I was named after.

PS, I like biblical and strong names.

I actually disagree very strongly with this.  I hate it when parents give nicknames as full names.  Abby, instead of Abigail, for example.

whitjoy

FI went to High School with twins named 'orangello' 'and 'lemongello'. Spelled "orangejello" and "lemonjello" I teach college, one student (girl) named "Dorkass"

selenathegreat

I have a fairly unique name myself and I love it. I couldn't imagine naming a kid "John" or "Chris" -- too traditional for me. I don't have a problem with a unique name. I have friends who have named kids "Jade" and "Zelda" and "Piper" and I think that's all cool. Bonus: they're short and not too hard to spell.

HOWEVER: I do agree you can go too far, and weird spellings are just unnecessary and a headache for the kid. I think you should ask some middle-school boys what they think of a name and if they can't see any way to obviously mock it you're probably OK.

Also, if I give my kid a weird name I'll give them a less weird middle name, just so they can go by that if they really want.

doeydo

lolo883 said:

Oh man this list is fantastic.

http://www.stfuparentsblog.com/post/79164903260/yoonique-baby-names-2014-edition 

# 5 

theartistformerlyknownas

grumbledore said:

eg72 said:

I like traditional names. No unique spellings, locations, or car names. I also say that you should think of the child introducing themselves. Can you really imagine a businessman or woman introducing themselves as "Bentley" or "Brooklyn" and being taken seriously? No.

I am also in the camp that children should be named what they will go by. My name is Mary Emma, I go by Emma. I like the sound of Mary Emma together but I hate correcting people. FI is James, goes by Jay. We want our kids to go by the name they are given.

There are a lot of the names on the "most popular" list that I like but wouldn't use simply because I know 500 Jacksons and Avas. Great names, too popular. even though my name is on the most popular list, I only know 1 other "Emma" that is my age. The others are older and a relative I was named after.

PS, I like biblical and strong names.

I actually disagree very strongly with this.  I hate it when parents give nicknames as full names.  Abby, instead of Abigail, for example.

I only agree when you just choose a name that doesn't lend itself easily to nicknames. Nobody's going to call an Emma much else besides Emma. Don't name your kid Susie just so she's called her true given name. And if you don't want your kid to ever be called Becca, don't name her Rebecca to begin with. Pick a different name, or get over it.

True story. My great-grandmother hated that nobody ended up being called their given name, just a nickname, so what's the point? "If I name the baby William, people will call him Bill. If I name him Bill, they'll call him Billy." So did she just choose a name like Jack that couldn't be shortened? Nope, she named my grandfather Billy. What'd he end up going by? Bill. Because Billy is a ridiculous name when you grow up to be a Navy pilot.