Draco, Apple, North West.... seriously?

[Maisie]

Names are one of the major reasons I got into looking at my family trees, so cool!

I really enjoyed looking at my family tree. I managed to get back to the late 1700's on my dad's side. Nearly all the men were called either Solomon or Francis! All those names to choose from and everyone has the same name

 

[JewelFreak]

Inner Kitten -- I have a multi-greats grandmother, back in the 1600s, named Experience too. Maybe it was a fad, or are we related? Her maiden name is a gas: Experience Looke.

I'm embarrassed to admit the name my ignorant brother & SIL gave their son: Eron. The morons mixed up Erin (a girl's name) and Aaron. I'm sure his teachers all shook their heads over that one too. He's been called Tad all his life, much better.

 

[innerkitten]

Not to get OT, but I think we are distantly related way back, because didn't you also have the Folgers and the Coffins from Nantucket in your tree as well? It's a small world.

 

[zoebartlett]

Didn't KK plan on using Nori as a nickname for North? I think Nori's kind of cute. I love Suri Cruise's name. I remember hearing all sorts of comments about it but I really like it. I'm another one who doesn't so much mind different names but the unique ways of spelling them bugs me.

 

[JewelFreak]

Holy moley! You bet we are! In fact, how's this for weird -- we are Coffin descendants & my nephew's wife is a Folger. My g-g-grandmother was a Coffin. Wonder how closely we're cousins? Yeah, teeny tiny world, isn't it?

--- Laurie

 

[packrat]

I like North, I think it's cute and different. Reminds me of Nora, which I like too. I don't like the...kitschy sound I guess, w/the last name. Like Easter West and Tanner Hyde, it makes me wonder if people don't actually pay attention to what things sound like. (tho, in North's situation I think they did it on purpose)

 

[innerkitten]

Holy moley! You bet we are! In fact, how's this for weird -- we are Coffin descendants & my nephew's wife is a Folger. My g-g-grandmother was a Coffin. Wonder how closely we're cousins? Yeah, teeny tiny world, isn't it?

--- Laurie

Interesting. Maybe one day we can compare charts. If you're on gemologyonline we could chat about it sometime.

 

[Gypsy]

I went to school with a Holiday Lights (lights was spelled differently) and a Dayanna Night.

I'm sorry. I read both of those and my first thought was 'stripper names'.

 

[ponder]

I went to school with a Holiday Lights (lights was spelled differently) and a Dayanna Night.

I'm sorry. I read both of those and my first thought was 'stripper names'.

I just laughed so loud I woke DH up.

 

[Haven]

Meh...people have always had "odd" names and the previous generation always says "Those crazy kids! What are they thinking!"

Inner Kitten is right, the Puritans were naming their daughters Thankful and Silence. I have a great-something uncle from the Civil War era named Thomas Jefferson, said all together like Thomasjefferson Lastname.

The world is getting smaller and people are inspired by things from a much wider scope than ever before in human history; names are going to reflect this. Even the top 10 most popular names are are popular by far fewer amounts and babies sharing those names number in the thousands, not the tens of thousands like they have in the past.

I find it to be liberating, personally. Do you think the name is beautiful? Does it mean something to you? Then use it! Sure, Rainbow Aurora is very much not my style, but it's somebody's style and they shouldn't be held to my tastes. And I do strongly disagree with using your children to further your own publicity, but KK could have named her daughter Mary Elizabeth and it wouldn't have changed the fact that she will grow up on the pages of trashy gossip magazines because Mom let her wear high heels or gave her two year old fake eyelashes.

I like the way you put this, Aviastar.

We gave our son a made-up name (Brienz, we pronounce it bree-ENZ), inspired by a beautiful place that was the setting of a very special trip for us. His nickname is a "real" nickname (Enzo). His middle name is a "real" but uncommon name, Hart, after loved ones we recently lost. We knew some would turn up their noses at it, and we knew our parents would hate it at first but come around once the love spell of their new grandson washed over them (they did). But no matter. We love it, and we love him.

Besides, I've been teaching for a decade. I have associations with nearly every name that I once loved enough to consider using, and the ones that remained--my husband vetoed!

 

[SandyCheeks]

Nori means seaweed and suri means pickpocket in Japanese.


In HS I knew a family of 4 siblings. The boys were Apple and Berry, and the girls were Peaches and Cherry.

 

[Christina...]

My dad has told me this story several times and when I call his bluff he swears its true. There is a family by the name of Hoare in a community near where I grew up. Apparently there used to be several of them and last I knew a few were still around. My dad used to own a contracting business and one night during dinner our phone rang and the conversation went something like this..

Dad: hello?

Ima: Hi Tom?

Dad: yes...

ima: Ima Hoare here, I was wondering if you could do something for me.

I know it sounds impossible and like I said I've asked him again and again if it's true (my dad likes to make jokes) and he swears it is!

 

[distracts]

Personally I always advocate for "Reignbeau," for the hippie who likes to be different. I thought I made it up several years ago but apparently there are actually people named this.

I am fine with rare names and with names that are just words (Apple and North are weird, but whatever), but when you start just making stuff up I object. If I have to think too hard about how to pronounce it, it gets in the way of proper identification.

I don't see regular-word names that are common as being weird, like Summer, River, Winter, Autumn, etc. I can justify some slightly more out-there ones like Liberty (one I've always liked) on the basis of sounding namey-enough. And I'm not even too opposed to Apple and North, since at least they're words people know.

There was this girl I knew from HS who had a kid recently, and on her facebook she posted that she was considering biblical names... like Nevaeh, Trinity, and Genesis. *facepalm*

I do think it's interesting to look at naming trends. In 2012, the most popular girl's name was given to 1.15% of girls born in that year, with .94% of boys having the most popular boy's name. If you look at 1940, the percentages were 4.76 and 5.27%.

Or the child who corrects the teacher .. It's Kali with an al not KAli with an A
when the girl with same spelling is sitting right next to her and spells it KAli!

I can see Kali as in the Hindu goddess, but is the other one Kali like Kayleigh? That just doesn't even make sense.

Circe - Is Oberon really a family name? Is your family made up of fairies???? *goggles*

 

[JewelFreak]

My dad has told me this story several times and when I call his bluff he swears its true. There is a family by the name of Hoare in a community near where I grew up. Apparently there used to be several of them and last I knew a few were still around. My dad used to own a contracting business and one night during dinner our phone rang and the conversation went something like this..

Dad: hello?

Ima: Hi Tom?

Dad: yes...

ima: Ima Hoare here, I was wondering if you could do something for me.

There was a very wealthy family in Texas called Hogg, and they named a daughter Ima. Luckily she was not only wealthy but beautiful & intelligent and was a philanthropist & patron of artists like Picasso, Matisse, etc. Didn't seem to slow down her life at all.

Interesting. Maybe one day we can compare charts. If you're on gemologyonline we could chat about it sometime.

I am but have never written anything on it. Feel too unqualified to open my mouth...er...keyboard. Are you under the same handle?

 

[chrono]

I was classmates with a girl named Jade, whose sister is Pearl.

 

[missy]

LOL some of these crazy names. Personally I am from the live and let live category but I do wonder what the parents are thinking when they use these difficult/strange names.

If the name has real personal meaning to the parents I could understand a unique name but I do wonder about the need to make the name so unique and different. It's not the name but the individual that will make their mark in the world yanno? So I guess I don't understand the need for the name to be so unique/special but again I respect the parents right to choose the name that they want.

I guess the child could always change their name when they are adults if they hate them but what a lot of potential pain in the meantime. And the crazy spellings annoy me even more.

I love old fashioned names. 2 of my faves for boys are Benjamin (Ben for short) and Samuel (Sam for short). I don't think you can go wrong with old fashioned names IMO. And while I do not regret not having children I do regret not getting the chance to choose some special to me names for them haha.

 

[innerkitten]

My dad has told me this story several times and when I call his bluff he swears its true. There is a family by the name of Hoare in a community near where I grew up. Apparently there used to be several of them and last I knew a few were still around. My dad used to own a contracting business and one night during dinner our phone rang and the conversation went something like this..

Dad: hello?

Ima: Hi Tom?

Dad: yes...

ima: Ima Hoare here, I was wondering if you could do something for me.

There was a very wealthy family in Texas called Hogg, and they named a daughter Ima. Luckily she was not only wealthy but beautiful & intelligent and was a philanthropist & patron of artists like Picasso, Matisse, etc. Didn't seem to slow down her life at all.

Interesting. Maybe one day we can compare charts. If you're on gemologyonline we could chat about it sometime.

I am but have never written anything on it. Feel too unqualified to open my mouth...er...keyboard. Are you under the same handle?

I am. And I've done a lot of research on the Nantucket families. So I might have some good stuff for you.

 

[innerkitten]

I was classmates with a girl named Jade, whose sister is Pearl.

I think that's very pretty.

 

[pandabee]

I was classmates with a girl named Jade, whose sister is Pearl.

I think that's very pretty.

I was just thinking this too!

Re: Nori...I also agree that the first thing I thought about was seaweed. mmmm now I want sushi.

I would like my kids to have somewhat unique names, but I am not a big fan of the spelling variations to make it all unique. Working in a pharmacy, it makes my life really difficult when people call on the phone and tell me their name but if it's an unconventional spelling, neglect to offer that information without me prying it out of them. Just your basic Catherine vs. Katherine vs. Cathryn vs. Kathryn is hard enough...not to mention all these other weird spellings like Jaxon, etc. I think people nowadays definitely think too much on what would be "cool" to have their kids named now, and not imagining that they will have to grow up with these names and get jobs eventually.

 

[aviastar]

Meh...people have always had "odd" names and the previous generation always says "Those crazy kids! What are they thinking!"

Inner Kitten is right, the Puritans were naming their daughters Thankful and Silence. I have a great-something uncle from the Civil War era named Thomas Jefferson, said all together like Thomasjefferson Lastname.

The world is getting smaller and people are inspired by things from a much wider scope than ever before in human history; names are going to reflect this. Even the top 10 most popular names are are popular by far fewer amounts and babies sharing those names number in the thousands, not the tens of thousands like they have in the past.

I find it to be liberating, personally. Do you think the name is beautiful? Does it mean something to you? Then use it! Sure, Rainbow Aurora is very much not my style, but it's somebody's style and they shouldn't be held to my tastes. And I do strongly disagree with using your children to further your own publicity, but KK could have named her daughter Mary Elizabeth and it wouldn't have changed the fact that she will grow up on the pages of trashy gossip magazines because Mom let her wear high heels or gave her two year old fake eyelashes.

I like the way you put this, Aviastar.

We gave our son a made-up name (Brienz, we pronounce it bree-ENZ), inspired by a beautiful place that was the setting of a very special trip for us. His nickname is a "real" nickname (Enzo). His middle name is a "real" but uncommon name, Hart, after loved ones we recently lost. We knew some would turn up their noses at it, and we knew our parents would hate it at first but come around once the love spell of their new grandson washed over them (they did). But no matter. We love it, and we love him.

Besides, I've been teaching for a decade. I have associations with nearly every name that I once loved enough to consider using, and the ones that remained--my husband vetoed!

Thanks, Haven! ( And HI! Nice to see you posting round these parts! ) I love the name Hart, and, as I am far more interested in the combination of sounds and syllables than whether or not you made the name up, I'll say that your combination rolls very nicely off the tongue!

 

[Haven]

Thank you, Aviastar! It's so nice to be back on PS, I have missed everyone so much.

I am really enjoying reading all of these unusual names. I have a story to share, which I think I've told on PS already, but here goes:
Several years ago, one of my new colleagues introduces himself as Serry (as in, with the fringe on top). I ask about his name, and he says he has eleven siblings and all of their names rhyme, at which point he proceeds to rattle off a list of eleven rhyming names, something like Merry, Terry (tur-ee), Lerry, Berry (burr-ee), etc. etc. He had a reputation for being a funny guy, so I start laughing heartily, "That's great, hahahaha. But really, I like your name, what's the story?" His response, deadpan: "That is the story."
I wedged my foot into my gaping mouth and avoided him for the entire duration of my tenure at that school. Could I have been any ruder?

My favorite interesting student names were Leia and Annakin, twin Hispanic students whose parents wanted to give them American names

A friend of mine had a student named Yrhynest, which was his mother's interpretation of "Your Highness". Mom thought it was one word, and that it was spelled that way, and pronounced with that final t. My friend just called him, "Mr. Hissurname" all year, she refused to address a student as Your Highnesst.

 

[Smith1942]

For a girl, I've always loved the name Istria. Sure, it's a place in Croatia but I've always thought it would make a super-pretty girl's name. The poster above with Brienz made me remember this, because Brienz is a place, too - a beautiful one.

ETA: Another Croatian place name that I thought would make a gorgeous girl's name is Opatija - pronounced oh-PAT-iya. Suppose if she didn't like it she could call herself Patty, and an Istria could always call herself Izzy! Or Issie.

 

[aviastar]

Ah, Haven, your post makes me giggle! I have an aunt who is a little crazy about things like patterns and organization and having A System. Well, she has 8 children and each of their first names begins with the first letter of the previous child's middle name. And no matter if the name you really like doesn't start with that letter- just change it! Which is is why I have cousins name Ra*chelle instead of Michelle and Nik*enzie instead of Mikenzie. (Asteriks added so their very unusual names don't pop up in google searches). But ya know, they have grown up to be well adjusted lovely people with homes and families of their own, both go by nicknames, and while it makes my brain hurt just a little to think about The System, it made my Aunt's brain hurt a little less. My religious culture is well known for its large families, eventually you are going to have to get creative if you aren't going to repeat among cousins and friends.

 

[Lulie]

I like different and sort of like made up names the thing is, they often mean something 'else' in other languages
My sister shared this with me the other day, please scroll down if you have the time:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_unusual-baby-names-of-2013_10388919.bc Hurricane? Cheese? Kukua? I guess North is not that bad after all.

 

[msop04]

A family that came to my pharmacy stands out. The father's name was Karl, mother was Carletta. They named their first born (son), Lil' Karl. ...just in case they forgot, I guess.

I was ringing up meds for a newborn baby. I noticed the baby's name was Jonnarhia, so I was like... okay, well I guess that's kinda pretty (juh-NAR-ee-uh). So, in closing I said, "...let us know if you have any questions about Jonnarhia's medicine." I was quickly corrected on the pronunciation. It was JON-uh-REE-uh. Yep, like gonorrhea. I didn't even know what to say, so I just nodded.

True stories.

 

[msop04]

I was classmates with a girl named Jade, whose sister is Pearl.

I think that's very pretty.

My younger sister's name is Jade, but her twin is named Hailee... so nothing cutesy there. HOWEVER (work story coming...), I had a family where all five children were boys. They definitely had a theme going with the first four, then it just died...

1. Diamond
2. Sapphyre (yes, the spelling kills me)
3. Turquoise
4. Amethyst
then...
5. Randall

I don't know... maybe they ran out of ideas?

It took me and my staff a long time to get back to work after that one! LMAO!

 

[Sparklelu]

We started new semester yesterday,so today I had new kids .
I noticed one of my students had the same last name as a former student, so when I took attendance I asked if she was Alexis (male) sister? She said yes her name? Yalexis, her baby sister? Alexa!
Dad? Alexis... Guess he picked the names?

 

[Ximena]

I think it's great to have a unique name but like another poster wrote, we need to be careful. My MIL is Swedish; she almost fainted when she met my neighbors' twins over the holidays:
Bettina and Bajsah =poop in Swedish. No, I can't bring myself to tell

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I like different and sort of like made up names the thing is, they often mean something 'else' in other languages
My sister shared this with me the other day, please scroll down if you have the time:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_unusual-baby-names-of-2013_10388919.bc Hurricane? Cheese? Kukua? I guess North is not that bad after all.

A couple of the names on that list have turned up at my son's school...one of the unusual boy names belongs to a girl in my son's grade.

 

[justginger]

I love seeing all the names that come through my workplace. It seems that some of the Aboriginal tribes up north allow their children to name themselves when they get to a certain age AND they also, as a means of respect, do not recycle names of those who have died for a certain period of time (a long time - years). This is what I've been told leads to the very...unique names we get.

First: msop mentions it, but we've had a real 'Gonorrhoea,' not even misspelled.

Second: a few different Candidas. Yes, more than one set of parents thought this word sounded 'pretty.'

Third: First name Coca, surname Cola.

Fourth: Elvis Elvis. Why ruin perfection with a different last name?

Fifth: one of the doctors, I'm going to change this one the tiniest bit so there's no chance it shows up in a search but I promise I'm upholding the integrity of the name - a gynaecologist by the name of Pusha Handeep.

And my favorite, the one burned so deep in my brain that I actually have a hard time remembering any of the new zingers I come across because they all inevitably pale in comparison: Chicken Tango