Unique Names

[PinkAndBlueBling]

Actually, I think this is just plain old weird. Elon Musk and some singer had a baby. The singer's name is a bit different, too. Whatever.

"Grimes is a mom of two!
The singer, 33, secretly welcomed another baby with Elon Musk, she revealed to Vanity Fair in a cover story for the magazine's April 2022 issue.
Grimes — who is also mom to 22-month-old son X Æ A-12, whom she also shares with the Tesla founder, 50 — told Vanity Fair that she and Musk welcomed a daughter in December 2021 via surrogate.
The baby's full name is Exa Dark Sideræl, though they've nicknamed her Y, according to Vanity Fair."

Elon Musk and Grimes Welcome Second Baby Together, Daughter Exa Dark Sideræl

Grimes and Elon Musk welcomed their second child together, a daughter, born via surrogate in December 2021, the singer told Vanity Fair

people.com

I'm always amazed that people give their kids such different names to satisfy their creative needs or wanting their child to be one-of-a-kind. They should just embrace that their child is one-of-a-kind and use a less controversial name. There are some benefits to what these countries do regarding baby names:

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21229475 (I mean, really, Talulah Does the Hula From Hawaii!? )

The 17 Countries With Strict Naming Laws

Laws designed to restrict (and sometimes punish) parents who try to be too funny or unique.

www.babygaga.com

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Too ugly for words
but its not like that kid is ever going to have a regular upbringing

 

[missy]

I agree with you because I dislike names that are trying too hard.

I think it says a lot about the parents and unfortunately the child is most likely stuck with the name though yes they can change it when they are older but that is a huge hassle and when you have your name for 18 years it might be hard to be OK with changing it.

But to each his/her own and none of my business.

LOL I googled this topic and look what popped up

Your baby’s unique name might ruin its life

There’s not much chance the United States will ever see a president whose name is Mercedes, Diezel or Spontaniouse. Research suggests giving your baby a non-traditional name can seal its fate…

nypost.com

 

[rainydaze]

It makes me sad for the child when parents choose a name that is clearly meant to be can overbearing creative reflection of themselves. Rather ironic, if you ask me, to give a child a unique name meant to be a very distinct reflection of the parent. The same holds true for me with naming a child after yourself/family name - either is an extreme that, in my mind, takes something away from the child's sense of self early on.

That said, it's not hard at all to legally change one's name. One of our kids wanted their name legally changed - it was neither difficult nor expensive, despite needing their birth certificate, social security, and passport changed. Everyone adapted to it quite easily, too. I also know a 40+ year-old who was given a family name (talking first and middle here) who has always hated it. We have talked about changing it and he does not feel he could. It might have helped had he changed it prior to his professional career, but even then, it's not his personality to make a change like that.

 

[tyty333]

@rainydaze Did it bother you that one of your kids wanted to change their name? I'm not sure how I would feel. I like my kid's names
so I would probably feel disappointed but in the long run, if they didn't feel like a "Jane" and wanted to be called something else I think
I could/would be respective of that.

My parents used to have a neighbor whose last name was Boob. When their son was old enough he had his last name changed. Cant
say I blame him. I would probably have done the same. Not sure how his parents felt about it. I hope they were understanding.

Edit...I agree with Missy...I dislike names where it seems like the parents are trying too hard to make a statement.

 

[Mreader]

@rainydaze Did it bother you that one of your kids wanted to change their name? I'm not sure how I would feel. I like my kid's names
so I would probably feel disappointed but in the long run, if they didn't feel like a "Jane" and wanted to be called something else I think
I could/would be respective of that.

My parents used to have a neighbor whose last name was Boob. When their son was old enough he had his last name changed. Cant
say I blame him. I would probably have done the same. Not sure how his parents felt about it. I hope they were understanding.

Edit...I agree with Missy...I dislike names where it seems like the parents are trying too hard to make a statement.

Omg this sounds terrible but I laughed out loud literally when I read about the Boob last name. “Butt” is also a last name that isn’t exactly uncommon. In SW Louisiana where I have family there are lots of French Cajun names and “Mouton” which is French for “Sheep” is a common last name. We knew a guy named “Beau Mouton”. (Beautiful sheep). I actually really like the name Beau as a name but not with that last name LOL.

 

[marymm]

So there's a list somewhere of acceptable i.e. "normal" names?

Is this list just for those born in the United States or would parents in other countries also be confined to this one list of names?

What about "unusual" family names that have been handed down through the generations? Should we eliminate those as well?

How about those Sr. and Jr. names? And the I, II, and III naming rituals? Aren't we concerned these name choices are limiting the child's future and really just parents' way of creating multiple "mini-me's"?

Under your naming rubric, is it acceptable for a girl to be named George, or is that too confusing?

Some people are obviously more comfortable only hearing and reading and saying names they have heard, read and said in their own lives and circles --- but we live in an international age, a digital age, a space age, and naming choices abound.

I get what is being said here, that names can have lasting effects, etc.

Elon and Grimes are welcoming their 2nd child, isn't this a joyful thing?

Is anyone truly concerned that the futures of Elon and Grimes' children will be disadvantaged by their names?

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

There are thousands upon thousands of names in this big wide world from myriad cultures to choose from. Many beautiful and rare. Some strange to our ears. All with some purpose.
I would hope that the parents who name their children 'uniquely' at least give them one staid name that they can easily use as an option if they so choose.
If a child grows up and wants to change their name to reflect who they are, whatever that may be, then they should- because it is their name.


This is of course, MOPO (my own personal opinion)
My eyes rolled so hard into my head that my corneas scraped against my brain.

What they call f*** you money bought Grimes (Claire Elise Boucher) and Elon Reeve Musk (a traditionally biblical/family name) this luxury of flex and impracticality for them. Their convoluted reasoning comes off as aggressively obnoxious. Flakes.
It may not be fair, but it's a reality to contend with.
Yet even they call them X, and Y, respectively. The next child they have for all intents and purposes will be Z, I expect.
Most children saddled with the narcissism of their parents' megalomaniacal 'expression' don't have that advantage.
I've known several people with outer ring unique names and most don't use them, are embarrassed by them, and resent their parents reasoning against convention.

 

[monarch64]

Star Wars names aside, I wanna know how much they paid their surrogate. Why do I get the feeling it was either Tesla shares or like $5k (like Elon offered a kid on Twitter with a parody account so he’d take it down)?

 

[rainydaze]

@rainydaze Did it bother you that one of your kids wanted to change their name? I'm not sure how I would feel. I like my kid's names
so I would probably feel disappointed but in the long run, if they didn't feel like a "Jane" and wanted to be called something else I think
I could/would be respective of that.

My parents used to have a neighbor whose last name was Boob. When their son was old enough he had his last name changed. Cant
say I blame him. I would probably have done the same. Not sure how his parents felt about it. I hope they were understanding.

Edit...I agree with Missy...I dislike names where it seems like the parents are trying too hard to make a statement.

No, it didn't bother me. It was my suggestion to make the change legal - they had been trying out a different name for about six months when I looked into it and brought up the idea.

My take on it: One's name is such a personal thing, yet we have no say in it when it is first chosen for us. DH and I (and all parents) chose names for our kids that *we* like. There's no guarantee that our kids will like what we choose. We also don't know our kids when we are making the choice. It's hard to assign such a personal thing to someone we know nothing about (yet). I am happy to have given my kiddo an opportunity to choose a name that resonates with them when we learned that the one DH & I chose didn't work.

Oh yeah. I'd be changing my last name if it was Boob! Good grief, that's a rough one!

 

[pearlsngems]

The Boob family, were they Dutch?
I know someone whose last name begins with Oo and it's just pronounced like a lengthened O, not ooooh.

 

[AprilBaby]

I for real had a patient named Anita Dick.

 

[LemonMoonLex]

I for real had a patient named Anita Dick.

One of my bosses names was Annja Cox. I felt so stupid when after knowing her for two years, having finally realized what her name is also communicating. Lol

She married into the last name so was just unlucky in that regard, but her husband is so good to her and she has a Beautiful family, so shes lucky where it matters! I'd trade a name for family any day!

 

[Calliecake]

I for real had a patient named Anita Dick.

I would definitely be changing my name.

 

[Lookinagain]

One of my bosses names was Annja Cox. I felt so stupid when after knowing her for two years, having finally realized what her name is also communicating. Lol

She married into the last name so was just unlucky in that regard, but her husband is so good to her and she has a Beautiful family, so shes winning! I'd trade a name for family any day!

Well, I definitely don't understand that then. Nothing said she had to change her name from her birth name to a married name.

 

[LemonMoonLex]

Well, I definitely don't understand that then. Nothing said she had to change her name from her birth name to a married name.

I'm just guessing here, but I could imagine that taking her husband's last name was something she planned on since she was little, and like most men something her SO appreciated as well. I don't think it bothered her very much, and in all my time of working with her I never heard one person mention it or Crack a joke. I think our names can be as important or not as we make them, or at least certain aspects of them.

 

[Ionysis]

I suspect these kids will end up calling themselves something resolutely normal when they get the chance. I always thought it was hilarious that despite Davids insistence that his son be named Zowie Bowie (Zowie actually being the middle name but what his father called him), but he now calls himself plain old Duncan!

 

[yssie]

The problem with demanding “normal” names is that “normal” is entirely contextual.

What’s “normal” in England might be bizarre in India. What’s “normal” in India might be bizarre in Japan. What’s “normal” in Japan might be bizarre in England.

There is, of course, not remotely normal within any reasonable context, but I suspect those occurrences are few and far between - and that’s why we hear about them…

 

[Ionysis]

You’re right Yssie. When I first moved to the Middle East I struggled so much with all the different names. I work with over 40 different nationalities so there is no “normal” here.

However at the other extreme to “very unique” there is also the ubiquitous. I have 32 people called Mohammed / Mohammad / Muhammed / Mohamed saved as contacts in my phone! I understand the cultural / religious reason why, but boy is it difficult at work when someone says “give Muhammed a call and invite him to the meeting”. Er…..

 

[missy]

My trauma surgeon’s name is Dr Wellman. Lol it gave me confidence and he is a excellent surgeon. Lives up to his name every single day. Thank you Dr. Wellman!

 

[Austina]

We used to laugh that a friend of ours was such a nice girl till she got married, then she became a Hoare (yes, it’s really pronounced wh0re!!).

I think most children don’t want to stand out from the crowd by having an unusual name, they don’t want to be different, despite what their parents might think. I wouldn’t lumber my child with an outlandish name, if I really wanted to give them an unusual name, I’d make it a middle name, and if they wanted to use that, they could.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

To add to yssie’s point, sometimes names don’t carry well between cultures because of translation issues, ie, it sounds like a word in Language X with a different meaning to what it actually means in Language Y.

For example, Hardik is a pretty common Indian male name, which means heartfelt/affectionate/warm; now it is pronounced with a soft d in Hindi (a “the” sound instead of a “d” sound) but, as you can imagine, a non-Indian person saying it out loud will pronounce it as “hard-dik”, which, errr, is not great for the poor guy stuck with that name….

On the other hand, there is a university in Sweden (Lund University) which translates to “dick university” in Hindi (and that is a fairly crude Hindi word to boot, lol). So, as you can imagine, not popular with Indian students

If I was naming a kid today, I’d like to stick to my traditions but I would also try and give them a name easy to pronounce or shorten (I have a lot of friends who struggled as they moved overseas), that wouldn’t sound ridiculous in a commonly spoken language outside of India (I’d definitely run it by friends from elsewhere!). You never know where people might move and emigrate, and while I’d be out of luck if a new slang term develops, at least I’d have tried

 

[natasha-cupcake]

I remember a really sweet exchange student in high school whose name was pronounced "mahbooballah". He told everyone to call him "Boob". We had to tell him that wouldn't be a good idea.

 

[AprilBaby]

We have several “Maboob “ stores here. I’m sure it means something else.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

We have several “Maboob “ stores here. I’m sure it means something else.

In Hindi/Urdu it means “love”, as in “a person you love”. Not sure if the translation is the same in other related languages. It’s a pretty common name.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

You’re right Yssie. When I first moved to the Middle East I struggled so much with all the different names. I work with over 40 different nationalities so there is no “normal” here.

However at the other extreme to “very unique” there is also the ubiquitous. I have 32 people called Mohammed / Mohammad / Muhammed / Mohamed saved as contacts in my phone! I understand the cultural / religious reason why, but boy is it difficult at work when someone says “give Muhammed a call and invite him to the meeting”. Er…..

I went to a co-ed high school with just over 500 kids
one year i counted 25 other Nicolas in the year book
It sucked
always at least 3 of us in every class

now its out of fashion and we are all about 50

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

We used to laugh that a friend of ours was such a nice girl till she got married, then she became a Hoare (yes, it’s really pronounced wh0re!!).

I think most children don’t want to stand out from the crowd by having an unusual name, they don’t want to be different, despite what their parents might think. I wouldn’t lumber my child with an outlandish name, if I really wanted to give them an unusual name, I’d make it a middle name, and if they wanted to use that, they could.

Gary used to work for a plumber who's son in law was a Mr Hoare (also a plumber)
They all had lots of fun with it
i think it must help to have a sence of humor