None of my partners have so far shared my enthusiasm.
I wanted to call my children Antimony (girl) and Wolfram (boy).
I asked my wife about the abundance of Kevins here and she reckons it was because of the Home Alone films in the 1980s.
I guess that rules out Harry for a few years.
I'm sort of with Kittster with this one. Call your child what you want but bare in mind that it's them and not you that will have to wear the name for the rest of their lives and if you think that a name is cool, hippyish or otherwise trendy just remember that those types of names, like anything else that you as parents think about or wear are distinctly uncool for your off-spring and their mates.
Don't embarrass them!
We're still thinking about a name for ours due in a couple of months and we don't even have a shortlist.
Feel free to use either of mirfield's suggestions.
We had a good discussion about having the name Wolfram...which is translated to Tungsten for the chemists out there.
Under the idea of naming your children after periodic elements: I will name my first born son: Einsteinium. Seems like a good idea
How about Simon?
I'm not sure whether you're joking or serious (how does one tell)? But, if you're serious then this is one of those where the parents are having a little joke at the expense of their child.
Great thanks. We just need a boy's name now in case it's a boy.
Haha definitely joking, I'm never having children. Although, if I did it wouldn't be at the expense of the child. In my opinion, a name is just a collections of letters, if the child is having problems because of their name, there's usually other factors in play. A confident, well rounded child can be fine with any name.
I actually like the name Wolfram...
You could use that argument with everything with regard to children - clothing, footwear, etc etc.
I'd be happy if my kids have enough confidence to feel they don't need to be sheep and have the latest fashions, trendy shoes and mobile phone.
There are a lot of names out there but some really are ridiculous.
Would you call your child Adolf or Kim II Sung, for example?
What is the problem with the name Adolf? Or its multiple international versions like Adolfo?
It might be considered "bad taste" in Germany (or was so while WWII survivors where still very much alive), but no-one will associate "Adolfo" to Hitler in my home country. I know enough Adolfos that never suffered any bullying because of their name.
Same goes for Kim. Should we also stop naming children Edward, George, Atila, John, etc, just because a few rotten apples caused a lot of destruction?
Probably just as likely as I would have them walking around in the so called 'fashion' these days or using any apple products.
It would raise a few eyebrows if you did it in the U.K.
I actually said Kim II Sung, and not Kim on it's own.
I agree with the notion that there is no need to all of a sudden surprise everyone with ott name for their child, reminds me those square folks who all of a sudden shave their head or get a Ferari to prove to the world they can.
There are some cwazy names out there, I as a teacher come across some interesting ones, but over all I wouldn't go so blend as to give boring super common name with nothing to it, just to not stick out of the crowd.
Shocking - no, but classical, out of fashion, yes, why not. I love Charles, William, Michael, Amelia, Elisabeth, Eliza, Elliot, Emma, George, Paul, Bernadette, Vladimir, Antonin. I would rather teach my child to like it and ignore smallmindedness, than prevent paranoidly, and give name that I have no connection to, no preference...We all do, in fact, have a preference, since we are little kids, don't we, something we often think about. Fav relative, friend, somebody you had a platonic crash on, granny, etc...
I was a little miffed when they told us at creche they will ignore our daughter's home culture nickname since here it means too close to piss . She didn't even know the french pronounciation of her name, was used to the cute nick. I told them I would rather her be proud of her nick (a pet name based on her real first name, everyone is called this back at home) but they insisted and went for prevention rather than teach her little buddies it is not nice to mock and rip on eachother because of names. I think if she'd learn how to fend off silliness like this, it would have made her stronger and more aware of her identity, her culture, we would have had that good discussion, etc. Why go through shortcuts just to avoid people's redneck nature. So, she gets called very formally and it is long (I actually think it is because the creche teachers do like the unusual, very literary reference, etc.), got used to all three version of her formal name plus the cute pet one, that is reserved for her home and grannies and uncles.
Which brings me to another article about one such unfortunate child:
Now, in another part of the US, they *may* have gotten away with such naming (probably still wouldn't have been able to order a cake at the market though) but as there are lots and lots of 2nd generation American Jews in that area, the poor choice of name is highlighted to an even greater extent.
It's one thing if you want to beckon to "all comers" and are ready for a fight yourself, it's another thing if you make your children a target.
It was bad enough growing up being called Miss Piggy (even in my thinner years) which happens to many many Peggys, to be called Adolf Hitler straight out... no. Especially living and going to school in that area, he'd have had his butt kicked daily and wound up as either a complete saint (preaching forgiveness to the world) or a total racist jerk, even without his parents whispering evil hate into his ears.
I could have done without the "strengthening" or "character-building" experience that was being teased for your name in Kindergarten. Because on top of having a name they could make fun of, my mother had, gaaaasp, married a dark-skinned foreigner and spoke in this weird language! Kindergarten and most of school was an endless story of being teased, beaten up and mercilessly put down. And it only got worse after I came back from hospital following a suicide attempt. So to any parent who even DARES tell me that "sticks and stones may break your bones but words can never hurt you" I say - if it's not YOU going through the hell that is being "the weird one", you can damn well STFU.
Back when I lived in the States, our neighbors from across the street were an Arab guy and his American wife. Their son's name was Jihad. I've always wondered if she ever bothered finding out what it meant before agreeing to it. This was a year before 9/11, so she definitely found out afterwards, that's for sure.
What's up with all the capitalizing lately, are you typing together with Wolli?
I get you. I also think, not all kids are cutting their vains coz their parents gave them names that apparently kids abuse here to bully and mock, or feel so sorry for themselves they end up in a clinic. Most kids I know like their names and wear them with pride, maybe the times are changing. I also think not all cultures are so very cruel that parents have to really think hard before they give a regular name, that happens to be just a tad unusual. In fact, considering the names I have come across in my career here, only very few names are the "usual" ones. I like the esthetics, lovely, nice sounding, slightly unusual names people come up with (for that matter, I think messing up just with spelling makes no sense to me). I love old school French names people have here, beautiful (and totally useless for me in case I want to name a kid, since at home people would have no idea how to pronounce it, nor in the US).
Not that I really think names matter, it's the person who makes the name worthwhile, innit. It's like saying clothes make people. Cars make people. I know some people with lovely names who managed to turn me off those nice names entirely.
If people have others laugh at their names, it says something about those mocking juveniles not about parents who lovingly chosen some extraordinary name, because they had some believes that we might not share with them. We can choose freinds, we cannot choose family nor the name they happen to choose for us (well, now we can change our names, can't we).
I got teased mostly for being different and a little for the name. The point is that if you choose a name that highlights your kid as a target, you never know how bad the bullying will get.
You never know how will other kids accept your kiddo's name, that's correct. You also never know, if the priorities you install will be the "correct" ones, if the entire upbringing is going to match some society's expectation, etc etc...It's always a risk. Don't be mad at folks, they do their best (unless they are cruel lunatics that really do chose a crappy name like Vagene that hb went to school with if I remember the story well). When you raise your child, a name is always a celebration. You have a vision when you have a kid, a name is just a tiny fraction of it, not many people actually don't have any vision. To make sure this vision is going to make your child "standard" is impossible. And shouldn't be the goal, should it. I know what you mean by kids sticking out. But honestly, didn't we all stuck out in some ways? Most people on this forum are pretty extraordinary, the entire country is a mix of cultures, backgrounds, personal histories. It's fab for me to observe, share and be part of it. People will always stick out. Wear it with pride. I do, hahaha. With some addittional trimmings in case people overlook it. Makes life fun. The earlier you get used to this freedom and self integrity that name is a part of, the better. I have the name of my granny who had a tragic life. It was unusual when I was growing up (not any more, though, things change so fast). I feel quite sad about it, there was always this edge of a grandmother who's death almost ruined my mom's life, but also feel the honor folks wanted to pay to a person I never met. Names are little poems.